Thursday, February 27, 2014

C4KSummary for month February

My MysterySkype with Jillian Morris
The student's blog that I was assigned to comment on this week was named Craig. He did an excellent job on giving facts about sharks. Before reading Craig's blog I knew little about sharks. He taught me that 100,000 sharks are killed each year to make soup. I also was shocked when I read in his blog that only 5 people are killed by shark accidents a year. I also learned that if scientist tag sharks they have to be put asleep. Craig did a great job on his blog and I look forward to reading more.
Skype


About You Survey
This week my student that I was assigned was named Jordan. I had to do an About You Survey on his blog. There were five different questions that I had to answer. I told Jordan where I lived, that I was a female, my favorite color, favorite sport, and favorite book. I told Jordan that I loved the idea of having a survey on his blog.

Of Mice and Men
When doing my third C4K, the student I was assigned was Edson. Edson had to do a reflection on the book "Of Mice and Men." He explained the rules the character, Lennie, needed to follow. I love how he put himself as a character and explained in his blog how he could never get along with one of the characters, Curley. He said that Curley was always looking for problems. I explained to Edson that I agreed with him and I don't think I would get along with Curley either. Edson explained how he thought the book should be titled "A Better Life" instead of "Of Mice and Men." I told Edson that I loved the title that he came up with and that I think it would be a great title also.
Of Mice and Men


Disney World
For my fourth C4K I had a student name Gillian. I loved Gillian's blog because it was about Disney World. Gillian talked about the rides she rode in Disney. She talked about the ride Tower of Terror and it is one of my favorite rides. Gillian also talked about how her family has the tradition to ride Pirates of the Caribbean first each time they go to Disney. They do this because that is what her mom did with her parents when she was a little girl. I told Gillian that I loved how they had a tradition and I thought it was very neat. I told Gillian she did a great job on her blog and I loved reading it because I love Disney World.
Castle

Friday, February 21, 2014

Blog Post #6

When first reading about Personal Learning Network (PLN) I had no idea what they were. After watching the video, Building Your PLN-A Primer for Anyone, it really put in perspective what a PLN was and what it is used for. Steven Anderson explained in his video how PLN's are a tool that you can use to help you as a teacher. They consist of teachers and tools, such as Twitter or Pinterest, that allow you to connect with educators all over the world to help extend your thinking. Personal Learning Networks allow you to not have to know everything because you have a network of thousands of Educators to talk with and ask questions to. Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, and Pinterest could all serve as Personal Learning Networks. I did not realize until after reading the resources from this blog that I had already started my own PLN. I have a Pinterest account where I follow other teachers across the world and pin the ideas that they share. I have acquired many art ideas from teachers on Pinterest and also found multiple worksheets and project ideas for all subjects.
Pinterest

I also learned a lot from the video, Michael Fawcett Discusses his PLN. Michael explained in the video how 12 months ago his PLN was the staff room. Michael explained how Twitter is a great social network that serves as a PLN. On Twitter you can follow other educators and they can suggest blogs for you to read and you can communicate and collaborate with them. I loved the example Michael gave of how Twitter can work as a PLN. He said that one day he asked a question on Twitter about space and within 30 minutes he had gotten an answer from NASA. This is mind blowing. I find it interesting that we can connect with anyone all over the world through a social network like Twitter.

PLN

Personal Learning Networks take time to build and form. It is not something that you form over night. To start forming your PLN you would make accounts for social networks such as Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, Blog, YouTube, etc. After forming the accounts you need to start following and becoming friends with people from all over the world. You can share and receive ideas from other educators.

My Personal Learning Network is very small right now. I am learning new ways to expand it everyday. I have learned many things from these resources about building my own PLN. When I become a teacher I would love to use blogs to connect with my students and their parents. My goal as a future teacher is to have a blog and post pictures and videos of the students and what they learn each week for the parents
Social Media
to view. I am already using Pinterest and Facebook to grow my PLN. I have created a Twitter and I am learning how to use it to expand my PLN. On twitter the first few people that I have followed to grow my PLN is Dr. Strange, Dr. Vitulli, and the lab assistants. I am excited about expanding my PLN and learning and sharing information with other educators.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Blog Post #5

What do you learn from these conversations with Anthony Capps?

