Part 1
Going back and reading first blog post, I still want the same things for my classroom but would just like to add some things. When reading about the tools I plan on using in my classroom, I mentioned a SmartBoard. That was basically it. I had no clue how much technology has become involved in the classroom. If asked, I would have probably told you that a third grader would have no clue how to maintain a blog yet alone make podcasts and movies. I have now learned differently. The way of teaching students has changed from when I was in elementary school and will continue to change. There is no way of stopping technology from being in the classroom.
I hope to teach 2nd grade when I start working. After learning how involved technology is in schools, I will be using technological tools in my classroom. I don't think I will fully rely on technology to help my students learn but will use some. I say this because what if the power goes out at the school I teach or for some reason the devices aren't working. I would want my students to be able to learn with and without technology tools. But rather, I plan on using technological tools to help enhance the learning ability.
I hope my students will learn how to work individually, but also in groups. Working in groups not only teaches you what you're being required to do, but how to work with people and how to approach your group with new ideas or disagreements. I feel as if working in groups not only teaches you academic lessons, but also personal life lessons. I would hope my students will not only learn academically, but life lessons such as how to treat others while at school.
In my classroom, I want learning to be fun. I am a very hands on visual learner. So offering hands on activities, I think, will make it easier for students to learn what is being taught. I do not want to lecture my students, I want them to be engaged and active in their learning. A teacher can not do their job if the student is not willing to learn. I want my students to be willing to learn so I would want to promote it the best way I can through ways they can learn the best.
I would say my classroom would be somewhat the same as I had mentioned in my first blog post. I would just include technology into how I described my classroom. It would be a place where students would feel comfortable and have a fun and exciting environment toward learning. Using technology will help engage the students into learning and will provide a better approach to be willing the learn. I think one of the hardest things to grasp personally would be that these kids have grown up using technology and can use it like a second nature.
After learning about iCurio, I would definitely want to allow this tool to my students. iCurio is like a filtered search engine that is made for educational purposes. It also provides tools to help organization of folders a student may have as well as automatically saves work. As mentioned above, I still would like to have a SmartBoard in my class. With the SmartBoard being touchscreen, students will have the ability to work on that instead of a computer. Also having a SmartBoard will allow a larger group of people see what is being done. Edmodo is also a really cool tool I have discovered while in EDM 310. Edmodo is like a Facebook but made for teachers and students. It is not focused on a personal life of the students and teachers but is academic. Parents of students can be invited to see work posted on Edmodo by their student. I think this is great because it lets a parent see the progress their student is making. Edmodo also allows access to communicate to a student or teacher outside of class or on the weekend. I think this is great a great tool for students with confusion on an assignment because they can ask a question when they want and not have to wait till they're at school to ask.
Part 2
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Blog Post #15
Grace Hofer
What can you learn from these conversations with Anthony Capps?
1. iCurio
Anthony Capps teaches over in Baldwin County where iCurio is used. He describes one of the aspects of it in that students can safely search websites that have been filtered for educational purposes. iCurio also lets students create folders inside their iCurio accounts to help organization. These folders, students can add things that they chose to help them stay organized. One thing I liked mentioned in this video was that things are saved in iCurio. When this was said, I thought of Google drive. In Google drive, everything done in it will save automatically. I love this because of past experiences working on assignments for school, something has been closed out unsaved or the internet cuts out loosing my work. It is great that iCurio works the same as Google drive in saving work automatically. Anthony also mentions about a timeline. The timeline is a great tool where students can enter keywords that helps find historical figures. I think this tool would be great for students because it is a search engine but is filtered so students will not accidently pull up something they did not mean to while searching. iCurio also has a read out loud accessibility which is great for students with disabilities to be able to use. I like this because it is user friendly to every student. I think many times, students with disabilities are limited unlike people without disabilities because people do not know the best way to meet their needs. iCurio has made it easier to meet the needs of every student. I liked watching this video because it allowed the viewers an insight of what iCurio contains. I know for EDM 310 we were going to try to get an access code to learn about it but were unable to. After watching the video I now have a better understanding of what iCurio is and how it works.
2. Discovery Education.
Discovery Ed is a great research tool for both students and teachers. It contains almost everything social studies and science related. Besides just general information and a picture, Discovery Ed includes videos to help learning. Anthony describes it as “It brings experts into the classroom via video.” I like that Discovery Ed includes videos along with pictures and text because it is offering different ways of learning. Some may learn by just reading a text while others may learn by watching a video with information. I think Discovery Ed is making it easier to meet the needs of students with different learning abilities.
4. Don't Teach Tech - Use It!
Anthony Capps says that technology is natural for kids now days. I agree with this simple statement. Capps includes “They’re [students] are really going to enjoy the opportunity to use technology to improve their learning or to learn.” I am a middle child, so when I heard this I was reminded of the time I was finally able to use a calculator in math like my older brother. I agree with what Anthony said that it makes the learning opportunity more enjoyable with technology because I was like that myself. One thing that really stood out was when Anthony said that teachers should not teach technology. But instead, technology should be a tool to teach. Using tools one at a time for assignments will allow the students to use it, but also overtime they will build up knowledge about many different technological tools. I liked that Anthony included that if you, as a teacher, are worried about a technological tool your students are going to learn about, to try it out before. By trying it out before, you could be asked questions by the students about the tool that you may of had but were able to figure it out.
Brittany Allemand
1. ICurio- Anthony Capps explains how iCurio is used and its benefits really well in this video. I thought it was great that it has folders to organize all of the students work and things they have on the website. I think that is a good way to teach them how to be technology organized and even a good way to show them organization in other parts of school and life.Another thing that i really like about iCurio is how Anthony describes that it has a timeline and a directory. The students can just type in something as simple as a woman who went to space in 1970 and it will show up every woman that meets that criteria. It can take you to anything that will be useful with just a little bit of detail provided. I think this is great too because it is safe and can pull up appropriate things for students. I think iCurio would make web searching a little more safe for students, especially younger children. I think iCurio is great for students. Anthony says it is used a lot in high schools, but it can be used with any age group allowed to get on the web.
