Monday, October 27, 2014

Blog Post #10

Ms.Cassidy's videos were very inspiring to me because of how much passion and knowledge she has about what she does. I learned many new things that I can incorporate in my own classroom. Ms. Cassidy showed that you have to work with what you have as a teacher. You must make do with the supplies you are given. She proves that it is not impossible to work with what you have even if you aren't given enough. For example when Ms. Cassidy made good use of only having 5 computers in her classroom. It was awesome seeing such young students so excited about technology and so good at doing it. It amazes me at how quickly the young children catch on and excel at technology. They are more focused and determined with it than I would have imagined.
In the 3 Skype videos between Dr. Strange and Ms. Cassidy, they discussed how they use technology in the classroom. They talked about why they use blogs in the classroom and how it is beneficial to the students' education. I think that it is important for us as future educators to watch videos like this because it is coming from two experienced professionals in the industry already and it can give us so much insight to what to expect and look forward to. Also it makes it all a little clearer for us to understand how to teach since we did not grow up using technology this much in our own classrooms when we were being educated. My favorite part of the technology we are learning would have to be blogging. This is a way for students to express themselves the way they wish and allows for more individuality varying from student to student. Also blogging makes it easier for students, teachers, and even parents to connect outside the classroom. Parents and teachers can keep up with their students first hand and students can interact with each other easily. I feel as if it takes education from a student-teacher relationship only to a more advanced relationship that let's everyone interact and grow with each other.

Ms. Cassidy also discusses the importance of online safety for kids in the classroom. I think this has answered many questions that I have had in mind when thinking about incorporating technology in the classroom. According to Cassidy it is important for the students to learn what information is acceptable to give about themselves and what information does not need to be posted about themselves. Personal information and pictures are very crucial when it comes to the students' safety. It is all part of teaching them technology and how to keep themselves safe when using it, in and out of the classroom.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Blog Post #9

What can teachers and students teach us about PBL?
I think that by observing teachers and students using PBL it can shows us first hand how well PBL works. PBL is the best type of learning for students to engage in and to test the knowledge they have obtained. I think that by watching this happen with our own eyes and ears it can help erase doubts or confusion. The generation of today's future educators are not familiar with PBL, therefore they may want to shut the idea down, but if they were to witness how well it actually works they may be more open to it. I think students and teachers can teach us to be more open minded when using PBL.
In Seven Essentials for Project Based Learning I learned that you should always choose a topic in which your students will take a string interest in and will make them excited about learning. The most important step after that is to have your lesson plan well planned out and put together effectively with much thought. You should plan how you will start the topic off. Introduce it to the students by showing them some sort of resource introducing it. Next you should let the student share their opinions and thoughts on the topic and how they wish to go about presenting it in their projects. This video was very helpful for me to see how I can get started with incorporating PBL in my own classroom one day.
Next I watched the video Project-based learning for Teachers, which gives great information to the teachers trying to start out using PBL. It's great to see s resource just for introducing and helping teachers to further understand how to incorporate PBL in the classroom.
Next I watched the video PBL: What motivates students today. This video was great to see more of a student point of view and what motivates them. It's awesome to see a video like this so that we can tell what to pay attention to when it comes to motivating our students and keeping their full attention. If most students are motivated by their future careers then that tells us to incorporate more career- based topics in PBL.
Next I read the article Ten Sites Supporting Digital Classroom Collaboration in Project Based Learning. I was interested in this article because of the great sources it gives. This gives good ideas of websites or tools that can be used in PBL. This is something for the entire EDM310 class to keep in mind for using in our own classrooms one day in the future.
Lastly, I read the article PBL and Physical Education. This one caught my attention because I did not know it was possible for the two to have anything in common, but they actually do. I learned that you are able to incorporate PBL in almost every are of school, including PE.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Blog Post # 8

