Blog Post #16

Part 1


      With it being the end of the semester, I have a totally different outlook on my classroom and my teaching methods. Two things I would put special emphases on would definitely be making sure my students are not only learning but actually comprehending and my techniques of teaching. I would resolve these issues by thinking about how I would teach a subject or what is the best way of learning for each student. Different tools I would use for teaching would be Google Docs, Smartboards, PBL (Project Based Learning). Google Docs is a easy way to create and share documents and presentations between other teachers and students. Smart boards offer unlimited tools that can be used for interactive learning in the classroom. PBL would allow me as a educator to see how the students would relate to each other in different subjects.

As far as me being a music educator  for String Instruments my elementary students K - 3rd grade  classroom layout it self would be very open and modern technology wise. I would make sure there was open space for different ensemble arrangements as well as group layouts. The tools being used in my classroom would be smartboards, different music software, and electrical instruments. As far as my teaching I would be both hands on and then reserved (observing) allowing the students to teach them selves through a project or assignment.

The Smartboards themselves ( app. 2 or 3) would allow the kids to pull up their assignment for the day and then actually do the activity. For example, one assignment would be for them to write out the following scales in major and minor using the smartboard software. This assignment could be both collaborative and individual work depending on the group size. For hands on teaching I would definitely use Smart Music (a music software that allows the teacher and students hands on access to different tools and pieces.)for the simplicity of hands on music selection and the ability to record each students progress and performance for records. Last but not least I would use electrical instruments to not only allow the students to hear a different quality of sound but to open the door of different genres of music.

 Honestly at the beginning of the semester I could not answer the questions, What will your classroom be like? and What will be your teaching methods? without hesitation. Today I can honestly say that after completing this course I truly want to be a modern teacher open to new ideas and concepts. Eager to do what is best for my students future and not what is comfortable for me.

   
Part 2 - Video

 

           

Blog Post # 15

 

 

 

Assistive Technologies Available To Teachers
by Danya Croft, Carla Young, and Nathalie McCarty

  Assistive Technologies for Vision and Hearing Impaired Children stresses the importance of allowing students the ability to interact with their environment. In order to do that, it suggests the use of technologies such as: Text-to-Speech devices, Speech-to-Text devices, talking calculators, iPads, sensory aids, and screen magnifiers.

  The Mountbatten Braille Writer is a useful device that allows for audio and tactile feedback by sending and receiving files to and from a computer. A person with visual impairments can input information that needs to be converted to Braille for later reading. It has an audible playback feature and can translate writings into other languages so that teachers/students can read what was written. It allows for full classroom participation from all persons involved.

  In Teaching Math to the Blind, Professor Art Karshmer tells of a device that the University of San Francisco has been working on to aid persons with visual impairments. It allows them the ability to see, in their mind's eye, the way a math problem should be set up in order to properly solve it. He explains that Braille is too linear to show the 2 to 3 dimensions associated with mathematics; it is the reason people with blindness find it difficult to go into the fields of mathematics, engineering, technology, and computer science. The device consists of a touchpad and wooden blocks with Braille writing on the top and a barcode on the bottom. When the wooden block is placed on the touchpad, it describes to the listener what block was inserted and where it was placed so that the problem can be properly arranged and solved. It allows for persons with visual impairments the freedom to work on math problems and perceive that information better than by linear Braille alone. Those with visual impairments can especially attest to the statement, "Mathematics: The Mother of Science & The Bane of The Blind."

  The videos iPad Usage For the Blind and Teaching Mom What Her Deaf/Blind Child Is Learning On the iPad demonstrate the freedom that iPad usage can give people with visual impairments. VoiceOver is an Apple app that reads what is being presented on the screen of an Apple device such as the iPad. It can read homepages, books, and even describe images shown. VoiceOver allows the ease of moving your finger across the screen to read the names of the apps so that you know where the app is that you want to use. Kindle and other eReaders do not offer an app that can compare to this.