2.Discovery Ed- Discovery Ed is another program besides iCurio that is offered in Baldwin County where Anthony Capps works. I like how Anthony introduces it by saying “A picture is worth a thousand words, and a video is worth a million words”. Discovery Ed combines both pictures and videos so it’s great. I like how he said he is not a plant expert so discovery ed shows the students videos about all kinds of plants and pictures. I think this is a great tool to use for students. It is useful for the teacher too because they can view videos and get a better understanding for teaching their students about a subject. I would definitely be interested in using this in my future classroom.
3. Additional Thoughts about Lessons- This video is very helpful for our EDM 310 class to view. When projects 13,14, and 15 came up, we were all a little confused. Many of us did not do the first lessons plans correctly. We need to get a lot better on how to set up lesson plans and how to create them. This video gave me a good insight into how to do lesson plans. Anthony says there are 4 layers to a lesson plan. The first thing to think about is the year, meaning how the lesson plans cover the yearly standards and content to be taught.Do all the lesson plans cover the standards expected from the grade for the whole year? It needs to. Next is unit, which refers to the unit of teaching and the length and the time allotted. The unit will be like a 6-8 week thing, but within that will be a daily and weekly plan. The weekly plan will be about setting a goal and achieving it by the end of the week. Then within that is the daily plan, what you want to have accomplished within a days time. Anthony said he believes these make up the four layers of a lesson plan and are completely necessary for a well written one.
Chasity Heubach
1. ICurio-
In EDM 310, one of our assignments was to research ICurio. I was able to access limited information about ICurio due to not having a sign in. This limited access provided me with a limited understanding of what exactly ICurio is. However, after watching the ICurio video made by Dr. Strange and Anthony Capps I gained a better understanding. ICurio is a curated search engine specifically designed to provide safe research for students. There are so many things on the internet these days that are inappropriate for children so having a site that is screened by professionals is very important. ICurio is also designed to help students begin developing their online organization skills. As Anthony points out this skill is important because people seem to be naturally unorganized. Another interesting thing about ICurio is that it has a read aloud option for accessibility. This allows children with special needs to get the same information as other students. I thought it was cool how Anthony says his students all wanted to try this option the first few times but then realized that they could read the material faster. After viewing this video I now have a better understanding, enough of one that I look forward to having my students use it in the future.
2. Discovery ED-
I enjoyed learning about Discovery Ed from Dr. Strange and Anthony Capps. Discovery Ed is a tool that allows students to get a better understanding of a subject by allowing them to view images and videos that are associated with what they are learning. Anthony says this is important because children obtain more information when there is a visual associated with text. Another important aspect of Discovery Ed is that is allows teachers to bring professionals into the classroom through video. Anthony said that this is important because students can see that the information they are being taught is not just the teachers opinion but is fact. Dr. Stange points out in the video that students are now what he calls “listener watchers”, meaning that because of our technology advanced world students watch and listen far more than than read and write. I think Discovery Ed is a good tool to use especially in the elementary classroom because a teacher can describe a subject all day long to their students, but until the student can place a visual to the subject they will never fully understand what they are being taught.
3. The Anthony-Strange Tips for Teachers Part 1
As an education major I find myself wondering if I will know what to do on my first day in the classroom. I am beginning to realize that I will not, nobody does. However thanks the Dr. Strange and Anthony Capps I understand why. In their video The Anthony-Strange Tips for Teachers Part 1, Anthony and Dr. Strange give tips to future educators. They start by saying that the most important thing to remember as a teacher, is that in order to be a good teacher you must also be a good learner. Along with that Anthony adds that being a teacher is hard work but if you make it a part of your life, instead of keeping work and play separate, it is very rewarding. Another tip mentioned is that teachers need to be flexible because the unexpected happens, and it is the teacher’s job to keep the classroom running smoothly. Teachers should also think of ways to keep their students engaged. Anthony says that this is a goal of 100 percent student engagement and good ways to accomplish this are to make the content something they care about, make it a process they want to use, and to make it shareable. He also says to always start an assignment with the end in mind. Lastly, he says to allow for reflection and self evaluation because it is key to improvement. I really look forward to the day when I can apply these tips in my future classroom.
What can you learn from these conversations with Anthony Capps?
1. iCurio
Anthony Capps teaches over in Baldwin County where iCurio is used. He describes one of the aspects of it in that students can safely search websites that have been filtered for educational purposes. iCurio also lets students create folders inside their iCurio accounts to help organization. These folders, students can add things that they chose to help them stay organized. One thing I liked mentioned in this video was that things are saved in iCurio. When this was said, I thought of Google drive. In Google drive, everything done in it will save automatically. I love this because of past experiences working on assignments for school, something has been closed out unsaved or the internet cuts out loosing my work. It is great that iCurio works the same as Google drive in saving work automatically. Anthony also mentions about a timeline. The timeline is a great tool where students can enter keywords that helps find historical figures. I think this tool would be great for students because it is a search engine but is filtered so students will not accidently pull up something they did not mean to while searching. iCurio also has a read out loud accessibility which is great for students with disabilities to be able to use. I like this because it is user friendly to every student. I think many times, students with disabilities are limited unlike people without disabilities because people do not know the best way to meet their needs. iCurio has made it easier to meet the needs of every student. I liked watching this video because it allowed the viewers an insight of what iCurio contains. I know for EDM 310 we were going to try to get an access code to learn about it but were unable to. After watching the video I now have a better understanding of what iCurio is and how it works.
2. Discovery Education.
Discovery Ed is a great research tool for both students and teachers. It contains almost everything social studies and science related. Besides just general information and a picture, Discovery Ed includes videos to help learning. Anthony describes it as “It brings experts into the classroom via video.” I like that Discovery Ed includes videos along with pictures and text because it is offering different ways of learning. Some may learn by just reading a text while others may learn by watching a video with information. I think Discovery Ed is making it easier to meet the needs of students with different learning abilities.
