Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Blog Post #7

It has been a long time since I have been in an elementary classroom setting. When I was in grade school none of these current media tools were used. Now everywhere you look people are playing on laptops, iPhones (or any smart phone), and tablets. Since this class started, I have learned so much about using new instructional tools to help kids learn effectively, most of these tools being media related. After watching videos and observing in a classroom this semester I have really seen how using such tools such as iPad's and smart boards really help kids learn and it also keeps their attention. Kids are more willing to learn when using an iPad or a smart board. Why is that?

After watching iPad Centers by Ginger Tuck, I got to see a student practice his reading by recording himself on an iPad and then listening to his recording to see if he made any errors. Not only is this an effective way for him to practice his reading and learn his mistakes, but it was fun for him to hear his own voice and watch himself on film. Kids are fascinated with videos of themselves so bringing this concept into the classroom is genius in my opinion. 

Poplet, a video also by Ginger Tuck, is a perfect demonstration of Project Based Learning. Poplet is new to me, but it is an app where students can create learning webs. Mrs. Tuck has a station where students can read books about careers. After they have read the book they can create a poplet to further explain the career book they chose to read. For example, the students in this video chose a book on Veterinarians. They typed the word "Veterinarian" in the center and added pictures and information about that particular job around the outside to create a web. Not only were the students having a fun time creating a project, but they were also learning about a new career and what that job entitles. 

Alabama Virtual Library as a Kindergarten Center was probably the most fascinating for me to watch. Again, on their iPads, the kids would go to the AVL app and sign in like they were taught when they went to the library and then they would then get access to a search bar. The lesson they were currently learning was on transportation so from the list of words they were learning about they would type one into the search bar. Mrs. Tuck gave an example of "bicycle". She typed the word into the search bar and a description of the word came up along with pictures. She pushed play and the website read aloud what there was to know about bicycles. After they research the word that they chose, they have to draw a picture and write one sentence that they learned about it. This is a cool project that allows children to research things on their own but also have a fun time doing it. It also can give the children confidence that they are accomplishing and researching things on their own.

Another great demonstration of PBL was in the video Discovery Education Board Builder by Tammy Shirley. In my opinion this is kind of like Power Point for kids. They are able to create a title of whatever it is that they are learning and add facts, photos, and videos. Once they shared their board builders it looked like a Power Point presentation. In this video the student who was sharing her moon project with us was very excited and enthusiastic about showing us the project that she had created. She had done her own research and made a presentation all on her own.

Kids seem to love doing projects in the classroom and really make the most of it. I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy grade school and love learning the way I did when I was younger, but times are changing. Technology is taking over and we need to accept that. I don't necessarily think it needs to be used 100% in the classroom, but it seems to be a helpful way to keep kids interested. Kids are using tools that they love to use such as iPad's or smart boards but yet they are learning the things they need to move on in their future. I would have to say that from watching these videos and taking this class I have come around to accepting these changes more and more. There may be some things that I do not completely agree with, but most things are growing on me. In the next year and a half I am going to have to really pay attention to the teachers in the classrooms I am observing to get ideas on cool new PBL ways to use when I start teaching. I am very creative and knowledgeable when it comes to technology so I feel as if that won't be an issue, but ideas are very helpful. I feel that students should love to learn and this new way of teaching is making that possible. I am really looking forward to using this technique in my classroom and seeing what the outcome will be.



Kids using iPads in the classroom









Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Blog Post #6

After watching Project Based Learning Part 1 and Project Based Learning Part 2 with Anthony Capps, I really got a feel for Project Based Learning. Dr. Strange asked Anthony Capps so give him an example of the things he got his students to do. Anthony said that the kids in his class were writing a letter to Joe Bonner about women being able to serve in open combat. They tied this in with their history, writing and reading lessons by looking up past women or minorities in history that showed success and had to compare it to the women currently being able to serve in combat. They then gave an explanation as to whether or not they agreed with this. What really stood out to me about this was that Anthony said his students were actually really excited and interested in this project and came back to school with tons of information regarding this project. They also critiqued each others letters and the students themselves picked out the top 8 letters to send in to Joe Bonner.