The seven videos we were assigned to watch this week were about project based learning. In the first two videos, Project Based Learning Part 1 and Project Based Learning Part 2, I learned a lot about how project based learning is used in the classroom. Project based learning is constantly evolving. The goal of using it is to show not only what the students have achieved but what they have learned. I loved the example of project based learning that Anthony Capps used in his classroom. His students wrote letters to Congress about women fighting in combat. When doing this project based learning activity he meet writing, reading, and social studies standards. He allowed his students to critique each other and choose the top eight letters to send to congress. This gave them the opportunity to review work like a democracy. I love the idea of using project based learning in the classroom because when I was in third grade we were taught straight out of a book. I feel doing projects excite the students and make them want to learn. I also loved that Mr. Capps pointed out that when he had twelve administrators come in his room to ask him about project based learning all of his kids were raising their hands excited to share and explain what they were doing. I learned from these videos how to approach being a project based learning teacher. Teachers should never limit their students and they should always create an opportunity for them to go beyond expectations.
PBL


I learned a lot from the third video iCurio. I have actually never heard of iCurio until watching this video. In this video iCurio was explained as a search engine that searches text, audio, and video around subjects that would fit in with state standards. iCurio allows virtual organization for the students and it also allows the students to get back right where they were on the computer if they get interrupted. I think this is very neat and useful because in school, especially the elementary level, there are a lot of interruptions throughout the day. One of my favorite things about iCurio that Mr. Capps explained was the read allowed feature. This is a great feature to have for students that have certain disabilities because it will actually read out loud to them.
iCurio


After watching the video, Discovery Ed, I learned that it is a tool that uses videos for the students to learn from. Mr. Capps explained that he can bring experts into his classroom for his students to learn from via video. Mr. Capps said that Discovery Ed has everything science and social studies related. Discovery Ed is a great tool because students are now listeners and watchers and videos are a great way for them to learn.

In this video, The Anthony-Strange list of Tips for Teachers Part 1, I learned the five things any new teacher should think about. The first tip is to be a learner. We, as teachers, have to be interested in learning ourselves and model that behavior for other people. The second tip is hard work. Hard work can be exciting and fun if you let it be. The third tip was be flexible. You have to be able to respond to events even when something happens that you don't expect. The fourth tip was get kids engaged. You have to make the kids excited about learning. The fifth tip was reflection. Students need to want to revise their work to make it better. All of these tips are great and something I will go by when I start teaching. I think the first tip, be a learner, is very important for teachers. Learning is something we should be doing everyday as teachers to come up with new ideas about teaching our students and making them excited about learning.

In the video, Don't Teach Tech-Use It, the title explains the video perfectly. This video talked about using technology in the classroom. Teachers should use technology to make students excited and let them share what they are doing. When using technology teachers should also only use one tool at a time. I love how in this video it said you should never expect perfection. This is so true. We are teaching students they should not do everything perfect. Technology is something that teachers do not need to teach their students how to use, you need to let the students learn the technology hands on while focusing on one aspect of technology at a time.

In the last video, Additional Thought About Lesson, I learned that there are four components you need to think about when making lesson plans. The components are from your daily lessons to what you need to fit in your year. When teaching a lesson every day teachers need to start off with something that catches the students' attention, then have the students engaged in the content and actually wanting to learn, and close your lesson with something to see what the students have learned and make sure they are on the right track.
lesson plans

Thursday, February 6, 2014

C4T #1

The Problem with Relevance
In my assigned teacher's blog the author, John Spencer, explains how there is a dark side to relevance. He explains in his first paragraph how technologist promise us a personalized experience based upon our interest in things, such as Spotify and Pandora. Another example shown in his blog was how your news feed on Facebook is determined by what pages you like and who your friends are. Spencer explains how the "relevance" filter, such as on Facebook, feeds him things he agrees with or has interest in. This is why he believes there is a problem with relevance. He explains that he needs to engage in hard conversation with those he may not agree with so his view on the world can be broadened.

My Response
I explained how I completely agree with him. I have noticed on multiple occasions how my Facebook page is geared towards things that I am comfortable with and agree with. I explained how I agree with him on the fact that relevance can hold people back from learning and exploring new things. I agree with him that we all need people who engage and sometimes irritate us so we can broaden our views on the world.