4. Don't Teach Tech - Use It!
Anthony Capps says that technology is natural for kids now days. I agree with this simple statement. Capps includes “They’re [students] are really going to enjoy the opportunity to use technology to improve their learning or to learn.” I am a middle child, so when I heard this I was reminded of the time I was finally able to use a calculator in math like my older brother. I agree with what Anthony said that it makes the learning opportunity more enjoyable with technology because I was like that myself. One thing that really stood out was when Anthony said that teachers should not teach technology. But instead, technology should be a tool to teach. Using tools one at a time for assignments will allow the students to use it, but also overtime they will build up knowledge about many different technological tools. I liked that Anthony included that if you, as a teacher, are worried about a technological tool your students are going to learn about, to try it out before. By trying it out before, you could be asked questions by the students about the tool that you may of had but were able to figure it out.
Brittany Allemand
1. ICurio- Anthony Capps explains how iCurio is used and its benefits really well in this video. I thought it was great that it has folders to organize all of the students work and things they have on the website. I think that is a good way to teach them how to be technology organized and even a good way to show them organization in other parts of school and life.Another thing that i really like about iCurio is how Anthony describes that it has a timeline and a directory. The students can just type in something as simple as a woman who went to space in 1970 and it will show up every woman that meets that criteria. It can take you to anything that will be useful with just a little bit of detail provided. I think this is great too because it is safe and can pull up appropriate things for students. I think iCurio would make web searching a little more safe for students, especially younger children. I think iCurio is great for students. Anthony says it is used a lot in high schools, but it can be used with any age group allowed to get on the web.
2.Discovery Ed- Discovery Ed is another program besides iCurio that is offered in Baldwin County where Anthony Capps works. I like how Anthony introduces it by saying “A picture is worth a thousand words, and a video is worth a million words”. Discovery Ed combines both pictures and videos so it’s great. I like how he said he is not a plant expert so discovery ed shows the students videos about all kinds of plants and pictures. I think this is a great tool to use for students. It is useful for the teacher too because they can view videos and get a better understanding for teaching their students about a subject. I would definitely be interested in using this in my future classroom.
3. Additional Thoughts about Lessons- This video is very helpful for our EDM 310 class to view. When projects 13,14, and 15 came up, we were all a little confused. Many of us did not do the first lessons plans correctly. We need to get a lot better on how to set up lesson plans and how to create them. This video gave me a good insight into how to do lesson plans. Anthony says there are 4 layers to a lesson plan. The first thing to think about is the year, meaning how the lesson plans cover the yearly standards and content to be taught.Do all the lesson plans cover the standards expected from the grade for the whole year? It needs to. Next is unit, which refers to the unit of teaching and the length and the time allotted. The unit will be like a 6-8 week thing, but within that will be a daily and weekly plan. The weekly plan will be about setting a goal and achieving it by the end of the week. Then within that is the daily plan, what you want to have accomplished within a days time. Anthony said he believes these make up the four layers of a lesson plan and are completely necessary for a well written one.
Chasity Heubach
1. ICurio-
In EDM 310, one of our assignments was to research ICurio. I was able to access limited information about ICurio due to not having a sign in. This limited access provided me with a limited understanding of what exactly ICurio is. However, after watching the ICurio video made by Dr. Strange and Anthony Capps I gained a better understanding. ICurio is a curated search engine specifically designed to provide safe research for students. There are so many things on the internet these days that are inappropriate for children so having a site that is screened by professionals is very important. ICurio is also designed to help students begin developing their online organization skills. As Anthony points out this skill is important because people seem to be naturally unorganized. Another interesting thing about ICurio is that it has a read aloud option for accessibility. This allows children with special needs to get the same information as other students. I thought it was cool how Anthony says his students all wanted to try this option the first few times but then realized that they could read the material faster. After viewing this video I now have a better understanding, enough of one that I look forward to having my students use it in the future.
2. Discovery ED-
I enjoyed learning about Discovery Ed from Dr. Strange and Anthony Capps. Discovery Ed is a tool that allows students to get a better understanding of a subject by allowing them to view images and videos that are associated with what they are learning. Anthony says this is important because children obtain more information when there is a visual associated with text. Another important aspect of Discovery Ed is that is allows teachers to bring professionals into the classroom through video. Anthony said that this is important because students can see that the information they are being taught is not just the teachers opinion but is fact. Dr. Stange points out in the video that students are now what he calls “listener watchers”, meaning that because of our technology advanced world students watch and listen far more than than read and write. I think Discovery Ed is a good tool to use especially in the elementary classroom because a teacher can describe a subject all day long to their students, but until the student can place a visual to the subject they will never fully understand what they are being taught.
