Reflection

Steve Knight is an AMAZING teacher.  The skills he taught our ed 554 class were so relevant to today’s students and how they learn.  All of the technology used and introduced in class could be applied to any classroom the next day and most of the programs we used can be found on the internet and are FREE!

The class was not just about technology but really gave the class a good view as to how students learn today and that it is very different then when most of us were in school.  The biggest point Prof. Steve drove home was the idea of choice.  Students today are looking to be participants in their learning, they don’t just want to sit back and be told about their learning.  These choices do not always need to be technology based.  Some students might feel more comfortable drawing their own cartoon, while others might want to choose images from the internet to create a story.

Another important point is to publish the work.  The quality of work always goes up if the student knows that not just the teacher will be looking at the product.  Teachers could choose to post work to a class blog that just other students and parents could see or could post it to YouTube where the whole world will see.

This was an excellent class.  I am glad I put student teaching off for another year so that I can implement these ideas.  THANKS!!!

Final Week (for class that is...)

In “5 Reasons to Allow Students to use Cell Phones” I agree with all of the points except for number 4. I will address points 1-3 and 5 first followed by my thoughts on point 4.

Point 1 is about preparing student for life after school.  If we want our students to be successful, we have to teach that information.  In many middle and high schools most students take a typing course.  While being able to type is still vital, it might not be the way these students one day do business.  If the world is changing, educators need to take that into consideration.

Point 2 looks at budgets.  School systems really should look at the technology already available to students and use that.  Many computer companies offer education discounts and plus the student does not need to worry about giving up the technology over the summer or when they graduate.  The technology will be theirs and therefore can keep all of the material on it.  Some families might not have the financial means to purchase this technology, and that is when the school can step in.

Point 3 address cheating and is excellent.  The article is correct in saying that if a student can look the answer up online, something might be wrong with the test.  Students need more challenges in the classroom especially when applying their knowledge.  Teachers should look more into having students create final projects as finals rather than a regular test.  

Sometimes pencil to paper testing is necessary though.  When this is the case, hopefully the teacher has established rules such as a designated place for cell phones while testing or consequences if caught cheating.

Point 5 discusses responsible use.  Students are going to learn how to make mash-up videos or photos and how to post them on their own.  Teachers should take the initiative to teach students about copyright law and the consequences of not using the internet responsibly.  

OK, point 4.  In this point the author address that administrators using technology when students cannot is a double standard.  I would not say that it is a right that the administrator has access but rather a privilege.  Students need to understand that just because one person has an object does not mean everyone is entitled to it.  

All in all this is an excellent article.  School systems should really look implementing new rules for cell phone use in schools.  In many cases it might help to save money while at the same time preparing students for the future.

Fossils

Fossils on Prezi

I created this Prezi to help introduce the fossil unit to a 5th Grade class.  It was so much fun to make and was easy too!

To make the presentation I collected a few photos from the internet and my personal collection.  The Prezi website has tutorials that walk you through to make sure you make a great creation.  It is also nice that there are preexisting templates to use or you can create your own.  I created my own and it was very easy.  It was also smart to write the script first and then look for the images.  It made the process easy.

I would definitely use this program in the future.  It would also be great for my students to use when making their own visual stories or "PowerPoints"  It adds enough bells and whistles that kids like, but not enough to distract.

Week 6

Educational Technology:

At the beginning of the semester, I posted about a technology/history blog called HistoryTech.  This week’s post fits perfectly into what the class discussed last week on our blogs.  It sounds like the author is at a conference and posted about one of his sessions.  The session was using technology to bring the Emancipation to life using...VISUALS!

Posted to HistoryTech is a great screen shot of a video showing a movie/map/timeline about Emancipation.  While I could not view the video, the shot said it all.  It looks as though the viewer is able to watch as Emancipation spreads across the country.  There are 4 different points to watch for such as Emancipation Events and Union Army Occupation.  I am unsure if there is sound or if students just watch the video.  I think it could work either way.  I would hope though, if it does not have sound, a teacher using the video would speak over it to help explain what is happening.  If a teacher just let the video run without explanation, it could be a wasted visual.

