Sunday, September 28, 2014
Blog Post #6
1: Project Based Learning Part 1
In this video I learned about important steps and information that need to be included in Project Based Learning. One very important thing I learned is keep your students interested. Make sure your topic is something that your students will want to learn about. Use topics that involve the community so the project is more personal with your students. I learned that to create a good project for your class you need to make sure your students are interested, make the project content driven, and involve your community.
2: Project Based Learning Part 2
In this video I learned that not all projects turn out the way you plan, but that is okay. To be a good educator you must work around obstacles every day.It could be parents, principals, and even your students that cause your plans to change. It is important to stay calm and find an alternate route to accomplish your goal. In this video I also learned that you should never limit or underestimate your students. Give your students options on projects and allow them to be creative. You will always be surprised by your students and how much they can create on their own.
3: iCurio
In this video I was informed about iCurio. iCurio is an online tool used for safely searching the internet. This is an educational tool that offers you information about your search in text, audio, and visual documents. This is a kid-friendly resources and is great for all grade levels. iCurio offers a storage option for searchers. This is great for students and teachers. It allows you to save items you may have searched or found and come back to them. This allows for people using the website to stay organized when doing research.
4:Discovery Education
In this video I was informed about Discovery Education. Discovery Education is a great resource to use in your classroom. This online tool is a search engine for informative videos. When describing it Anthony Capps said, "it brings text to life." This would be a wonderful tool to use in your classroom for all subjects.
5: The Anthony-Strange list of tips for teachers Part 1
This video gave me a list of helpful words of wisdom to follow as I become a teacher. The most important advice that I learned is to always be an active learner. As an educator you will learn something new every day. Never allow yourself to stop finding new information to better yourself and your students. Another piece of advice I learned about is to always be flexible. If something does not go your way, find a new way to give your students information. Always leave yourself room for mistakes and create plans that have back up lessons. Make a reflection of all of your lessons. Writing a reflection will help you to understand what you did right and wrong and how you can work to do it better the next time. Never stop having fun as a teacher. It is important to love your job and explore new ideas. Being a teacher is not an 8 hour job, it is an all day every day lifestyle.
6: Don't Teach Tech- Use it
In this video I learned that you should never teach your students how to use technology. Do not take time out of your lesson to teach your students how to use technology. Begin to incorporate a little technology into each lesson plan and allow your students to discover how to use technology for themselves. Students need to explore technology and learn to use in their own way. Expect mistakes and questions, but never underestimate what your students can do with technology.
7: Additional Thoughts About Lessons
In this video I learned about the process of creating a lesson from Anthony Capps. Year, Unit, Week, and Daily are the four components that make up a lesson. First, you must make sure that your lesson will accomplish standards that need to be met through out the year and make sure it fits into a written curriculum map to make sure all standards get covered. Second, you must create your unit. Your unit is your lesson or project that you will be using to meet your class standards. Make sure that your unit is meaningful, connected, and leads to starting your next lesson. Third, you create your plan to go with your week. You must make a break down of your unit and your goals that you need to be accomplished during the week. Lastly, your create your daily part of your lesson. This part is how you are going to deliver your lesson to the class. Once you complete all of these steps, you have created a lesson for your class.
In this video I learned about important steps and information that need to be included in Project Based Learning. One very important thing I learned is keep your students interested. Make sure your topic is something that your students will want to learn about. Use topics that involve the community so the project is more personal with your students. I learned that to create a good project for your class you need to make sure your students are interested, make the project content driven, and involve your community.
2: Project Based Learning Part 2
In this video I learned that not all projects turn out the way you plan, but that is okay. To be a good educator you must work around obstacles every day.It could be parents, principals, and even your students that cause your plans to change. It is important to stay calm and find an alternate route to accomplish your goal. In this video I also learned that you should never limit or underestimate your students. Give your students options on projects and allow them to be creative. You will always be surprised by your students and how much they can create on their own.
3: iCurio
In this video I was informed about iCurio. iCurio is an online tool used for safely searching the internet. This is an educational tool that offers you information about your search in text, audio, and visual documents. This is a kid-friendly resources and is great for all grade levels. iCurio offers a storage option for searchers. This is great for students and teachers. It allows you to save items you may have searched or found and come back to them. This allows for people using the website to stay organized when doing research.