Another project they did was on Afghanistan. They students had been learning about cultures so they were looking at the different things that made up Afghanistan's culture which included the food, fashion, warfare, etc. Anthony said these projects were so good that they put on a show for the parents and it was a huge hit. Anthony also said that it's not always going to turn out the way you want it to and by that he meant that he actually had a parent who served in Afghanistan and didn't want his child exposed to that particular environment. To fix this issue that student did another project that was still amazing for the whole class. These kids seem to really enjoy the things done in class and know that it is meaningful and important. PBL seems to provide students with the tools needed to enjoy the way they learn and that can really help the way a classroom is run.

Discovery Ed was another video where Anthony caps helps make learning in the classroom come alive. Discovery Education helps take kids to places that will make the way they learn more interesting. Anthony said that his class had to learn about plants and Discovery Ed would take them way beyond the picture of a flower. There are videos with experts explaining in detail about all these types of plants that they are learning about.

Watching videos seems to engage students in what they are learning. We live in a world full of technology and kids are now surrounded by it. In Use Technology Don't Teach It, Anthony says that technology comes natural to kids which I completely agree with. My 3 year old niece walks around with my sisters iPad and knows exactly what apps to push to get to her favorite games. Kids love using technology and they are going to be more intrigued if the things they are learning are used through technology. When I was in grade school the only technology we had were the computers in the computer lab and once we finished our class assignments we could play learning games. That was my favorite part of the school day (other than recess of course). Currently there is so much out there that is it hard to teach younger kids how to use it so do you set aside time to teach them the technology or use it as a way for them to learn as they go? I personally think using it as they go is the easiest thing. Anthony said that he has his students use one thing at a time to use and look over before throwing another tool at them, but using these technological tools is a great way to keep their interest alive.

What I took from the conversations with Anthony Capps is that PBL is a very successful way to keep students engaged in the topics being discussed in class. It is a way to provoke thought and makes them want to be involved and participate. When you throw technology into the mix it just makes things easier and more fun. Kids are more involved and actually want to learn when they get to do projects such as these on their own.

Kids using iPads to work







C4K Summary for September

The kid that I am first assigned to is named Mosa and he is from New Zealand. Mosa's first blog was about how he shows empathy at his house. He said that he liked to share food with his siblings and let them share his PSP. He also said he helps his siblings out with homework problems such as math or spelling. When I commented on Mosa's blog, I told him that I also liked to share food with my brothers and sisters at my house. I told him that we sometimes help our mom out in the kitchen and then share the food that we've cooked.

The second kid that I am assigned to is named Andre and he is from South Africa. Andre blogged about a "digital passport". He wrote about how you should not walk across the street while talking on you phone. He referred to these people as "twalkers". He also said you should not post any personal stuff on the internet about yourself or your friends. He referred to this as the "share jumpers privacy".I have never heard of a digital passport so I commented on his blog and asked him what it was. After I asked him what a digital passport was I agreed with him about the twalkers and the share jumpers privacy. I told him that both of those can be very dangerous.

Joseph was the last kid I was assigned to for September, but he did not have a blog so I commented on Hedra's instead. Hedra posted how she did not like Writing, but loved Science and Physical Education. I commented on her blog and said how I didn't like Writing either, but I also do not like Science. I told her how I love Reading and like to check out books from the library.

Monday, September 15, 2014

Blog Post #5

I have never heard of a Personal Learning Network (PLN) until this week when my teacher asked us to blog on the subject. According to Developing a Personal Learning Network in EDM310 by John Strange, a PLN is those people, places, organizations, and activities which enable you to learn. A good example of a basic PLN is twitter. I joined Twitter about 3 years ago and found it very fascinating. Twitter uses hashtags where you can see the people all over the world talking about the particular subject you are interested in. I have never thought to use Twitter as a place where I could learn and expand my knowledge. I use Twitter as a constant status update of my life and I keep up with celebrities and athletes around the country. It wasn't until today where I learned to start using Twitter as a way to learn new things and contribute my ideas as well.

Michael Fawcett from New Zealand told a great story as to how he started his own PLN. In his video PLN, he explains that he went to a conference and started connecting with teachers who had the same interests and ideas as he did. At the conference they had a live Twitter feed where he joined in and contributed a few ideas. After the conference he explains that he continued on Twitter where he followed more and more people each week (mainly teachers) and started following their blogs and reading their posts. He then ventured out to other social networking devices and therefore created his own Personal Learning Network. As future teachers this video can really give you an idea on how to expand and branch on on social media sites such as Twitter and find new ideas to improve our classroom. We can follow other teachers from around the world and see, watch, read their ideas on particular topics that may be interesting and useful. We can also put forth our ideas and get feedback from a new set of eyes looking at it from a different point of view. Doing these things can be really helpful and fun by contributing and receiving ideas to and from people worldwide.