The video looks like it might truly be able to enhance an Emancipation lesson in the classroom.  Students could even take the video as inspiration to create their own or as a vehicle to an end of unit project.

I attempted to leave a comment on the site, but was unsuccessful.  I did however e-mail the author about some of his previous posts and the current one.  I think the author does an excellent job of showing educators how technology and history can work together in new and interesting ways.  He replied stating he as glad I found the blog useful.  

CommonSense Media’s:

The lesson I looked at was Grades 4-5 Rings of Responsibility and concentrated on Teach 1: Learn about Citizenship.  The lesson starts out with the instructor using a quote from Marvel Comics’ Spider-Man “With great power comes great responsibility.”  The lesson uses the quote to explain to students that online they hold great power, but need to use it responsibly and introduces the vocabulary word responsibility. 

I particularly like how the teacher introduces the concept using student’s prior knowledge.  Students talk about the responsibility they have at home, school, or in their community.  Using students prior knowledge is a great way to introduce new or difficult concepts.

What I especially like about this introduction lesson is it can easily become an integrated lesson with civics.  In the 5^th grade students study United States History to 1865.  During this time, the Founding Fathers wrote the constitution and made other laws that the citizens had responsibility to uphold.  Teachers can easily, talk about the civics involved with being a U.S. citizen and the responsibility they have online.

The rest of the lessons involve students working through 3 different phases of responsibility online: themselves, their friends and family, and to both their online and offline communities.  All of these lessons work in conjunction with the previous lessons to help remind students how they should act online and why.  

PPT is Evil:

I listened to the NPR segment on PowerPoint.  The clip was produced in 2003, but I know I heard it a few months ago.  I am not sure if it was a follow up story or if it was this clip replayed.

Through the segment the reporter talks about how PowerPoint is over used in schools and is becoming ineffective.  He also speaks with top researchers in the field.  One stated that PowerPoint is great for the bottom 20% of presenters.  This is because it forces them to be organized.  The researcher then stated that is does not help the top 80% at all and only creates disfunction in their presentation.

When teaching students PowerPoint, teachers need to teach the students that the program is an aid, not the presentation.  Teachers and students need to understand that the PowerPoint slides can act as a visual aid and should only be there to enhance the spoken portion of the presentation.  Students should not read only from the slides, but should create an entire script that is performed as the presentation.

Teachers also need to tell students to limit both the amount of words used on the slid as well as special effects.  The more words that are published on the slide viewers are going to experience one of two effects.  They are either not going to read anything on the slid and only listen to the speaker or they are going to tune the speaker out and only read the text.  

When looking at the special effects, they only become a distraction.  With all of the sounds and slid motion combinations possible, instead of being informative, the presentation only become chaotic.  To limit the effects, teachers could allow students one effect total and then explain points will be deducted for more because they are not conducive to learning.  This way students get to have some fun but the class does not have to suffer.

While I do think PowerPoint is over used and used incorrectly, there is a time and place for it. If made to look minimal, by allowing the speaker to speak then I think it can be an excellent teaching tool.  It should not be used in all cases all the time, there is a time and place.

Wordle

Podcast

On Safari

This is Maine?

Week 4

Topic 1

I think visuals are very important in a classroom, especially for elementary aged students.  The visuals allow for students who might not have prior background on what an elephant is to look and understand.  Visuals also allow for simple and usually inexpensive ways to differentiate the classroom.  While visuals are great, just having them is not enough.  The image needs to connect to what the teacher is talking about, otherwise the visual and the opportunity becomes wasted.

The article “Using Visual Aids” is great at supporting this thinking.  The article provides background into how to use visual aids and reinforces the idea that a poorly done or inappropriate visual aid will not enhance the lesson but detract from it.  The author gives tips on how to prepare visual aids.  At the end of the article she breaks down images in to different media categories and provides techniques.   Some of the tips include to keep the visual aid brief, give student the opportunity to look over the image, and do not ask students to look and listen allow them to do one or the other.  The two most important rules the teacher should remember is not to talk directly from the aid and to give students paper copies.  

Looking to the first statement, the teacher should not just read from the text in the aid.  They should highlight the important words in the phrase or sentence and then continue to add more detail and understanding.  If a teacher just reads from the text, she is not giving any new information.  If the visual is an image, the teacher should highlight the important points and then continue addressing those points with information the students should concentrate on.