4:Discovery Education
In this video I was informed about Discovery Education. Discovery Education is a great resource to use in your classroom. This online tool is a search engine for informative videos. When describing it Anthony Capps said, "it brings text to life." This would be a wonderful tool to use in your classroom for all subjects.
5: The Anthony-Strange list of tips for teachers Part 1
This video gave me a list of helpful words of wisdom to follow as I become a teacher. The most important advice that I learned is to always be an active learner. As an educator you will learn something new every day. Never allow yourself to stop finding new information to better yourself and your students. Another piece of advice I learned about is to always be flexible. If something does not go your way, find a new way to give your students information. Always leave yourself room for mistakes and create plans that have back up lessons. Make a reflection of all of your lessons. Writing a reflection will help you to understand what you did right and wrong and how you can work to do it better the next time. Never stop having fun as a teacher. It is important to love your job and explore new ideas. Being a teacher is not an 8 hour job, it is an all day every day lifestyle.
6: Don't Teach Tech- Use it
In this video I learned that you should never teach your students how to use technology. Do not take time out of your lesson to teach your students how to use technology. Begin to incorporate a little technology into each lesson plan and allow your students to discover how to use technology for themselves. Students need to explore technology and learn to use in their own way. Expect mistakes and questions, but never underestimate what your students can do with technology.
7: Additional Thoughts About Lessons
In this video I learned about the process of creating a lesson from Anthony Capps. Year, Unit, Week, and Daily are the four components that make up a lesson. First, you must make sure that your lesson will accomplish standards that need to be met through out the year and make sure it fits into a written curriculum map to make sure all standards get covered. Second, you must create your unit. Your unit is your lesson or project that you will be using to meet your class standards. Make sure that your unit is meaningful, connected, and leads to starting your next lesson. Third, you create your plan to go with your week. You must make a break down of your unit and your goals that you need to be accomplished during the week. Lastly, your create your daily part of your lesson. This part is how you are going to deliver your lesson to the class. Once you complete all of these steps, you have created a lesson for your class.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
C4K Summary for September
I was assigned to comment on the blog of a young girl named Helen. Helen's blog was titled Ban Plastic Bags! In Helen's blog she wrote a letter to the Prime Minister about her concerns of the use of plastic bags. Helen shared the problems of the use of plastic bags and the dangers that can be caused to animals. You could tell that Helen was very passionate about this subject. I commented on Helen's blog and shared with her what I liked and asked some questions about what she had done to help this situation. I offered Helen a suggestion of using links in her blog and shared with her the importance of adding links to a blog.
The second student blog I was assigned to was the blog of Mirrorz123. The blog that I read was titled "Make your mark." In the blog, Mirrorz123 stated that he did not know how he would make his mark, but that he knew he wanted to be a television producer/director. Mirrorz123 also said that he wants to make people happy. I explained to Miirorz123 that it was awesome that he knew what he wanted to do for a career because most people do not know till half way through college. I left Mirrorz123 with a question to answer. How could he make people happy when he becomes a producer/director? I hope that question will inspire Mirrorz123 to think about the future and the positive impact he could leave on the world.
My last student blog that I commented on was the blog of Jade who is a high school student in Iowa. Jade's blog post was Talent or Hard work. Jade wrote that she felt that hard work was more important than talent. She believes that people that put forth hard work will go further in succeeding their task than people with talent. I wrote to Jade and told her of the importance of hard work in schools. I asked her if she worked hard in her classes because it is very important to make sure you are doing your best in school. I hope that Jade will read my comment and see the importance of hard work in school and put her theory of hard work to use.
The second student blog I was assigned to was the blog of Mirrorz123. The blog that I read was titled "Make your mark." In the blog, Mirrorz123 stated that he did not know how he would make his mark, but that he knew he wanted to be a television producer/director. Mirrorz123 also said that he wants to make people happy. I explained to Miirorz123 that it was awesome that he knew what he wanted to do for a career because most people do not know till half way through college. I left Mirrorz123 with a question to answer. How could he make people happy when he becomes a producer/director? I hope that question will inspire Mirrorz123 to think about the future and the positive impact he could leave on the world.