3. The Anthony-Strange Tips for Teachers Part 1
As an education major I find myself wondering if I will know what to do on my first day in the classroom. I am beginning to realize that I will not, nobody does. However thanks the Dr. Strange and Anthony Capps I understand why. In their video The Anthony-Strange Tips for Teachers Part 1, Anthony and Dr. Strange give tips to future educators. They start by saying that the most important thing to remember as a teacher, is that in order to be a good teacher you must also be a good learner. Along with that Anthony adds that being a teacher is hard work but if you make it a part of your life, instead of keeping work and play separate, it is very rewarding. Another tip mentioned is that teachers need to be flexible because the unexpected happens, and it is the teacher’s job to keep the classroom running smoothly. Teachers should also think of ways to keep their students engaged. Anthony says that this is a goal of 100 percent student engagement and good ways to accomplish this are to make the content something they care about, make it a process they want to use, and to make it shareable. He also says to always start an assignment with the end in mind. Lastly, he says to allow for reflection and self evaluation because it is key to improvement. I really look forward to the day when I can apply these tips in my future classroom.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
C4T #4
The most recent blog post by Denise Krebs was Road Tripping, Connections, and Community. In this post, Denise tells the readers of experiences she has had while road tripping. On this two week trip, she was able to meet up with her daughter, a pastor/mentor, her nephews family, and a dozen members of her online professional learning network. Denise mentions how she found it interesting that out of all the people she had met on this trip, she had only met three of them face to face before. She tells of how staying in touch with people we meet of trips seems easier to do nowadays than it was back then, all thanks to the internet. One click away and you can stay in touch with people. Where as back in the day, it was not that simple, but a strong effort that needed to be made by both members if wanting to stay in touch. When getting to visit a friend as she was teaching school, Denise tells the readers of the experience she had witnessed at this school. Two teachers who were co-learners with their student. I loved how she worded this because it is true that teachers learn as well when they are teaching students. She goes on to say how it was a delight seeing the principle of Georges Vanier Elementary, was interacting with the students at the school. This would be a great site to see as a parent of a student. Interacting with the students, the principle is showing interest in the students academics, which all principles should be. Denise then goes on to tell of seeing her friend Robyn and her classroom at a different school. What stood out to me in this class was that Denise mentioned that they were using skype and blogs. This is showing that Robyn's 3rd and 4th graders were using technology in the class which I liked. She finishes her post telling the readers about getting to meet up with several educators that she finally got to meet in person. Also how she was able to spend time with one of these friends, Sheri. Sheri was able to take her around the community, the school she taught at, and several other sites. Denise closes by saying when driving back home with her husband, that she was able to reflect on all the things made possible, because of connections she had made on the internet.
In my comment left on this post, I introduced myself. I included a link to the class blog as well as my personal blog like we have done in the past C4T assignments. I mentioned that it was great that she was able to meet people that she had connections with through the internet. I included that it is true that the internet has been a great help with staying in touch with people from around the world. I finished my comment by thanking her for sharing with the readers the experiences she has had.
Since no new post since the one above, I went and found the next post by Denise Krebs. Failure was really well written and I enjoyed reading it. Denise talks about failing to make a vlog, but does that make her a failure? Failing is being unable to succeed in something. Failure is when you do not attempt to try to correct. Denise shares that the way we can overcome failure is to have perseverance, persistence, and grit. In her post, she shares a quote that she had found that I really liked. "the qualities that matter most have less to do with IQ and more to do with character..." I think this is great because it says that character is important. Many times one can hear of having the academic ability is what someone needs to have to succeed. I think it can help, but it is not the only need. Denise shares an image to her readers. This image includes acronyms to the word "fail". F.A.I.L is a First Attempt In Learning. I love this so much! Anyone who has failed and tried harder and have succeeded will know this is true. The way people learn things is through failure.
In my comment on this post, I introduced myself again and mentioned that I was a student in EDM310 at USA. I included how I loved how she pointed out the difference in failing and being a failure. I included that I agree with her that the words fail and failure should not be used in an educational context. That the person who needs to believe the most in a students learning should be the teacher. By using terms like Failure can hinder a student of their capabilities. I closed my comment by thanking her for sharing her thoughts with the readers.
In my comment left on this post, I introduced myself. I included a link to the class blog as well as my personal blog like we have done in the past C4T assignments. I mentioned that it was great that she was able to meet people that she had connections with through the internet. I included that it is true that the internet has been a great help with staying in touch with people from around the world. I finished my comment by thanking her for sharing with the readers the experiences she has had.
In my comment on this post, I introduced myself again and mentioned that I was a student in EDM310 at USA. I included how I loved how she pointed out the difference in failing and being a failure. I included that I agree with her that the words fail and failure should not be used in an educational context. That the person who needs to believe the most in a students learning should be the teacher. By using terms like Failure can hinder a student of their capabilities. I closed my comment by thanking her for sharing her thoughts with the readers.
Project #9 - PLN final report
As my final report for PLN I am still using Symbaloo. This site has offered easy access to the common sites I visit. I learned about Symbaloo while in EDM310 and tried it out. I think it's great! I will continue to use Symbaloo to keep my sites organized. I also like it because it is easy to add other sites I want to add to it. I'm sure there are other sites out there to help keep common sites organized and easy to access, but after discovering Symbaloo, I haven't needed to even check to find one.
Blog Post #14
For elementary education majors
While teaching, you will come across holidays. Teaching children, most likely your students will contain a focus other than learning while at school before breaking for a holiday. Lesson plans during the week of holidays will be different than your usual lesson plans. Create a lesson plan for your choice of holiday and grade as a presentation. The plans must be focused on a holiday your school will take a break for. Include at least one fun activity your students can do that accommodates the holiday that is about to be celebrated. Make it a fun and exciting week of learning for the students!
While teaching, you will come across holidays. Teaching children, most likely your students will contain a focus other than learning while at school before breaking for a holiday. Lesson plans during the week of holidays will be different than your usual lesson plans. Create a lesson plan for your choice of holiday and grade as a presentation. The plans must be focused on a holiday your school will take a break for. Include at least one fun activity your students can do that accommodates the holiday that is about to be celebrated. Make it a fun and exciting week of learning for the students!
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Blog Post #13
What can we learn from these TED talks?
While looking through Ken Robinson: 10 talks on education, I can across a talk that really stood out to me. The second talk, Arvind Gupta: Turning trash into toys for learning. The thing that grabbed my attention was the "turning trash into toys" words. I grew up with a father who always had creative ideas. From these ideas, my siblings and I learned how to make things out of almost anything. While watching the video, I was surprised of all the creations Gupta had made. I think that creating is a great way of teaching and learning. I remember in school, when we were able to create something, it became more interesting and therefore I learned easier. Creativity is something everyone has. Although they may express it in different ways, it is there. Arvind Gupta expressed his creativity by making things out of simple supplies like newspapers and straws. One creation I thought that was really cool was a drawing slate for blind students. This slate was made out of Velcro with a pen that poured out yarn instead of ink. While drawing, the yarn would stick to the Velcro that would make it a 3D feel for the students. That us something I would have never thought of. Gupta mentions of a slogan, in this slogan was the phrase "build from what they have", I like this phrase because it can be a foundation for teaching. I think teachers are to teach from something students already know, to build on. While many of the toys Gupta showed in the video, I was curious on how he could use them in a teaching atmosphere. But from what I gathered, that wasn't the main point of the lecture. I think he was showing the audience and viewers not that every creation can be used for learning in the school. But rather, the limits of creations can be close to non-existent. Creativity more than likely makes things more interesting. Isn't that what teachers want in their classroom? For students to be interested in what is going on.