In the second statement, while the classroom is becoming more digital teachers should hand out paper copies for their students to use as references or study aids.  Looking to a digital classroom though, the image could be made available through the use of the classroom blog or another digital place the teacher provides.

I think visuals are very important to a classroom.  Some children are visual learners and seeing a chart or picture will only enhance their understanding.  Teachers need to remember that just like technology not to use visuals for visuals sake.  The visual need to have purpose and connection in order for it to enhance the classroom.

Week 3

Topic 1:  

While I have never see or heard of teachers using podcasts, I think it would be a great idea.  Like posting to a Blog, this sounds like a wonderful option for the shy students.  By creating a podcast, it would allow the teacher to actually hear their voice rather than reading their words.  For the student, they still have the time to plan their responses and would not worry about having to face criticism from classmates.  Since the podcast would not provide complete anonymity, this would be a great way to start to get those students out of their comfort zone.

Another reason why podcasts could enhance the classroom is that students always want to hear or see themselves on the radio or television.  By using a regular podcast, the students can pretend to be like their favorite DJ.  For the enhanced podcasts, students could display art work or other projects to show meaning and understanding.

I think some of the benefits would be it gives students a different way to create.  This would be a great and easy way for students to use Bloom’s Taxonomy.  As stated above, for students who are shy this would be a great way for them to still not directly face their peers, but gets them out of their comfort zone.

One barrier would be if it is posted to the web.  Like a Blog, there would need to be parental permission to allow for the podcast to be posted.  A minor barrier would be starting the program.  This could be overcome by attaching the podcast project to a project based learning session the teacher thinks cold benefit from a podcast.  By doing this both the teacher and students could figure out how equipment works, best ways to load the program, or other potential pitfalls.

Topic 2:  

I listened to the the EduWin podcast station.  The podcast I used was “EduWin Weekly #007: Twitter and Time with Bill Selak”.  Selak and two other hosts talked about how teachers can use Twitter to both educate themselves and others on new educational ideas.  One stated that a teacher at his school told him that Twitter is “the best professional development” he has.  With school budgets shrinking and teachers not being able to participate in advancing development, the sharing on Twitter could be a good way to go.  

After the few times I have gotten on Twitter, I would agree with the statement that Twitter creates more of a connection than Facebook.  If someone follows engaging individuals or groups on Twitter, you are more likely to learn from it.  Facebook truly does seem more voyeuristic rather than collaborative.

Some aspects I did not like about the podcast related to a statement the hosts made.  One stated that teachers who did not pick up on new social technology could soon find themselves out of a job.  While I think teachers should embrace technology, teachers should still have an option about how connected they become.  Many teachers might not join Facebook or Twitter because they do not want their information to become too public.  While teachers should share ideas, sometimes face to face is the best method.  

Yes, I would agree that podcasts are something I will continue to use in professional learning.  I am an audio/visual learner.  I love listening to podcasts and finding new ones that help me learn and grow professionally.  The other thing I love about podcasts is that you can listen when you want.  They are usually up on the website or easy to obtain through the archives.  You do not have to feel like there is a time crunch before the session closes or that you have to be free at a certain time to listen.

Topic 3: 

I watched the video presented by the Digital Learning Series.  It was a great little clip that reenforced the idea that school projects and future work based projects are not the same.  The video is easy to understand and could be shown to students to help them understand the concept.  

What was great about the clip it showed a connection between how a project would be completed in the work place and how the idea could be refigured for the classroom.  If we want to teach our 21^st Century students, we have to let them communicate in their own language when appropriate.  While papers are often easer to grade a PBL could be too as long as guidelines are set and a rubric is provided.  

It seems that the great thing about PBL is the project could change year to year for your students.  This way the teacher does not get bored by reading the same material 25 times and over a course of their first five year 125 times!  Each year would be different and the teacher could tweak the assignment to help accurately reflect their students knowledge.

Topic 4:

I want to start by saying that Chris Lehmann is AMAZING!  His ideas and people with like minds, I think truly will change the direction our schools go in as well as the education of the future.