   Some helpful blogs to help in classroom technologies can be found in 50 Must-See Blogs For Special Education. It can help teachers find ways to allow equal opportunity for everyone in their classrooms. For example, the blog Assistive Technology shares information regarding technologies such as IPEVO Interactive Whiteboard System, MimioTeach Interactive Whiteboard, and Co:Writer App for IOS. These technologies help children with impairments thrive in the classroom because it allows them a more interactive approach that is catered to their personal needs. Another blog, Teacher Sol, is from an Exceptional Needs Specialist who shares updates on what is going on in her classroom. Maria Angala fights a near constant battle so that she may have a small part in improving special education. She shares ideas that teachers could try in hopes of creating an environment where everyone can learn.

    Algebra Touch is an app used on iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad that can be helpful in the secondary mathematics classroom and costs only $2.99. This app can be used by students with visual or hearing impairments as well as students with learning disabilities. It allows students the ability to rearrange numbers by dragging, simplification by tapping, and elimination of terms by drawing lines. Students can switch between lessons and get additional practice through randomly-generated practice problems. They are able to create their own set of problems to work in the equation editor, and have them appear in other devices via iCloud.

   iLab Central is a website that offers virtual mathematics and science labs that can be performed by students in the classroom. It can be used Mac computers as well as iPads and costs nothing. Coupled with VoiceOver, students with visual or hearing impairments can benefit from information learned while getting the hands-on experience of lab work without the added cost of materials and supplies. An example of a Physics lab is the Dynamic Signal Analyzer; this lab allows students the ability to perform frequency measurements on electric currents and control current systems. Investigating the Safety of Nuclear Energy Using Real Radioactivity Data is a Chemistry lab that, "Investigates nuclear energy, storage of nuclear waste, and the controversy surrounding using nuclear power as a source of energy for our country." Radiation and Cancer: Cure or Cause? is a Biology lab that teaches students about radiation and how it can be used as a therapy for cancer, and also a cause for cancer.

  iSpeech is an app offered by Apple that turns text into audible speech. It can be used on iPads, iPods, iPhones, and Mac computers and is absolutely free of charge. The purpose of iSpeech is to help students or teachers who may have a speech impediment or impairment. The speech quality comes in a variety of voices that can convert speech in many different languages quickly.

   One might say that a music teacher is limited when it comes to assistive technology, but that is actually not true. One new invention that is used is the Soundbeam. What is the Soundbeam? Well, Soundbeam can be compared to a metronome in the way that it gives off sound. It can be used for mainstream students as well as students with limitations such as autism. The cost of the Soundbeam ranges from $3,500 - $5,400. This device is a ultrasonic beam that senses movement and responds through a MIDI sound effect. Its motion sense ranges from a eyebrow movement to a wheelchair moving across a room allowing students to not only be present in the room but interactive. The true beauty of the Soundbeam is that the Obama economic stimulus funds a sizeable amount for training and use of the device.

Blog Post #13

Alison Gopnik: What do babies think?
by Nathalie McCarty


In What do babies think?, Alison Gopnik catches her audience’s attention by giving an example of how a baby’s train of thought works. As she explained the experiment, she states how the babies are persuaded and how their different ages played a factor in this experiment. This then posed the questions of “Why do children learn so much” and “How do they learn so much?” Well, like animals, babies or children go through a learning phase or as we call it childhood and we do nothing but be dependable and go forth and learn. Basically showing how we as a species influence our own education patterns. She then states that like scientist children learn things by a series of hypothesis and investigation (testing). For example, she showed how a child could determine how many blocks it would take for each box to give off light. This led to Gopnik stating that children are more conscious than adults because as adults we tend to focus more on what is important or relevant. Children can not focus on only one thing and have a wider range of curiosity and are constantly learning. Basically saying that we as adults should be more curious and be eager to learn more and more. I definitely agree with Gopnik in that we as adults should constantly try to learn more because whether we realize it or not we influence each other. A wider range of interest can allow us as a species to advance and get out of old habits that we commonly use in education and everyday life.