Brittany Allemand
Ken Robinson:10 Talks on Education was a good resource to explore. One video that really stood out to me was Kakenya Ntaiya: A Girl Who Demanded School. It was such an inspiration to watch. Kakenya is a woman who was born and raised in Kenya,Africa. She tells a lot about her village, family, and how things are so different in her country. It made me very thankful to live in America after I heard her story. She tells of how her mother farms, owns animals, and takes care of the whole family. Her father is hardly ever around because of work, and is gone for years at a time. When he does come home though, he sells all of their animals and goods and goes to the bar and spends the money. She tells of how women can not go against anything their husband or a man does, and how women are not allowed to own property anyways. Her mother tries to stand up and question as to why he sells their animals and goods, and she is beaten for even questioning her husband. At age 12, she and other girls are to become married and be the perfect house wife. They get up at 5 am and clean, take care of their houses, and train to become a perfect wife. Kakenya never wanted this for herself. She tells of how she always loved school and wanted to become a teacher. However, the girls and women in Kenya are not expected to go back to school after getting married at 12. She is very brave and tells her dad the only way she will go through with the celebrations and marriage is if she gets to return to high school afterwards. He rewards her with his because if not the village will look down on their family if she does not go through with the marriage. One shocking and sad thing that I learned was about the mutilation of the young girls before marriage. She tells of how they cut their private parts before the marriage. This was horrible to hear and to imagine so many young girls going through. Many girls even died from this. After going through high school, she still wants to further her education. She meets a young man who has left and went to a university in America. She sees his nice clothes and shoes and how educated and happy he is. She asks the man to help her apply to a university, and she gets into a ladies university in Virginia. No woman from her village or country had ever left to go to a university or even further their education through high school like her.She is so strong willed and determined to receive an education, and it's inspiring. She talks to the head male of the village, and to other high up men, and tells them of how if they support her trip to America and the university that she will return to Kenya and give back to everyone. She holds true to her promise. While in America, she learns of how it is illegal the way her mother and other women there are being treated. She returns to Kenya and builds a school for the girls in her village, 125 young girls. They are no longer being mutilated or injured or having to become married at age 12. She makes such a difference in her village and in Africa just by going and getting an education. It was so great to hear about how one woman fought for her education and made such a difference in her country. If it was not for her going to get an education and then returning to Kenya, who would have know how long it would have been before those young girls got a school and ended the mutilation and young marriage.
Chasity Heubach
I found myself captivated by Shane Koyczan's TED talk entitled, "To This Day"... for the bullied and beautiful. His lecture started with him describing his life as a child who was bullied. My heart hurt for him as he listed the names he was called and how he was used by people who called themselves friends. When he told others what he wanted to be, he was told to be something different. He wanted to be a writer but that wasn't good enough. He gave me the feeling that to him nothing he ever did was good enough. He was a child forced to endure things that no child should ever have to face. He lists stages of his life, where he went from hating himself, to wanting to kill himself and others. Then he admits to becoming something worse than himself, he became a bully. He talks of how words hurt as much as broken bones. He ends with poetry of how people have been hurt but they persevered. He says "If you can't see anything beautiful about yourself, get a better mirror, look a little closer, stare a little longer, because there is something inside you that made you keep trying despite everyone who told you to quite... you have to believe they were wrong, they had to be wrong...our lives will only ever continue to be a balancing act that has less to do with pain and more to do with beauty." Shane Koyczan should be and inspiration to everyone, to speak out and to speak up. Bullying continues in schools today and needs to be stopped. The most important thing I learned from his lecture is to never trample on the dreams of anyone, especially children. They will believe in themselves as long as we continue to believe in them. They can be whatever they choose to be as long as they set their minds to it. The life lesson I learned is to love others regardless of our differences and to stick up for the weak, because everyone matters.
While looking through Ken Robinson: 10 talks on education, I can across a talk that really stood out to me. The second talk, Arvind Gupta: Turning trash into toys for learning. The thing that grabbed my attention was the "turning trash into toys" words. I grew up with a father who always had creative ideas. From these ideas, my siblings and I learned how to make things out of almost anything. While watching the video, I was surprised of all the creations Gupta had made. I think that creating is a great way of teaching and learning. I remember in school, when we were able to create something, it became more interesting and therefore I learned easier. Creativity is something everyone has. Although they may express it in different ways, it is there. Arvind Gupta expressed his creativity by making things out of simple supplies like newspapers and straws. One creation I thought that was really cool was a drawing slate for blind students. This slate was made out of Velcro with a pen that poured out yarn instead of ink. While drawing, the yarn would stick to the Velcro that would make it a 3D feel for the students. That us something I would have never thought of. Gupta mentions of a slogan, in this slogan was the phrase "build from what they have", I like this phrase because it can be a foundation for teaching. I think teachers are to teach from something students already know, to build on. While many of the toys Gupta showed in the video, I was curious on how he could use them in a teaching atmosphere. But from what I gathered, that wasn't the main point of the lecture. I think he was showing the audience and viewers not that every creation can be used for learning in the school. But rather, the limits of creations can be close to non-existent. Creativity more than likely makes things more interesting. Isn't that what teachers want in their classroom? For students to be interested in what is going on.