My last student blog that I commented on was the blog of Jade who is a high school student in Iowa. Jade's blog post was Talent or Hard work. Jade wrote that she felt that hard work was more important than talent. She believes that people that put forth hard work will go further in succeeding their task than people with talent. I wrote to Jade and told her of the importance of hard work in schools. I asked her if she worked hard in her classes because it is very important to make sure you are doing your best in school. I hope that Jade will read my comment and see the importance of hard work in school and put her theory of hard work to use.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Blog Post #5
The process of setting up my Professional Learning Networks(PLN) was at first a bit troubling to me. I did not understand the process right away to create a PLN or who to follow. After a few clicks and searches I started to get the hang of things. I signed up for an account with Symbaloo using my gmail account to get things started. I decided to base my PLN around Project Based Learning. I loved learning about PBL and would love to know more. I began using google to find websites to use. Next I went to Twitter and Youtube. After a while I had realized I had found several sites I could use to create my PLN. I hope to continue to add to this website and will use the website in the future to better my classroom.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Blog Post #4
What do we need to know about asking questions to be an effective teacher?
Asking the right questions to your students can make a world of difference in the classroom. In the videos "Asking better questions in the Classroom" and "Open ended questions" I learned the importance of using open ended questions in the classroom. As a future educator, these videos made an impact on me for how to approach questioning my students in the classroom. It is important not to ask closed ended questions, only giving the students a yes or no option. Students should open there minds to many possibilities and answers. Providing that option to students will really help them in their learning and understanding of their work. In Ben Johnson's article "The right way to ask questions in the classroom" Johnson stated, "If we look at the dynamics of any classroom, it doesn't take more than a week for students to figure out who is smart, who isn't, and who doesn't care. What is worse, studies show that after fourth grade, students know how they are perceived and play their roles accordingly." To me, this statement is very upsetting. Every child deserves to feel like the "smart student" and as educators and future educators we should want to make our students feel this way. To be an effective teacher, you must make sure you are making your students care and show them that you care. In the video "Questioning Styles and Strategies" the technique of valuing feedback was shown. This is something that is very important when asking your students questions in the classroom. Students will be more confident in their answers in class if you encourage them with kind and supportive words. Another technique discussed in this video was "student calling." This strategy allowed students to choose whoever they would like to answer a question in class. If students are given the chance to participate and feel like they have a responsibility in class by calling on one of their peers they will be more likely to participate in classroom discussions. It is important for teachers to make sure they are asking questions that will allow everyone in the classroom to be involved and interested in learning. By asking the right questions in your classroom you are encouraging your students to become active listeners, learners, and thinkers.
Asking the right questions to your students can make a world of difference in the classroom. In the videos "Asking better questions in the Classroom" and "Open ended questions" I learned the importance of using open ended questions in the classroom. As a future educator, these videos made an impact on me for how to approach questioning my students in the classroom. It is important not to ask closed ended questions, only giving the students a yes or no option. Students should open there minds to many possibilities and answers. Providing that option to students will really help them in their learning and understanding of their work. In Ben Johnson's article "The right way to ask questions in the classroom" Johnson stated, "If we look at the dynamics of any classroom, it doesn't take more than a week for students to figure out who is smart, who isn't, and who doesn't care. What is worse, studies show that after fourth grade, students know how they are perceived and play their roles accordingly." To me, this statement is very upsetting. Every child deserves to feel like the "smart student" and as educators and future educators we should want to make our students feel this way. To be an effective teacher, you must make sure you are making your students care and show them that you care. In the video "Questioning Styles and Strategies" the technique of valuing feedback was shown. This is something that is very important when asking your students questions in the classroom. Students will be more confident in their answers in class if you encourage them with kind and supportive words. Another technique discussed in this video was "student calling." This strategy allowed students to choose whoever they would like to answer a question in class. If students are given the chance to participate and feel like they have a responsibility in class by calling on one of their peers they will be more likely to participate in classroom discussions. It is important for teachers to make sure they are asking questions that will allow everyone in the classroom to be involved and interested in learning. By asking the right questions in your classroom you are encouraging your students to become active listeners, learners, and thinkers.
Project #15
Wolframalpha
The search engine Wolframalpha is a great resource tool. The website is very easy to use and understand. On the website you can enter in any math problem and it will give you the solution, how to solve, and any additional information you need. You can also enter in things other than math problems. I typed in Billy Joel and it gave me information on who he was, his birthday, where he is from, his albums, how many hits a day he gets on his wiki page, information from the wiki page, and many more additional needed information. This website can be used for multiple resources, but I would have to say that it is best for solving math related questions.