Shukla Bose: Teaching One Child At A Time
by Danya Croft


            In Teaching One Child At A Time, Shukla Bose explains the importance of focusing on one child at a time. It is important for us to stop getting bogged down in numbers when we see the many children that need our assistance. Instead, we should focus our energy on the smaller picture and know that eventually it will have an affect on the bigger one. She explains, that when she first began researching the education of the poor, she and a few friends toured the slums of India and came across 200 million children who were not currently in an education program. She couldn't believe that so many children were going uneducated and wondered how she could make a difference in their lives. She spoke of starting the school, Parikrma Humanity Foundation, so that she could focus on treating each child as an individual and give them an education that would help them better their futures. She said that the myth is, that Indian parents of children in the slums do not care about education, and that they simply want to use their children to help with work is complete hogwash. In fact, she said that these parents make up most of the support staff at the school which is more parental participation than schools of privilege experience. At first, these parents had to sign their names using their thumbprint because they were unable to sign their own name, but are now able to because their children have taught them. Shukla said, "It is more important to create an environment of learning, of inquiry, and of exploration because that is true education." She believes that the children are more confident in the things they do because they feel empowered. We need to teach one child at a time and stop worrying about the numbers.
            Shukla is absolutely correct in that we can get overwhelmed when we start looking at the number of students we will come in contact with over the period of a year. However, the feeling of being overwhelmed can lessen when we can take the time to treat each student as an individual. We need to pay attention to the small changes that we will be partially responsible for so that it can inspire us to continue forward. The important thing to remember is that we need to provide each student with an environment that will promote free and abstract thinking, communication and collaboration with others, and a driving question that will engage and encourage them to seek action.



Shane Koyczan: To This Day… for the bullied and beautiful
By: Carla Young



                In To This Day…for the bullied and beautiful, Shane Koyczan gives an inspiring performance of the poem he wrote. His poem introduces a message to the audience that expresses the feelings of many students that seem to go unnoticed only too often. He lyrically expresses that many students, much like himself, feel as if they are not being taught in school to embrace what they want to be “when they grow up.” Instead, their parents, peers, and even teachers are constantly telling them that they need to be someone, or something else. This can cause children to not only act out in school, but also their motivation to decline. Students need to be inspired and constantly encouraged to follow their dream. It is our jobs as teachers to do just that while also helping guide them in the right direction towards the steps necessary for them to achieve those dreams. Koyczan’s words brought me back to Sir Ken Robinson’s points made in the video, How to Escape Education’s Death Valley. Every student is different and may not desire to be a doctor or a lawyer. We must teach our students based on their individual learning needs. Every student is unique in the way they learn and what interests them to learn about. Each student’s dreams or aspirations are unique.
                 Shane Koyczan has put a message out there I believe everyone should hear. Instead of teaching our students how they can “better” themselves or change what they aspire to be, we should inspire them to keep working toward their goal. Students need encouragement and inspiration to get the reassurance they need to know that what they are and aspire to be in the future is their choice. Koyczan made a valid point in his poem, how can a student have confidence and feel like they are doing right when they are constantly being told they are wrong? We must remember, we are here to guide them, educate them, and always inspire them, but never to change them.

Blog Post #11

Project #14

Below is my lesson plan #2

Blog Post #10

In the beginning of Randy Pausch's Last Lecture he started with his child hood dreams and in each one of them he presented several thoughts. Three things that really stuck to me was you have something to bring to the table, fundamentals, and dedication. In his lecture he stated how he enhanced the learning for students by allowing them to participate in a NASA competition and if they won they would be able  to know how it feels when there is no gravity. He then talked about how it felt to help others achieve their child hood dreams through learning. He then states how he does a PBL project to learn and fulfill others dreams. As he explains the numerous projects he talks about how the students learned from each other and those in their life. This really showed how whether we now it or not we influence each other and help each other. Towards the end he states to not give up on child hood dreams because it can enhance not only your teaching but help others learn. What can we learn from Pausch about Teaching and Learning? In order to teach we must first be able to learn. Remember to learn something from everyone you encounter so that you can teach someone else that they are able to learn and continue the process we call EDUCATION.