According to the slideshow Personal Learning Networks, which was posted on Dr. Strange's delicious page, you can start to develope PLN by just having a conversation with a colleague about a lesson that was taught that day. You can discuss ideas and get outside feedback to get a better view on the subject. After discussing ideas with people in person you can then venture out and discuss them online. Whether it be twitter, blogs, or delicious, you can post ideas and give advice on any and every subject you want.

My real PLN started last week when I made another Twitter account specifically for this class. I followed the staff of EDM and classmates that I saw had Twitter accounts. I have searched the hashtag EDM310 and read the posts that are related to that particular subject. I still follow celebrities and athletes, but I also follow pages like Fox 10 News so I can see any current events that would spark my interest. I know there are several other sites that you can join to expand your PLN, but personally Twitter is where you should start. I am only a baby step into my PLN journey and after watching all of the educational videos and reading blogs on the subject I am looking forward to exploring my PLN more in depth.

Personal Learning Networks

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Project #4 C4T Summary

After reading Matthew Needleman's blog I was able to absorb ideas on how to get students to tell stories beyond the personal narrative. Younger student's tend to always want to write stories based on what they did over the summer or over the weekend and they never seem to venture outside of the personal narrative. Mr. Needleman gave examples on how to help this situation such as using a picture or start with a concrete object. If you give a student a concrete object such as a hat and ask them to tell you where the hat came from or who they thought could have lost it can give them more room to venture out of their comfort zone. Giving them idea such as this improves their knowledge to venture outside of the personal narrative.

Mr. Needleman's blog was a very useful blog to read. I commented and told him how his information was very interesting to take in and gave me great ideas to keep in mind as a future teacher. I told him I was posting on his blog for my EDM310 class and would love any advice he has for me. I left him a link to my class blog as a way of communication. 

The next blog post covered by Mr. Needleman was on the presentation tool Powerpoint. He said people who do not like Powerpoint do not need to try Prezi. Powerpoint is a tool to help support your prepared speech or lecture. People tend to to abuse the tool and use it as away to not engage at all with the audience. 

His second post was short and sweet and I could not agree with him more. Powerpoint is supposed to be a way to help support your ideas when giving a speech or presentation. You are using it so you won't get completely off topic and people who abuse it are using it wrong. 

Project #15 Search Engines

Every time I want to look up something on the internet I have always searched with Google. This week I researched 8 different search engines and tried them out. These are the 8 search engines I found and what they are good for:

1. Wolfram Alpha: this would not be a search engine you would use to look up your every day questions. It is mainly used to compute things. For example, if you type in 3 + 3 it'll compute the answer and give you the result as well as a number line representation, manipulatives illustrations, etc. I personally do not see myself ever using this search engine because I can use a calculator for any problem I need help solving.

Wolfram Alpha

2. Bing: this is a search engine that is identical to Google. It looks up anything and everything you wish to know. A lot of people actually prefer Bing as their search engine over Google. I personally do not. They do they same thing and I have always used Google and never had a problem. However, my overall opinion of Bing would have to be the same as Google since they both do the exact same thing.

Bing

3. Yummly: this search engine is new to me, but one that I am definitely going to start using since it helps you search for food! You can search by recipe, diet, price, allergies, price, etc. For instance, if you type in "chicken pasta" a wide range of pictures will pop up with their ingredients underneath it. If you see one that looks good and you are interested in just click it and you'll see the ingredients, the recipe, the nutrition facts, and how it tastes (salty, sweet, sour, etc). Petty cool huh?!

Yummly

4. Monster.com: this search engine is used to help people find jobs in their area. I have actually used this website before and it is very useful. You just type in the job description you are looking for and in what area you are wanting to work and several job opportunities will come up. If you see some that you are interested in you just click on it and upload your resume. I did this for several different jobs and got several call backs within the next week. I would recommend this search engine for anyone looking for a job.

Monster

5. WebMD: ever feel sick and just Google your symptoms to see what you have to avoid going to the doctor? Well, WebMD is used for exactly that. If you go to the website, it gives you a search tool to look up your symptoms, diseases, prescriptions, etc. It also provides you with news, how to live healthy, information on pregnancy, and other useful medical information.