I truly love the idea that Lehmann thinks children should create and produce valuable projects for their instructors.  I have mentioned it in other posts that creativity and creation is the highest order in Bloom’s Taxonomy.  Isn’t that what we want our students to strive for?  We want them to take the information we give to them and they must repurpose that information, because they will encounter in in the real world.

The concept of making our students citizens is also very important.  Most likely, a majority of Lehmann’s students will go on to another form of education. Unfortunately, for many high schools that is not the case.  Those students who are not able to further their education, still must be a part of society and they need to know how to function in it.

The last point is the idea about creating meaningful projects and having a sense that the teacher and peers care about it.  What are students going to give to the world by always writing papers that only the teacher see.  In real life the world is collaborative.  People share their ideas and thoughts and that is how end of unit “exercises” should be.  Again going back to the idea of being a citizen, a student could have a wonderful idea that would benefit the community or world, but if they cannot work with others or communicate their idea, the idea might become lost.

I truly hope that as many preservice teachers as possible have a chance to become introduced to these ideas and find meaningful ways to introduce them into the classroom.

Week 2

Shelley Wright stated when she teaches in a more traditional setting, her students “wait to be rescued.”  As teachers we like to think we are preparing our students for life, but many times do not let them experience it.  While teachers like to feel in control of the learning environment, sometimes we have to let go and allow students to experience it for themselves.  Wright’s introduction of the Inquiry method is a great example on how teachers can still teach, but allow their students to understand the meaning behind learning a topic.

I loved how the teacher stated she wanted to be a co-learner rather than a lecturer.  When teachers act as co-learners, they can still point out what students need to know and guide them if they are stuck, but can also sit back and let the group create their own experience.  The unit on the Holocaust provided the students the opportunity to find what they were most interested in but still meet the objectives the teacher had set forth.  This idea is very similar to some of the thinking in the video from least week.  Teachers set guidelines on what needs to be accomplished in the project but students can complete it how they would like.  Wright has told her students the topic and the end product but how a student gets there is their choice.

In the “Going Deep” section, Wright talked about how after the research phase both she and the students became stuck.  I liked how she did not have an immediate answer on how to solve their problems but instead listened and together came up with solutions.  The idea of the Socratic circle has been presented to the cohort before and seeing it in action was very helpful.  In the circle students expressed both frustration and accomplishments.  It allowed the students to come together in a meaningful way to discuss the topic and find solutions.

As an exhibit designer, I found this project very interesting.  A suggestion I would make to the instructor would be to not only focus on the historical research but also how exhibits are put together.  She was right in the fact that there needs to be a purpose, it can not just be a collection of random pieces of information.  This is true to real life as well.  Students need to learn how to organize information so teachers, friends, and parents understand what they are talking about.  This is true both in and out of the classroom.  The students ideas were great and I would have loved to see an image of the final product.

Week 1

Topic 1: What Blog did you read and what did you think.

I read History Tech written by Glenn W.  I chose this blog because while I am concentrating on elementary licenser, I love history and currently work at a historic mansion and grounds and am always looking for interesting ways to teach the subject. 

Glenn does a great job discussing how teachers can better reach their students and make the subject more interesting.  He talks a lot about using primary documents and allowing students to see actual historical objects.  Students receives a whole different perspective when they handle history rather than read it or hear about it.  It allows for the connection to be made.  Glen bring up technology at least two to three times a week in his blog.  He often discuesses how teachers can use technology to better engage their students and not just use technology for technology’s sake.  Some of the best posts were on the iPad.  He heavily discusses how schools should implement them and that teachers need the time to play on the tablets before introducing tablets to the class. 

As for the use of the site it is great.  The layout is easy and functional.  Glenn only has 4 different pages and they are easy to get around.  The reader can easily tell the difference between the blog and other pages.  His font and breaks are easy to read and distinguish.  I especially like that he does not overload the reader with too many images.  He uses the right amount to get his idea across and if more images are necessary, he provides a link.  Glenn provides lots of resources such as lesson plan ideas, where to find information, and apps for tablets.  