BLOG POST #9

BACK TO THE FUTURE 
 -Carla Young, Danya Croft, and Nathalie McCarty

        In the Back to the Future video, Brian Crosby demonstrates how his 4th grade class can learn through project-based learning even though most of his class speaks English as a second language. Crosby says, "It's hard to be able to imagine what could be if you don't know anything about what is. And if it's hard to imagine, where does your creativity spark from? And if you don't have a lot of imagination and creativity, where do you build passion from?" When we get into our schools to teach, we are going to have students that don't have the same understanding about the world around them as other students might have. We will need to be able to bridge the gap in a way that connects all of the students and engages them in the same quest to learn. In Crosby's class, he informs us that he has a 1 to 1 ratio of laptop computers for his students, several digital cameras, and an interactive whiteboard that allows for interactive learning in the classroom. The students in Crosby’s classroom are learning to do various things that they can incorporate into their class and use throughout their educational journey. He talks of a project where the class released a High-Altitude balloon into the air that had a camera attached that recorded what it was like to rise into the different layers of the earth's atmosphere. During the release of the balloon, the students observes what was happening and immediately went into the classroom to blog about what they observed. Crosby also had them create a Flickr presentation describing what happened to the balloon from the perspective of the balloon. It was called the High Hopes blog which centered on setting goals for themselves, their community, and the world around them. It allowed them the ability to connect with people from all over the world. Another connection Crosby allowed the students to make was to set up a Skype conference with Celeste, a girl suffering from leukemia. She was a classmate of the students, but she was unable to physically sit in class due to her vulnerability to infections. However, Celeste was able to participate in learning with her peers in a way that was safe for her and exciting for her classmates. By using modern resources like blogging, Flickr, and Skype, the students were more easily willing to stay engaged in what they were learning. Attention was better kept when they were given a project to research and blog about rather than taking notes for an entire class period. It also offered the students a sense of self assurance; let them know they were capable of doing the task at hand. Crosby shows that active learning empower students to want to learn and to seek out learning for themselves. We feel that Crosby was exactly right when he said that, "A motivational experience shouldn't be limited to those from schools with high test scores, but should be the birthright for every child." We feel every child should have the opportunity to learn in an environment that allows for them to reach the peaks of their imaginations and possibly beyond. We feel that assigning projects is one of the best ways to challenge the mind and enlighten the senses. By engaging students in a multitude of ways and on a personal level, we are ensuring that our students will see the value in the 'why' and continue to search for the answers throughout the rest of their lives. Also, Crosby incorporates PBL in his classroom to prepare his students for what they have to look forward to once they are out in the “real world.” He strives to inspire his students and constantly pushes them to express their creativity.


 BLENDED LEARNING CYCLE
 -Carla Young, Danya Croft, and Nathalie McCarty


        In The Blended Learning Cycle, Paul Andersen recognizes the power of the question and the power of learning in the science classroom. He explains that Blended Learning consists of the key components of mobile, online, and classroom learning. The Learning Cycle consists of the 5 E's: engage, explore/experiment, explain, expand, and evaluate. Andersen decided to combine the two learning styles to create the Blended Learning Cycle which has 6 parts known as Quivers:

• Question 
• Inquiry
• Video 
• Elaboration 
• Review 
• Summary quiz

       He says that the Learning Cycle starts out with an engaging question; something that the students do not understand in order to strike their curiosity on the subject. It will also bring their attention to the second part of the cycle which is investigation. Having the students investigate and research on their own is a good way for them to not only learn the material, but also retain it and hold their interest. Andersen explains that showing a video on the subject is a good way to introduce the material to the students without just giving the normal lecture. It will allow the teacher to engage with the students and interact with them one on one. Next, the students would be able to expand on the explanation with thoughts of what they have discovered. Finally, an evaluation could be done to gauge their level of understanding of the subject studied. Andersen explains that he sits down with each student to review with them and make sure that they have a good grasp on the material. If he is confident the student knows the material well enough, they will take the Summary Quiz; this is the last part of his cycle. Andersen’s philosophy in the classroom is, "Let's start with a question and figure it out." By allowing the students an active part in the learning process, Andersen is teaching the students how to learn for themselves. He is teaching the students how to go from not knowing to knowing with understanding.

