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.