Topic 2: Reaction to “Giving Reluctant Students a Voice”

The topic of reluctant students has been discussed at least once during each class for the elementary cohort.  In many past classes the ideas of journals. Post-it answers, and quick free responses were suggested for reluctant students.  In all of the past classes all of the solutions were paper based.  The idea of using a blog is good and I think the safe guards the instructor put in place were smart.

By high school many students have used Facebook or other sites that allow for comments to be made under an alias.  By providing students with an alias they sometimes invent other selves.  The safe guards such as private user names and the teacher previewing comments before students post provide both students and parents with a safe feeling.  With these in place, a reluctant student might open up or even become the star of the online chats.

From a teaching point, while reviewing the comments is smart, it is also time consuming.  If the blog was to be used for the duration of the year, the teacher should think about taking a step back from the intensive monitoring and allow students to monitor themselves.  The instructor could also take a step back and remove offensive posts once they have been posted with some type of anonymous repercussion to the student.

Topic 3: Standards

I have chosen to use standards related to 4^th grade.

Target SOL: 

Science: 4.6 The student will investigate and understand how weather conditions and phenomena occur and can be predicted. Key concepts include

1. weather measurements and meteorological tools (air pressure – barometer, wind speed – anemometer, rainfall – rain gauge, and temperature – thermometer); and
2. weather phenomena (fronts, clouds, and storms).

OR

Science: 4.8 The student will investigate and understand important Virginia natural resources. Key concepts include:

c) minerals, rocks, ores, and energy sources; and

d) forests, soil, and land.

Technology:

C/T 3-5.4 The student will demonstrate knowledge of ethical, cultural, and societal issues related to technology:

• Follow rules for personal safety when using the Internet.

C/T 3-5.5 The student will demonstrate knowledge of technologies that support collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.

• Work collaboratively when using technology.
• Practice and communicate respect for people, equipment, and resources.
• Understand how technology expands opportunities for learning.

C/T 3-5.6 The student will use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.

• Collect information from a variety of sources.

C/T 3-5.8 The student will use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.

• Use technology tools for individual and collaborative writing, communication, and publishing activities.

These are ideas for now.  As I begin to work more on projects this semester, I will either narrow the field or figure out which technology SOLs fit with the project.

When looking at linking activities for different learners, projects could be presented in a manner of a students choosing as long as they answer the basic questions.  Some students might want to write a traditional paper but load it to a class blog while another student might want to video tape themselves preforming a science experiment to load to YouTube.

  

Another is to incorporate both visual, audio, and tactile elements into the process.  Students might read a blog or presentation (or even a book) about how a meteorological instrument works, while another student listens to a podcast, while the whole class might participate in a science experiment.

Topic 4: Video Response

The learning program I focused on was the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  What I found interesting about the school was how the teachers and students provided support to each other through the use of technology.  Many teachers use chat rooms and blogs to have open discussions within the classrooms.  Math and Science teacher Matthew Vankouwenberg pointed out, instead of one classroom discussion happening, there could be 32.  History teacher Douglas Herman, pointed out that this technique is a great way to reach the Type 4 students who never openly participate in the class discussion, but “rock it” in the chat rooms and often times have the most posts.

I loved History teacher Diana Laufenburg’s approach to teaching and using technology.  She provides all of her students with the same content knowledge.  When it comes times for evaluations, each student must answer the same questions, but can choose to present their findings in any style they like, as long as it fits the needs of the assignment.  She stated some students might choose to create a podcast while others might draw cartoons that later are scanned into the computer.  Laufenburg uses technology not only to assess her students but also as a safe guard for them.  All of the resources the students use are scanned into the computer providing a digital record.  This helps student recall information more quickly but also provides accurate proof incase they are questioned.

What I truly liked about Principal Christopher Lehman’s philosophy was that teachers must teach the theory behind the concept and ask student to be come not just consumers of the information but producers.  This is the highest tier in Bloom’s Taxonomy.  Bloom states that if the student can create their own understanding of the concept, then they truly understand it.

The only thing I did not like about the schools concept is the instant gratification the teachers and students talked about.  Almost every speaker stated they like the instant gratification of seeing a response or getting feed back from the teacher.  While this is common theme for younger generations, there is still a worth in waiting for something.