Brittany Allemand
Ken Robinson:10 Talks on Education was a good resource to explore. One video that really stood out to me was Kakenya Ntaiya: A Girl Who Demanded School. It was such an inspiration to watch. Kakenya is a woman who was born and raised in Kenya,Africa. She tells a lot about her village, family, and how things are so different in her country. It made me very thankful to live in America after I heard her story. She tells of how her mother farms, owns animals, and takes care of the whole family. Her father is hardly ever around because of work, and is gone for years at a time. When he does come home though, he sells all of their animals and goods and goes to the bar and spends the money. She tells of how women can not go against anything their husband or a man does, and how women are not allowed to own property anyways. Her mother tries to stand up and question as to why he sells their animals and goods, and she is beaten for even questioning her husband. At age 12, she and other girls are to become married and be the perfect house wife. They get up at 5 am and clean, take care of their houses, and train to become a perfect wife. Kakenya never wanted this for herself. She tells of how she always loved school and wanted to become a teacher. However, the girls and women in Kenya are not expected to go back to school after getting married at 12. She is very brave and tells her dad the only way she will go through with the celebrations and marriage is if she gets to return to high school afterwards. He rewards her with his because if not the village will look down on their family if she does not go through with the marriage. One shocking and sad thing that I learned was about the mutilation of the young girls before marriage. She tells of how they cut their private parts before the marriage. This was horrible to hear and to imagine so many young girls going through. Many girls even died from this. After going through high school, she still wants to further her education. She meets a young man who has left and went to a university in America. She sees his nice clothes and shoes and how educated and happy he is. She asks the man to help her apply to a university, and she gets into a ladies university in Virginia. No woman from her village or country had ever left to go to a university or even further their education through high school like her.She is so strong willed and determined to receive an education, and it's inspiring. She talks to the head male of the village, and to other high up men, and tells them of how if they support her trip to America and the university that she will return to Kenya and give back to everyone. She holds true to her promise. While in America, she learns of how it is illegal the way her mother and other women there are being treated. She returns to Kenya and builds a school for the girls in her village, 125 young girls. They are no longer being mutilated or injured or having to become married at age 12. She makes such a difference in her village and in Africa just by going and getting an education. It was so great to hear about how one woman fought for her education and made such a difference in her country. If it was not for her going to get an education and then returning to Kenya, who would have know how long it would have been before those young girls got a school and ended the mutilation and young marriage.
Chasity Heubach
I found myself captivated by Shane Koyczan's TED talk entitled, "To This Day"... for the bullied and beautiful. His lecture started with him describing his life as a child who was bullied. My heart hurt for him as he listed the names he was called and how he was used by people who called themselves friends. When he told others what he wanted to be, he was told to be something different. He wanted to be a writer but that wasn't good enough. He gave me the feeling that to him nothing he ever did was good enough. He was a child forced to endure things that no child should ever have to face. He lists stages of his life, where he went from hating himself, to wanting to kill himself and others. Then he admits to becoming something worse than himself, he became a bully. He talks of how words hurt as much as broken bones. He ends with poetry of how people have been hurt but they persevered. He says "If you can't see anything beautiful about yourself, get a better mirror, look a little closer, stare a little longer, because there is something inside you that made you keep trying despite everyone who told you to quite... you have to believe they were wrong, they had to be wrong...our lives will only ever continue to be a balancing act that has less to do with pain and more to do with beauty." Shane Koyczan should be and inspiration to everyone, to speak out and to speak up. Bullying continues in schools today and needs to be stopped. The most important thing I learned from his lecture is to never trample on the dreams of anyone, especially children. They will believe in themselves as long as we continue to believe in them. They can be whatever they choose to be as long as they set their minds to it. The life lesson I learned is to love others regardless of our differences and to stick up for the weak, because everyone matters.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Blog Post 12
By watching the TED video, Changing Education Paradigms by Sir Ken Robinson, I came across several things I learned while watching the 11 minute video. Robinson starts the video by mentioning two reasons that every country is reforming public education. One being economically, wondering how will we be able to educate students for the economic world if we don't know what the economic future will hold. The second reason being cultural, wondering how will they have an identity in culture. Robinson continues by saying that people are trying to meet the future by the ways they have in the past. In a time when everyone went to college to have a good career, now days an education is not needed. It can help, but it does not guarantee a good career. This is very true. I know people who did not attend college after high school graduation who are maintaining steady jobs. Robinson says that "The current system was designed and conceived for a different age..." I agree with this as well. This EDM 310 class has taught me this in just the past several months I've been in it. Technology is becoming rapidly involved in our school system. Students are learning by these tools, not the tools my generation and the ones before me learned by. To be teachers to these students, we need to be not only aware of these tools, but how to properly use them. Mentioned in the video is the subject of ADHD in schools. I had not put much thought into this issue in my classroom before watching the video. But now, I think it is great that schools are involving technology in the classroom. Robinson says that students who have ADHD are being distracted by computers, phones, gaming devices, and such and are being penalized for not paying attention to things the teacher is teaching on. This is where technology comes in great in the classroom. Students who have ADHD and students who do not, have grown up with technology. Growing up this way, lets them learn better by using devices. In return, the student does not spend the whole time in class being lectured, but being involved in their learning experience. The video also mentions of people who have either aesthetic or anesthetic experiences. Aesthetic is when you are when senses are at their peak. Anesthetic is when your senses are shut off and are deadened with what is going on. Too many times in classrooms I feel that many are having anesthetic experiences because they are being lectured at to learn instead of being involved. Near the end of Changing Education Paradigms, Robinson says that most great learning comes from groups. I wonder if that is why we are put in groups in EDM 310. I feel as if it is true though. Working in a group seems to benefit everyone involved, not just a single person.