         


 MAKING THINKING VISIBLE
 -Carla young, Danya Croft, and Nathalie McCarty

              In Making Thinking Visible, the 6th grade teacher, Mark Church, tries to teach the students how to convey their thoughts in a written form. He gives his 6th graders an assignment in which they are to watch a video explaining the beginnings of the origin of humans. Then, he has them get into groups and create a caption outlining its meaning which he will display on a bulletin board. After a couple of weeks of study, he will give them an opportunity to come back to the caption and change it based on the changes in their opinion from the beginning of the study to the end. Having the captions displayed, and allowing the students to change them after they have learned more information on the subject, provides a good visual representation of the process they followed to get to their conclusion. It allows the students to not only learn the material comprehensively, but also visually. We think that this is a good way to get students to see the importance of expressing their thoughts in a visible way.

Project #9

Blog Post #8

The Ever-Evolving Teacher
- Danya Croft, Carla Young, and Nathalie McCarty

 We, as teachers, should never stop trying to find new and inventive ways to reach our students. In taking EDM310, we are learning some of those new and inventive ways at pace much more accelerated than any we will experience again. We need to take advantage of the skills that we are being taught and think of how we are going to incorporate them into the classrooms of our future. Let us not forget that we are to strive to become lifelong learners so as to better educate our students. It is extremely important to the students we will teach that we give them the best education possible. Therefore, anytime we come across a helpful website, we should save it. When we are informed of an excellent app that could be helpful in the classroom, we should write it down. When we are in the classroom observing our teachers, we should ask them what they use that is helpful; ask them what the students seem to positively respond to the most. As a habit, the Botticelli group has begun asking the students that we observe what they enjoy most about the class. We want to find out what works and what does not work. Our first few years will be a lot of trial and error until we figure out what works for us. Why not go ahead and get started so that we may cut down on some of those errors? Let us ALWAYS keep in mind why we want to be teachers. It is because of the students and the students alone. Let us make everything we do and learn about them. Let us strive to constantly better ourselves so that we may better our students in the process. There is a blog called The Ever-Evolving Teacher that is an excellent resource for creative ideas that could help you along your journey of improvement.

  SmartMusic   -Nathalie McCarty
    

  Classroom-Aid     -Danya Croft

  Pinterest    -Carla Young

PBL Lesson Plans Project #13

Project #2

My PLN Network 

         Symbaloo is now my best friend! Symbaloo is a site the allows you to collect different websites and data so it is there when ever you need it. Being very new to this website I am still in the learning process but so far I have been able to save every day websites that I frequently visit and get constant updates from them. I think this source would be very useful to teachers in their classrooms. It would not only save time but allow them to have every thing they need available. Symbaloo should be a website that Dr. Strange recommends to new EDM 310 students every semester. It will allow them to have all their information needed for this course. 

Blog Post #7

Learning Tools In the Classroom 
- Nathalie McCarty, Carla Young, and Danya Croft