When I sat down to watch the hour-long Randy Pausch video, I never expected it to be so meaningful and inspiring. It was far from what I had expected and I am very glad that I took the time to watch it. The computer Science major talked about his own life experiences and shared with us why it is important to have plenty of perseverance when it comes to your dreams. When you have big dreams, you are going to have obstacles or discouragements. It's natural to want to give up or turn another direction to avoid conflict, but this is when you should push your hardest to make it through. As educators we must be passionate when teaching children so that they will know how important it is to not only do something you love but to be excited and passionate about doing it.
Randy Pausch states how not only is it important to chase your dreams, but it is also important to grow and learn form your journey along the way. It is all a process. A process in which you will benefit form every aspect if you use it as an opportunity to learn and grow. Pausch tells how it is important to let your students see you teach with passion so that they will gain confidence in their own dreams. One thing that Pausch talked about in his video that really stuck with me was when he spoke about how we learn indirectly. After he stated this I reflected back on some of my biggest life lessons and almost never are they just something that someone informed me of. They all occurred when I learned something in the PROCESS of doing something else. I think this is important to teach people so that they will recognize it when they are going through something. Instead of having a negative mindset when going through a difficult situation, they can look at the issue and recognize how this will teach them, help them grow, and benefit them for the future. No matter what life may throw at you, you are able to grow from it. Take it as a lesson learned, and rememeber that it is all a part of your process. Pausch's video is a great example of perseverance and following your dreams. I think this is a video that would benefit everyone to watch. I'm glad I took the time to actually sit and watch it instead of just skimming through., This was a real attention grabber, and Randy Pausch is a very inspiring man.

Project # 9

C4T #2 Summary

In my first comment for teacher post I was instructed to comment on Ms. Davison's post about blogging in the classroom. Her post enlightened me on exactly how blogging is used in the classroom with younger kids. The examples she gave of how she incorporated it into her own classroom really opened my eyes to how neat and effective it can be for the students. I wasn't really sure how I'd ever use new technology such as blogging in my own classroom, but after reading some of her ideas I became really interested. One thing that I really agreed with Ms. Davison on, was how she stated that blogging is good for getting students engaged with people from cultures that they are not used to or know nothing of. This allows for opportunity in children learning things completely new and eye-opening. They will then have a broader range of intelligence with other cultures.

In the next comment for teacher post I commented on Ms. Jennifer LaGarde's (Library Girl) post about the art of listening. This post was super inspiring to me. Ms. LaGarde has a very interesting way with words that captures your attention and pulls you in to everything she has to say. I found myself lost in the post and the comments as well. She was very well at explaining how listening is just as important if not more important than speaking. She went on to explain an example in which she used the art of listening instead of talking to a group of coworkers she was mingling with. She stated how glad she was after using this technique and how much she learned from fellow teachers. I commented on the post letting her know how inspiring it was to me and how much I agreed with how important listening is in communication. I stated how I felt that this would be an excellent technique to incorporate in the classroom.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Blog Post #7