Bing
The search engine Bing is an easy to use website. When on the home page Bing offers you links to the most popular searches and uses predictive text to help you with your searches. After you click search Bing will provide you images and websites with information on the searched item. Bing also gives you a little bit of information for each website to help you narrow down your options for websites to use. I do not think that this website is specifically most useful for one thing. This website is a great resource for many searches.
Ask
The search engine Ask is a very simple, easy to use website. On the homepage, Ask offers a question of the day with multiple choice answers. If you choose the wrong answer Ask will explain why it was wrong and give you the correct answer. Ask also gives you the option to browse through previous questions of the day. Ask uses predictive text to help you with your searches. After hitting search Ask will provide you with websites, Amazon related links, and popular Q&A on the search. This website can be used for many searches, but in my opinion I believe that it would be best used for research papers.
WOW
The search engine WOW is a straight forward and simple website. This website offers options for the type of search you would like to do. You can choose from "Human edited search," "Search Engines," and "References." Once you make your choice then you can chose from one more option to refine your search more and then hit search. This website gives you options to help you better find what you are looking for. I believe that this website is most useful for research papers.
Webcrawler
The search engine WebCrawler is very bland and simple. This website uses other search engines to help you find your search. The website had no attraction to the site or helpful tools. This search engine is most useful for simple searches.
DuckDuckGo
The search engine DuckDuckGo is a simple designed search engine. On the homepage the website offers a "How-to" option to help you understand how to use the site. One interesting thing that this search engine does is add an "about" section when you search. The about section will offer you a definition of your search, where to buy your search, or other helpful information pertaining to your search. This website is very easy to navigate through. This search engine would be most useful for many things, but I think it would be best for looking up definitions.
Dogpile
The search engine Dogpile is a cute and simple website. Dogpile offers a "Favorite fetches" option where you can see the top searches of the page and an option to buy the app from the site. The website gives you the option to choose from web, imagines, video, news, local, shopping, and white pages before you search to help you better get the results you are looking for. For this website you pick from one of the previous options, type your search, and then click "go fetch." This website follows the theme of the title with a picture of a dog on the homepage and phrases for options that follow dog theme. In my opinion this website would be most useful for children using the internet for homework searches.
Alhea
The search engine Alhea is a plain and simple website. This site uses Google and Yahoo when doing the searches. Althea does not have predictive text nor does it offer you imagine or amazon options. This search engine is easy to use and to the point. I believe this website is most useful for simple searches.
The search engine Wolframalpha is a great resource tool. The website is very easy to use and understand. On the website you can enter in any math problem and it will give you the solution, how to solve, and any additional information you need. You can also enter in things other than math problems. I typed in Billy Joel and it gave me information on who he was, his birthday, where he is from, his albums, how many hits a day he gets on his wiki page, information from the wiki page, and many more additional needed information. This website can be used for multiple resources, but I would have to say that it is best for solving math related questions.
Bing
The search engine Bing is an easy to use website. When on the home page Bing offers you links to the most popular searches and uses predictive text to help you with your searches. After you click search Bing will provide you images and websites with information on the searched item. Bing also gives you a little bit of information for each website to help you narrow down your options for websites to use. I do not think that this website is specifically most useful for one thing. This website is a great resource for many searches.
Ask
The search engine Ask is a very simple, easy to use website. On the homepage, Ask offers a question of the day with multiple choice answers. If you choose the wrong answer Ask will explain why it was wrong and give you the correct answer. Ask also gives you the option to browse through previous questions of the day. Ask uses predictive text to help you with your searches. After hitting search Ask will provide you with websites, Amazon related links, and popular Q&A on the search. This website can be used for many searches, but in my opinion I believe that it would be best used for research papers.
WOW
The search engine WOW is a straight forward and simple website. This website offers options for the type of search you would like to do. You can choose from "Human edited search," "Search Engines," and "References." Once you make your choice then you can chose from one more option to refine your search more and then hit search. This website gives you options to help you better find what you are looking for. I believe that this website is most useful for research papers.
Webcrawler
The search engine WebCrawler is very bland and simple. This website uses other search engines to help you find your search. The website had no attraction to the site or helpful tools. This search engine is most useful for simple searches.