We Still Use Spreadsheets
In my second assigned post from John Spencer, We Still Use Spreadsheets, he took a survey by asking people what app or program they use the most. The number one answer he received, from doctors to accountants, was spreadsheets. He explained how he understands that kids are now suppose to be learning how to use greater programs out there and that we need to move past the "old school tools." Spencer said after stopping and thinking about his survey he realized that he uses spreadsheets all the time. Spreadsheets are used more than we realize, from budgeting to data analyzing. He explained how spreadsheets are powerful for what all they can do. They can add formulas, sort, and make graphs. Spencer explained how there are now multiple programs that can do about everything a spreadsheet can do. He explained how he still uses spreadsheet in his classroom even if they are not considered "cool". He said that spreadsheets are amazing from what all they can manage and accomplish.

My Response
I explained how I also love spreadsheets and think they are pretty amazing. I think spreadsheets are great for budgeting money each month. I explained to John Spencer that I believe that all students need to be taught how to use spreadsheets. In his blog he said that he still uses spreadsheets in his classroom. I responded to that saying I think that is great and I hope there are more teachers out there that are like him that will continue to use spreadsheets in the classroom.
Spreadsheet

Blog Post #4

What do we need to know about asking questions to be an effective teacher?

My initial reaction to this question was confusion. I didn't know if I was supposed to put myself in the position of the student or the teacher. After putting myself in the position of the teacher I realized that questions are more important than the answers. Questions are what make you think, and thinking is what helps you learn. After reading the link by Ben Johnson, The Right Way to Ask Questions in the Classroom, I found it very interesting and I loved how the author was blunt and honest. The author said that we, as teachers, need to understand that we do not know everything. "Does everybody understand?" is a question that I have heard multiple times as a student in the classroom. To me this is a pointless question because students do not normally speak up even when they have a question. I agree with the author that asking that question is practically saying, "Ok, here is your last chance. If you don't ask any questions, then you understand completely, and I am free to go on to the next subject"(Ben Johnson, "The Right Way to Ask Questions in the Classroom"). When asking a direct question to the classroom, a teacher does not need to have the students raise their hands to answer. I agree with the author on the questioning strategy researched by Mary Budd Rowe. She proposed that teachers simply ask a question, pause for 3 seconds, and then call on a random student to answer. This questioning strategy is a way to be an effective teacher because it allows all of your students to have a turn. By calling on students the teacher can see who knows what and notice if some students need extra help.
Do you understand?

After reading the link, Asking Questions to Improve Learning, I learned strategies for asking questions and ways to respond to them. It is very important to ask students questions that are clear and specific. I strongly agree with the point made in this blog that when you plan each class session include notes of when you will pause to ask and answer questions. This is very important so the students can interact and the teacher can make sure the class understands and see what needs improving. The way a teacher responds to a student's answer is very important. A teacher should never interrupt a student trying to deliver an answer. Teachers should always let students give their full response before engaging. Hearing the full response of a student will allow the teacher to hear their ideas and know what they do and don't understand. Teachers should always encourage students no matter if their answer is right or wrong. Smiling and nodding at the student when they are delivering an answer is a perfect way to encourage them. When a student answers a question incorrect, point out what is incorrect about their answer, and ask a follow up question that will lead the student to the correct answer. This resource also gives great reasons as to why teachers should ask open ended questions in the classroom. Open ended questions prompt students to explore attitudes, values, or feelings. They also allow students to ask and predict possible outcomes and illustrate a concept with an example. At the end of this resource it explains how to refine your questions as a teacher. After teaching a class session you should take notes on the questions that were asked and decide which ones were the most effective.

After learning from the following resources I believe we can answer the initial question, "What do we need to know about asking questions to be an effective teacher?" There are multiple things that teachers should know about asking questions to be an effective teacher. Teachers should always make sure that each student is getting a turn to answer a question. How we as teachers respond to an answer is very important. Teachers should never make their students feel uncomfortable especially if they respond to a question wrong. As a future teacher, learning how to ask questions to be an effective teacher is very important.
Question