         A student that is engaged, is a student that is learning. If this is true, what can we do to ensure active engagement with our students? Anthony Capps, a 3rd grade teacher at Gulf Shores Elementary, offers a few ideas in an interview produced by Dr. John Strange in Project Based Learning Part 1 and Project Based Learning Part 2. Capps discusses the benefits of Project Based Learning and how to incorporate it into ACCRS (Alabama Career and College Ready Standards). Capps explains that project-based learning is a way of teaching that can be used by teachers of all subjects. However, as Dr. Strange points out, it takes a lot of time and planning on behalf of the teacher. He also makes an excellent point that project-based learning should be about more than just showing that the students understand the material, but rather the means with which we teach the material throughout the week. Capps says, "The goal of a good project is one that has an authentic audience so that the kids are rewarded for the work that they do and that they are motivated to do good work, one that has student interest so that you can do something that is relevant to the kids’ lives, one that involves the community, and one that is driven by content." Teachers succeed with project-based learning when they find a subject that is appealing to the students, and incorporate the necessary information that is important for the student to learn. Anthony gives educators a bit of advice, "With project-based learning, you're going to get more than you expect so never limit your students by giving them exactly what you want them to do. Create an opportunity for them to go beyond what you want them to do and they will." He also suggests that we can further engage the students in the learning process by allowing them to critique their own work as well as the work of their peers. Whenever they disagree with the work of one of their peers, Capps has that student write out a defense that backs up the reasoning for why he/she disagrees and what he/she would have done differently. When students are allowed to make choices in project-based learning, the students tend to have more ownership and pride about the work that they do thus making it more personal to them. Doing things like having the students peer edit, teach the students to be more independent in the learning process and gives them the confidence needed to participate effectively. It is better to give the students the chance to figure out the answer instead of just giving it to them.
        In iCurio Anthony 070113,Capps explains that the main feature of iCurio is that it is an educational tool that students can use to safely search filtered websites, images, and videos that are centered around information needed to adhere to the standards set by ACCRS and other states as well. Another great feature of iCurio is that it has a storage area that teachers and students can use to store content that they find valuable; it helps teach virtual organization. This tool can particularly come in handy when a student maybe needs to go back and elaborate more on the day’s lesson, or if they happen to miss a day, they can pull up what they missed and look at it. This will allow the students to avoid getting behind in the class, or for the visual learners, be able to have the information right in front of them. Timelines, is another feature offered by iCurio that allows students the ability to research historical figures and events. The student can simply type, “1960’s, African-American male” in the search engine and Timelines will direct him/her to websites containing information associated with African-American males in the 1960’s. Capps believes that iCurio is a useful tool for all school-aged students.
         Capps states in Discovery Ed Anthony 070113, that Discovery Ed is a useful tool for project-based learning in that students retain more information when a text article is coupled with a visual aid. He says that Discovery Ed is the place to go when teachers want to support their assignments with some sort of illustration or video. Discovery Ed is also useful in that it brings experts into the classroom in the way of video which enriches the research experience and brings the texts to life. Capps proves that Project Based Learning can be a fun, rewarding, and constantly evolving process with which we can teach more effectively.

Additional Thought About Lessons
 - Nathalie McCarty

          Anthony Capps’ Additional Thought About Lessons is that a lesson plan should be narrowed down through a series of steps. It allows you to see the overall fit of the lesson and your content standards together. The main point one learns from this video is to make sure to have a set goal. In order to successfully fulfill that goal, one must evenly distribute those task throughout the weeks and even on a smaller scale to each individual day allowing yourself to have a starting point for the following day. Basically knowing what will allow you to teach every phase of that unit in those state standards and being able to break it down.


The Anthony-Strange List of Tips for Teachers Part 1
- Danya Croft

          In the video The Anthony-Strange List of Tips for Teachers Part 1, Dr. Strange comments that teachers need to be interested in the continuation of learning. As educators, it is important that we show students what it means to be constantly searching for knowledge so that our students can be exposed to and possibly mimic that behavior. Capps suggests that work and play are not mutually exclusive when it comes to being a teacher. In other words, Capps says that educators learn the craft of teaching in their free time so that they may better themselves and become more effective teachers. Another tip that Dr. Strange gives is that teachers must be flexible, creative, and willing to change plans at a moments notice. There will be times when problems will arise and we must be able to make adjustments to continue the forward progress of learning. As Capps says, “You should keep in mind the end goal, but if things don’t go as you plan, figure out what it will take to allow the class to get to that end-goal.” Another important tip that Capps suggests is that we should aim for 100% engagement among the students which is directly in line with No Child Left Behind. He says that it is easy to engage students when you make it about content that they care about, use a process that they enjoy, and give them an audience with which they can share. Reflection is an important aspect for the students to experience because it allows them an opportunity to consider how they could improve or revise their work in order to present it to an intended audience. Capps recommends that teachers should always ask themselves, “What can I do today to ensure I gain full participation from every student?” Another question that teachers should ask themselves is, “What can I do today to ensure that every student is learning?”

 Don’t Teach Tech - Use It 
- Carla Young

        In the video Don't Teach Tech- Use It, Anthony Capps explained the importance of technology in the classroom, and the benefits that comes along with implementing the use of technology into our daily lesson plans. He makes a very good point that it is better to not teach technology to your students, but to use it instead. This idea goes hand in hand with PBL. Allowing a student to figure out something on their own is a much more rewarding lesson for the student. We, as educators and future educators, can stand up in front of a classroom and go over the instructions for creating a blog all day for example. However, the student is more likely to retain the skill and be able to use it again if they learn the skill hands on. This can also be rewarding for the students as well. They will feel very accomplished and proud to have learned a new skill on their own. Capps mentions that it is important to build a “scaffold” with the technology; it is better for the students to learn and use one technology at at time and add another each week or so instead of all of them at once. This allows the student to learn and get comfortable with that particular type of technology and be able to incorporate it into the next one and put them all together. This way, the students are not getting overwhelmed with all of it at once. They are being able to slowly build their knowledge of technology and use them effectively together, and also be able to use them in future lessons.