Chasity Heubach:
I really enjoyed watching Ken Robinson's TED talk entitled, How to Escape Education's Death Valley. In his lecture Mr. Robinson discusses the problems America is facing with its "No Child Left Behind" program. He starts by saying that he moved to America 12 years ago. He says that when he arrived he was informed that Americans don't get irony. He said that when he came across "No Child Left Behind", he knew that what he was told wasn't true. The irony of "No Child Left Behind" is that it, in fact, leaves millions of children behind. He says that in some parts of the country 60 percent of students drop out of high school. He claims that if America were to half that number it would create a net gain of nearly a trillion dollars, however, it would cost a large amount to mop up the drop out crisis. He says that it is true that America spends more on education than any other country, the problem is that it is all going in the wrong direction. Mr. Robinson says that there are three principals in which human life flourishes and it is being contradicted by the culture of education.
1. Human beings are naturally different and diverse. He asks his audience how many of them have children. He then makes a bet, one in which he claims he knows he will win. He bets that those who have two or more children will agree that their children are all completely different. He says that education, under "No Child Left Behind", is based on conformity, not diversity. American education focuses on the S.T.E.M disciplines, which he states is very important but it is not sufficient. He states that good education needs to equal focus on the arts, humanities, and physical education. He then points out that ten percent of kids are now being diagnosed with attention deficit disorder. He says that he believes the condition exists but that he doesn't think it is an epidemic. "If you sit kids down hour after hour doing low grade clerical work," says Mr. Robinson, "don't be surprised if they fidget." He says that children aren't suffering from a psychological disorder but instead they are suffering merely from childhood.
2. He says the next principal is curiosity. "If you light the spark of curiosity in a child they will learn without any further assistance," says Robinson. Children are natural learners and curiosity is the engine of achievement. He goes on to say that teachers are the lifeboat of success in schools and great teachers mentor, stimulate, provoke and engage their students. He says most importantly a teachers job is to facilitate learning and if their is no learning their is no education. The problem, he says, with Americas education system is that its focuses not on teaching and learning, but on testing. He feels that standardized testing has it place, but should not be the dominant culture of education.
3. He says that it is human nature to be creative. "We create our own lives and we can recreate our lives as we go through them,"he says. He also says that we create our lives by imagining different possibilities and the role of education is to awaken that imagination. He refers to the education system in Finland, and says its schools system is very successful in math and science mainly because it also focuses on arts and humanities. He says there is also no standardized testing and they help students before its to late, resulting in a no drop out rate.
He goes on to say that education takes place in the classrooms, not government offices, so the responsibilities should be handled at the school level to get the job done. He says there is wonderful work happening in America but it is dspite educational culture , not because of it. He then says, that not far from his house there is a place known as "Death Valley". In winter of 2004 it rained there, in Spring of 2005 the whole floor of "Death Valley" flowers grew. This proved that "Death Valley" was not dead, but dormant. He says the same is true for our schools system.
I learned a lot from listening to Ken Robinson's TED talk. I would have to say of all the tools I have learned would be helpful in the classroom, I would have to say Mr. Robinson discussed the most important tool for every classroom. That tool, is to inspire imagination and creativity. I learned to focus less on testing and more on learning. By that I mean standardized testing has its place, but if we don't teach children how to learn they are pointless.
Brittany Allemand:
Ken Robinson's video Schools Kill Creativity was a pleasure to watch. He had such a humorous and charming personality. It was never a bore to watch. It really supported the fact that schools do kill creativity. I never realized how much that this statement was true, until I seen this video. I really liked a lot of quotes that he brought about in his speech. They were short, powerful, meaningful, and to the point. The first quote I liked was “Creativity now is as important in education as literacy and we should treat it with the same status.” A lot of teachers just want the student to get the work done,pass a test, or do a project;This shouldn't be the main objective. Creativity should be encouraged in everything you do in the classroom. For example, Ken mentioned the girl whose parents were called in for a meeting in the classroom because she could not sit still. They thought she had a learning problem. However, they figured out she was a dancer, and she just needed to move to learn. Every student learns different, so why not put on music to learn to. Why not dance around or work hands on? I think the big picture is that as a teacher you can be creative with your assignments and you should promote creativity from your students. What better way then to show creativity yourself.I liked how he quoted from Picasso that every person is born an artist. Every kid has creativity in them. As teachers, we should promote activities that encourage an bring out the creative side.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
C4T #3
Being assigned to read Hadley, J F's blog,Middle School Matrix, the most recent post was And It Comes Together! #PBL. In the post, Hadley tells how the classroom has become a project based learning class. Hadley mentioned how the students goals and interests became the focus during the class time. Hadley became amazed by how much excitement and involvement the students were showing in their work. Mentioned were how a few members in group projects slacked on their work but the majority completed the task by working together. It was interesting to see how students involved their learning into a creation for a "store" the class had. Included in the post were some creations a few students made and how it tied in with what they were learning about. With these creations, teachers, administrators, and other students would stop by the "store" to see what was made. The students with creations would talk to the shoppers and try to convince them to chose whatever item was made. Using stickers, the shoppers would mark which items they would "buy" and the one with the most stickers would win.
After reading this post, I left a comment. In this comment I introduced myself and included why I was on their blog. I also included a link to my personal blog as well as the class blog. I then mentioned how our EDM 310 class was a PBL. I included that I thought it was cool that the students were learning the same way. I also said that it was great to see that the students had become excited and involved in their learning experience. I finished by thanking Hadley for sharing the experience and success with the readers.
This picture is of a parachute lamp, it is representing an invention by Leonardo da Vinci. This is one example of a creations that the students made.
After no new post sense the one above, I went and found Hadleys' next blog post "Craziest History Class Ever!" #PBL. Assigning his students in groups to come up with items that would best represent 1400-1600 European exhibit. Hadley shared with the readers a list of tasks that each student would be responsible for under the category they were under. These categories are Store Manager, Architect, 2 or 3 Area Managers, 2 Advertising Managers, Business Scout, and Store Maintenance. Each of these groups were assigned to complete some sort of work rather it be research or leading a discussion to name a few. Hadley mentioned that the conversations between the groups was mostly student led with a little input from himself. When it came to the Advertising Managers turn to share with their group, Hadley says that's when the "craziness" started. They were in charge of leading the conversation to be on store names, the store colors, and slogans. Trying to get input from everyone, the groups had to come up with their store.