WebMD

6. Zillow: this search engine is used for real estate, You want to quickly look up the houses on the market and see pictures then this is the search tool for you. You can locate houses that are for sale or just to rent. You can see the location, how much it's going for, and the mortgages. It also provides you with advice on how to use Zillow in the proper manner. My sister has used Zillow to see what the houses go for in the neighborhood she wants to move in to.

Zillow

7. PeekYou: this search engine allows you to look up other people. If your company just hired a new employee and you want to know more about that person you can use PeekYou and it'll bring up their Facebook page, Twitter accound, Instagram page, and other social media sites they may be apart of. I'm not a fan of this particular search engine because I find it a little unusual and creepy.

8. MapQuest: i'm almost positive most of you have heard of this search engine. Before smart phones came out with a personal GPS system, search engines like MapQuest were very useful. If you were traveling from Mobile, Alabama to Atlanta, Georgia but had never made that trip then you could use MapQuest to print out your directions. You just type in where you're leaving from and then where you want to go and it'll map out different routes for you to take. Other than the fact that we have personal maps on our phones now, MapQuest is a very cool search engine to check out if you haven't already.

MapQuest

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Blog Post #4

After reading Ben Johnson's The Right Way to Ask Questions in the Classroom, I found myself actually thinking deeply about this particular topic for the first time. As a student, I am guilty of not always paying attention (I think we all are at some point). Whether we have a lot on our mind with work, other class assignments, or personal drama we tend to let our minds wonder in the classroom. As future teachers, we aren't going to know what's going on in the student's mind during class time.

Here at South Alabama, I find it very rare that a teacher singles out certain students to answer questions about the material being covered in class. I also know that whenever I have teachers that do actually single students out I am more likely to come to class prepared. Is that a good thing? Probably not. In order to succeed we need to be prepared for our classes whether or not our teachers call us out, but in college it may be a little different than let's say high school. In high school I was never prepared for class. I rarely did the assignments and always got help from other, smarter classmates. When the teachers would call out specific students to answer questions and the students didn't have the answer, the teacher would just make a quick remark about how the student needed to pay more attention and then would move on. Maybe in order to get students to pay attention to the questions would be to discipline them further. Just a thought. In my opinion, the best way to ask questions is to call out specific people because even though you'll still have those students who don't care, more people will come to class prepared knowing their name could actually be called.


Watching the video Asking Better Questions in the Classroom by Joanne Chesley, I first noticed how she said that students tend to be unresponsive in the classroom after a question is asked. Do I agree with this statement? Yes I do, but I don't necessarily think it's because the students don't know the answer. I pay attention in all of my classes and I take constant notes whether or not we have power points provided, but I personally do not like answering questions aloud in class. I don't like having all eyes on me, I don't like if I answer the question wrong aloud and everyone notices, it's just something that I personally do not like doing. That doesn't necessarily mean I don't know the answer.

Chesley gave two examples of questions, the closed ended question and the open ended question. What a difference both of these types of questions can make when getting an answer from a student. A simple question that only requires a "yes" or "no" answer is a question that can maybe can reworded to where the student has to think about the answer and then provide it in greater detail. Providing an answer in greater detail can help students think and learn more about the topic of discussion. Explaining the two different types of questions can definitely improve how we ask questions in the classroom.


kids answering questions in the classroom


Another way to improve asking questions in the classroom was very well demonstrated in the video Questioning Styles and Strategies. I really enjoyed watching this video because the teacher demonstrated so many different types of techniques how to answer the questions such as provisional writing and cuing (drawing pictures), think pair share (ask your neighbor), random calling (randomly calling on a student), surveying, and student calling (student calling on another student) just to name a few. These techniques really got the whole class interested in the topic being discussed and made it easier for them to participate. Another thing I think that helped the class gain so much interest was the material they were covering. Bridge to Terabithia is a very good book that will keep younger kids interested and want to participate in the questions being asked in class. 

When it comes to asking questions in class, it really is hard to get your techniques exactly right. You can only do so much to gain a child's attention. The things that stood out to me the most were to ask open-ended questions, those to which require thought and a detailed answer. I also really liked the random calling teachers did. Even though there's only so much you can do, student's are more likely to pay attention when they know they may possibly get called out in front of everyone in the classroom.