C4K Summaries for September

This months C4K's have been very motivating. All of my C4K assignments were from students that were either approaching a difficult task or had successfully completed one that was significant to them. One example of this was one male student I responded to who wanted to beat a certain level in a game and was having a hard time. He expressed how at first he was so close but he lost the level and had to start all over again and that it was not until his third try that he succeeded. I responded to him by saying that if he applied this dedication to everything he did in life that the sky was the limit and that any thing is possible. We all can learn from these students and use this dedication in EDM 310 because it is always needed.

Project #3 Presentation

C4T #1

The control group listed on Manaiakalani’s Blog seems great. I love how they have advanced that particular group in basic subjects such as math.  In this particular blog it talks about how they use two different groups of students and teach them using different teaching methods. One method was very  personal and focused in on more detail while the other was a set schedule and not as detailed ( in other words when the teacher felt they had taught the subject well enough the class moved on). 

Later on in the post it shows how the progress in the two groups were very different . Of course those who recieved more attention and detail their test results were  higher. This posed the question how are we able to get all of the students on this level which is found on the blog in resources. Through the last post there has been more evidence that control groups have become popular and the advancement in Manaiakalani schools have been great. 

Their latest post was on the advancement of the education community. The post included the video found below. The video showed how their ancestors simple way of transportation (sailing) has become a sport and part of their culture and continues today. Simply saying that if the education program continues in the direction that they are going that the sky is the limit.

Blog Post #4

       With the advancement of Technology today, most teachers are incorporating technology into the class room. One popular way for this to take place is through podcast. Podcast are multimedia digital files that are made available through the internet to be downloaded to any portable media player (iPhone or mp3 player) or computer.  Through podcast teachers are allowed to explore different teaching methods and use it as a source for the students and their parents.

        As shown in the video, The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom, a social studies teacher uses podcasting to not only record each lesson so if a student misses a day they can visit the teachers blog and get the lessons from that day but he uses it to help teach a lesson on slavery. Podcast allows the teacher to do readings in character making it fun for the students. The three major benefits from using podcasting in this form is more teacher and student interaction, student learning is more memorable, and parents can see what and how their kids are being taught. 

         The plus side of podcasting is that any age group can use it. It helps teach any subject while advancing everyday skills like oral fluency and comprehension. Podcasting can be one of the greatest things for today's student. It is appealing and persuasive in a way that intrigues those involved in the advancement of teaching methods in education. 

Blog Post #3

     Peer Editing is defined as helping someone your age or in your class to revise, edit, and improve their writing. Before you can complete those steps one must remember three key tools to peer editing which are compliments, suggestions and corrections. Compliments are necessary because you want to maintain a positive atmosphere while assisting as well as to show the positive sides of your peers paper. Suggestions are an ideal way for the editor to not only show errors but to relate the issues across to their peers. Successfully giving suggestions allows the process of correction to begin.

       Corrections include revising, editing, and improvement of one's paper. Revising is a tool that can be used to correct spelling and grammar issues, as well as, to allow your peer to go more in depth on the subject at hand making ones work ready for editing. Editing is the process of allowing one to think of different ways to convey the information being written and making sure one's assignment is ready for presentation or is acceptable. Following these key tools will allow the process of peer editing to have taken place and to also be effective.