In my comment on this post, I quickly introduced myself. I included in my post that I thought it was great how Hadley let his students be responsible for their own group. I mentioned that it was also great of letting the students use their own creativity which could let the learning experience more interesting. I followed by thanking Hadley for sharing the experience with the readers.
After reading this post, I left a comment. In this comment I introduced myself and included why I was on their blog. I also included a link to my personal blog as well as the class blog. I then mentioned how our EDM 310 class was a PBL. I included that I thought it was cool that the students were learning the same way. I also said that it was great to see that the students had become excited and involved in their learning experience. I finished by thanking Hadley for sharing the experience and success with the readers.
This picture is of a parachute lamp, it is representing an invention by Leonardo da Vinci. This is one example of a creations that the students made.
After no new post sense the one above, I went and found Hadleys' next blog post "Craziest History Class Ever!" #PBL. Assigning his students in groups to come up with items that would best represent 1400-1600 European exhibit. Hadley shared with the readers a list of tasks that each student would be responsible for under the category they were under. These categories are Store Manager, Architect, 2 or 3 Area Managers, 2 Advertising Managers, Business Scout, and Store Maintenance. Each of these groups were assigned to complete some sort of work rather it be research or leading a discussion to name a few. Hadley mentioned that the conversations between the groups was mostly student led with a little input from himself. When it came to the Advertising Managers turn to share with their group, Hadley says that's when the "craziness" started. They were in charge of leading the conversation to be on store names, the store colors, and slogans. Trying to get input from everyone, the groups had to come up with their store.
In my comment on this post, I quickly introduced myself. I included in my post that I thought it was great how Hadley let his students be responsible for their own group. I mentioned that it was also great of letting the students use their own creativity which could let the learning experience more interesting. I followed by thanking Hadley for sharing the experience with the readers.
Blog Post #11
Before watching Little Kids...Big Potential that shows Ms. Cassidy's first grade class from Canada, I had no clue of the amount of kids who use technology. These first graders probably know how to use the internet better than I do. The approach of learning in this classroom is mostly through technology. Growing up in a generation that hardly used technology in school, it was very interesting to see how much it has become involved for the younger generation. These kids were using SmartBoards, maintaining blogs, using Skype, and making videos. The way Ms. Cassidy teaches her class is through ways these kids are familiar with, through technology. Ms. Cassidy mentioned in the Skype Interview with Ms. Cassidy that kids and technology go hand in hand. Kids are far more capable of using anything technological than my generation, and past ones, are able. Technology is not, and will not, stop growing. As future teachers, we need to be able to know how to use these teaching tools better than the students. It becomes a learning experience for both the students and the teachers, I think. I loved how in the Skype call, Ms. Cassidy said that she has heard of some teachers creating a separate Facebook account as well as the students. I think this is a great idea! Our EDM 310 class can even be found on Facebook, EDM310: USA Student Aggregator! I think this is great for asking questions and finding information in a familiar atmosphere for many students.
Besides having a Facebook account for teacher/student purposes only, I loved how Ms. Cassidy said that she loves using the blogs because it is exciting for the kids to be able to see how many views their post have received, but also it's good for the parents. The parents of these first graders are able to go to the blog of their child whenever they want to. Getting to do so allows the parent to see the progress their child is making as far as writing. I think this is great because it does let the parent see how well their child is doing in the classroom at whatever time they want. I think maintaining blogs also works great with the students because of the thought of people world wide being able to read what they write. I think using Facebook and blogs are great tools for communicating with students and parents and could see my future classroom using these. I think by using these teaching tools, students will not only become more familiar with technology, but it will make it easier to learn. I think by using ways students are comfortable with will allow students to do their very best. By maintaining blogs, it could improve their writing skills. Also by leaving comments on other students' posts, shows how to improve personal skills such as how to approach someone. Students who make videos, could improve their speaking and performance skills. In many ways these classrooms are teaching, I think a skill is taught in each besides the actual learning which is great.
Project #13
Brittany Allemand, Grace Hofer, Chasity Heubach
Some of the ACCRS reading standards for second grade are
- "Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges"
- "Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action"
Technologic tools used for this project include
- Word Processor
- Blogger
- iMovie if using a Mac
Below is a picture of a weekly lesson plan for meeting these standards. It could be spread out to multiple weeks by letting the student read the book individually. However, we used an example of this standard in a weekly lesson plan.
We chose Blogger for the students to upload their book report to because it is public. Using Blogger could let people from around the world, other students in the classroom, and teachers to be able to read it and comment their thoughts. The lesson plan we chose included different ways of learning. Reading the book was a way that did not involve any technology. Writing the book report on Word Processor would let the students use the computer to make their project. Uploading it to Blogger would allow the students learn how blogging works, as well as how to present their writing.
In the reading standard, the students would learn how to describe characters and how they respond to events through writing. Another option that the students could do, is make their report into a podcast by using iMovie if working on a Mac. Doing this they would then upload their podcast to Blogger.
Some of the ACCRS reading standards for second grade are
- "Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges"
- "Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action"
Technologic tools used for this project include
- Word Processor
- Blogger
- iMovie if using a Mac
Below is a picture of a weekly lesson plan for meeting these standards. It could be spread out to multiple weeks by letting the student read the book individually. However, we used an example of this standard in a weekly lesson plan.
We chose Blogger for the students to upload their book report to because it is public. Using Blogger could let people from around the world, other students in the classroom, and teachers to be able to read it and comment their thoughts. The lesson plan we chose included different ways of learning. Reading the book was a way that did not involve any technology. Writing the book report on Word Processor would let the students use the computer to make their project. Uploading it to Blogger would allow the students learn how blogging works, as well as how to present their writing.
In the reading standard, the students would learn how to describe characters and how they respond to events through writing. Another option that the students could do, is make their report into a podcast by using iMovie if working on a Mac. Doing this they would then upload their podcast to Blogger.
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