DuckDuckGo
The search engine DuckDuckGo is a simple designed search engine. On the homepage the website offers a "How-to" option to help you understand how to use the site. One interesting thing that this search engine does is add an "about" section when you search. The about section will offer you a definition of your search, where to buy your search, or other helpful information pertaining to your search. This website is very easy to navigate through. This search engine would be most useful for many things, but I think it would be best for looking up definitions.
Dogpile
The search engine Dogpile is a cute and simple website. Dogpile offers a "Favorite fetches" option where you can see the top searches of the page and an option to buy the app from the site. The website gives you the option to choose from web, imagines, video, news, local, shopping, and white pages before you search to help you better get the results you are looking for. For this website you pick from one of the previous options, type your search, and then click "go fetch." This website follows the theme of the title with a picture of a dog on the homepage and phrases for options that follow dog theme. In my opinion this website would be most useful for children using the internet for homework searches.
Alhea
The search engine Alhea is a plain and simple website. This site uses Google and Yahoo when doing the searches. Althea does not have predictive text nor does it offer you imagine or amazon options. This search engine is easy to use and to the point. I believe this website is most useful for simple searches.
Friday, September 12, 2014
C4T # 1
In Jennifer Brokofsky's blog "Three Act Math Movies-Candy Colours" Ms. Brokofsky shows how to include fun while sticking to the curriculum. In the blog, Ms. Brokofsky shows the grade level and curriculums that will be met by watching her videos and going along with the suggested activity. In the videos, two siblings are told to equally share their skittles. The videos will leave you with questions to be answered. After taking the time to solve the problem, there is a solution video to show you if you were correct. In the comments, I told Ms. Brokofsky that I loved her idea of combining fun and work while sticking to the curriculum. I explained to Ms. Brokofsky that I would love to use her idea in my future classroom.
In Ms. Brokofsky's blog " Three Act Math Movies-Sharing Pizza" the curriculum for a 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade were met while watching a video and answering provided key questions. The videos were clips of children eating pizza and trying to solve a problem. This activity is a great way to teach fractions. Ms. Brokofsky includes what lesson that the videos are meeting and key questions for the class to answer after watching each clip. In the comments, I explained to Ms. Brokofsky that her lesson was a great way to meet the curriculum, have fun, and have an excuse for a class pizza party. I also told Ms. Brokofsky that this activity is an easy way to get your students attention and make them want to learn.
In Ms. Brokofsky's blog " Three Act Math Movies-Sharing Pizza" the curriculum for a 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade were met while watching a video and answering provided key questions. The videos were clips of children eating pizza and trying to solve a problem. This activity is a great way to teach fractions. Ms. Brokofsky includes what lesson that the videos are meeting and key questions for the class to answer after watching each clip. In the comments, I explained to Ms. Brokofsky that her lesson was a great way to meet the curriculum, have fun, and have an excuse for a class pizza party. I also told Ms. Brokofsky that this activity is an easy way to get your students attention and make them want to learn.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Blog Post #3
What is peer editing?
What is peer editing? You might say editing the work of you peer. You would be right if you said that, but that would be leaving out something very important. Peer editing is about helping your peers better their work in a POSITIVE way. I learned about positive peer editing in the video "What is peer editing?" and the slideshow "Peer edit with perfection tutorial." I also learned from the funny video "writing peer review top 10 mistakes" how not to act while peer editing.
While doing this assignment, I learned about the importance of peer editing with your peer's feelings in mind. It is much easier to accept criticizing if you feel like the person criticizing you really wants to help you improve your work. It is important to stay positive when giving suggestions or criticism. Before this assignment I did not realize the importance of a positive attitude while peer editing, but now I do!
![image of slideshow]()
What is peer editing? You might say editing the work of you peer. You would be right if you said that, but that would be leaving out something very important. Peer editing is about helping your peers better their work in a POSITIVE way. I learned about positive peer editing in the video "What is peer editing?" and the slideshow "Peer edit with perfection tutorial." I also learned from the funny video "writing peer review top 10 mistakes" how not to act while peer editing.
While doing this assignment, I learned about the importance of peer editing with your peer's feelings in mind. It is much easier to accept criticizing if you feel like the person criticizing you really wants to help you improve your work. It is important to stay positive when giving suggestions or criticism. Before this assignment I did not realize the importance of a positive attitude while peer editing, but now I do!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)