Blog Post #2

Mr. Dancealot
 -Carla Young, Nathalie McCarty, Danya Croft
     
             Subject matter is a very important concept to consider when thinking of how to construct classroom time and energy. Your teaching methods have to be customized to fit your expectations and goals for the class. The lesson plans and activities should be designed and executed in a way that is going to efficiently help the student grasp what you are trying to teach them. For example, a dance class should contain instruction as well as practice. Mr. Dancealot has presented a dance class where the students are to take notes of proper dance steps and techniques without ever getting a feel for what it is like to do it. It is extremely important for the students to know the fundamentals of each dance and maybe a brief history of the origin of the dance. However, the teachers main problem was reinforcing the knowledge moreover the practice needed to perform those steps. It would have been a good idea for him to have had a certain amount of time set aside for discussion and the rest of the time set aside for practice and application. Teachers sometimes seem to forget that students learn more through participation rather than lecture alone. We are not only meant to teach the facts, but we are meant to teach the skills as well. Skills cannot be learned unless hands on experience is allowed, encouraged, and rewarded. Dancing can be easily compared to riding a bicycle. Our parents can tell us what is needed to stay upright on the bicycle, but until we know what it feels like to do it then we will never really learn how to do it.

 Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts
    -Nathalie McCarty

      In this video the viewer learns how one can introduce technology to not only teach a class but to allow the class to teach themselves. Teacher Vickie Davis not only allows the kids to learn modern technology using any form of technology, but she shows them how they can learn basic skills that have only been taught with pen and paper. She has taken the advancement of technology to make sure that no child is left behind. This ability is by her learning each and every student and knowing what will help them as an individual best As you watch the video she actually shows you how the students connect with the world through a blog and with each other in the class through aviators allowing them to connect while studying as well. Basically, if one (teacher) is open to different teaching methods not only can they reach more of their students but the students can learn from each other.


 Teaching in the 21st Century
    - Danya Croft

     I have never thought of teachers as mere filters rather than relayers of facts, but that is exactly what we are. We are not the ones who came up with the information and we are certainly not the only avenues that students can take to get to that information. So often we forget that we need to teach our students how to find the answers they seek for themselves. We need to teach them subject matter as well as incorporate the skills to find additional information. Let’s face it, no matter how little or much that I know and can teach there will always be information for which I am unfamiliar. Students need to understand that they can depend on themselves to find the information as much if not more than they depend on us to teach them. As teachers, we need to remember that true education comes from the engagement of a child. If you can engage a child in a project that you have assigned, you can be sure he/she will invest themselves in it and learn from it. I really loved the part of the video that stated misuse of class materials can come from pencil and paper just as it can come from iPads and computers. However, if you assign projects that are interesting to children and make them want to research then misuse of technology should be a non-issue.

 The Networked Student 
    -Carla Young

           After watching the video The Networked Student, the question “Why does the networked student even need a teacher?” has been raised. Personally, considering this is the field I am going into, I have thought long and hard about this. I honestly do believe the future of schools and learning is going to be a collaboration of technology coupled with the aid of a teacher. Times are changing, children have phones in their pockets that can do almost everything their computer at home can do. The way children learn is also changing and students are becoming more independent learners than they were in the past. Technology is a big part of today’s world and it is quickly making its way into the classroom. Students need to learn different skills now than they did in earlier years. Being technologically savvy is a must to keep up with the advancing times, and it is important for students to be exposed to this as early as possible to be successful in today’s society. The term “Connectivism” has recently been introduced to me and I believe that it is going to be a valuable method of learning not only for future students, but also a valuable tool for me as a future educator. I have been intrigued by the idea of students building a network with other students from all over each contributing ideas and things they have found about a certain subject they are researching to help each other learn. The thought that teachers may be unneeded or not as essential as they are in present day did cross my mind. So, why does the networked student need teachers? After giving it much thought and going back to what I heard in the video I asked myself another question, “Who is going to teach the students to build this network?” The idea that students will be learning through connectivism is based off of the students building a network to learn from. Knowing how to build this network is a skill the students will have to have. Like most skills, they have to be taught. Things are much more clear to me now, the teaching methods and tools may be different and teaching in general may not be anything like what it is now. Teacher may be considered as more of a guide or an aid, but the concept is still the same; providing students with the necessary knowledge and tools needed to be successful members of society.

Second Test Post

This is my second test post.

My Test Post Title

This is my first post.I clicked the HTML button which I should always do in EDM310. I am now a Blogger!