In the first video, How to Make an Audio QR Code, I learned how to make an audio QR code. This allows for you or students to record something and listen to it back. The teacher can record a book or a part of a lesson and the student is able to listen to it at their own leisure. They can listen as many times as they wish or even use their own recording to listen to if they wish. You can copy the code and share it with others. Then by going to QRcode Monkey you can turn text, email, and phone messages into QR codes. If you copy and paste the QR code into word you can resize, print, or make copies of you r QR code and more! You can download the free QR code scanner and access many different QR codes. This is great for communicating with your students and directing them to one exact place that you'd like them to visit or give them a description of an assignment. I look forward to using this tool in my own classroom.
In the video, ipad Reading Center, the students can video tape themselves reading something and it makes it more fun and engaging for them to play around recording themselves while practicing their reading skills. This gives each student the opportunity to work on their own mistakes by correcting themselves and spares embarrassment or shyness with other students. It makes it fun for the students as they are practicing their skills for becoming better readers.
The next video I watched was Poplet with Ginger Tuck. In this video I learned how to use Poplet in centers in a kindergarten classroom. Poplet is a free app that allows you to create a diagram like structure relating certain topics or subjects to each other. You can take pictures of objects and insert them into your Poplet. You can add text to your picture to describe or name your subject/object. This is great for the children to practice their typing skills.
The following video I watched was Alabama Virtual Library as a Kindergaten Center. You can download the Alabama Virtual Library app and log in to access. The students are able to search through the AVL on any given subject. The AVL has pictures, an introduction, videos, and audio recordings for the students to access. This is great for using worksheets with and comprehending what they learned or observed in the AVL. It is fun and easy for the students to use.
The next video I watched was Tammy Shirley Discovery Education Board Builder Moon Project. The students are able to create their own username and password and log into the Education Board Builder where they can choose their background and title it. When they create their own board they can make it on any given subject and then list features or facts, and add images and videos about their subject. Then the student demonstrated how she created her board builder about the moon. Then the student read her narrative on her trip to the moon and shared the image that she drew. Carly also demonstrated how to add videos and pictures to your board.
Next I watched the video Mrs. Tassin 2nd Grade Students Share Board Building Project. Here two of Mrs. Tassin's students demonstrated their board builders after taking a virtual field trip. The kids demonstrated how to obtain photos for their board builder off of safari and upload them to enhance their projects. The kids seem very enthusiastic and proud of their board builders. This allows them to independently think and create their own experiences and observations.
In the next video Using iMovie and the AVL in kindergarten, I learned that kindergarten students are using iMovie as well. They are making book trailers for books that they are reading in their classrooms. Michelle stated that the teachers haven't had to teach their students the specifics of creating a book trailer in so long that they have to refresh themselves on it. AVL is free to anyone in the state of Alabama. It is great for teaching students basic research. It gives articles, images, and research based information for the students to base their search on. The students really enjoy doing the research and are eager to continue looking for more each day.
The last video I watched was We All Become Learners. This was another group conversation between Dr. Strange, Michelle, and Elizabeth. In this video they discussed that they are learning that teachers are teaching students, students are teaching students, and students are teaching teachers. By this happening we are all becoming learners along the way. Kindergarteners are advancing more in technology than ever before so there is opportunity there for them to teach us new things as well as vice versa. Michelle discussed how she has seen padlet used in the classroom. The students become excited about showing and teaching about the work they have done through these programs. The students are always eager to teach their teacher and/or visitors that visit Gulf shores Elementary. Both of the media specialists are very excited about the change in technology that has taken places over the past several years in the Elementary classrooms.

Blog Post #6

In the video Project Based Learning Part 1, I observed a discussion between Anthony Capps and Dr. Strange about project based learning and all of its parts. It was a very interesting video for me because It involved Dr. Strange asking Anything Capps many questions, that I also had myself, and Capps would answer them accordingly. I learned very much about project based learning by watching this discussion video. Capps is very much for project based learning. He believes very strongly that it is an effective way of learning for the students. He says that not only will it help the students learn more effectively, but it will also be something they can enjoy doing. It forces them to be engaged in what they are doing/learning, which will be better committed to their memory in the long run. Capps gives some really good examples and stories of how well it has worked from his own experience. I think the format of Q & A was very helpful for me while watching this video, and Capps was very good at explaining his point of view. In the second video, Project based Learning Part 2, Capps tells us of a great example of one of the group projects that he had his students do on different cultures and backgrounds. This allowed for the students to independently find their own sources and become familiar with discovering their own answers by way of the internet. The students are free to roam endlessly for information to complete their project which is good for the students to learn without having boundaries. Capps states that limiting students to only one source or type of work is going to only hold them back. It is more enjoyable for them to roam freely and look for all kinds of information on a topic they are interested in. Capps likes to see his students proud of what they find and he likes for them to enjoy the process of learning, even though they may not even realize it. The last video I watched was the iCurio video, between Capps and Dr. Strange on iCurio. ICurio is a search engine made for students to use because it is filtered for the students, and restricts where they can go. They can look up information on a student-friendly site, that may be a little safer depending on different age groups. I think this is wonderful because as a future teacher, I have been very concerned about how much we are incorporating the internet into teaching the students due to the fact that sometimes the internet can be harmful to young eyes. iCurio is also great because it allows students to leave off and pick up where they'd like. If they are working on something but need a break, or it's time to go, they can save it in a folder and come back to finish their work later. I think this will be great to incorporate in my classroom in the future.