Project #6 C4K #7

In my first comment for kids post of the month, Natae gave her reflection of the plan test. Natae stated that you should always have a positive attitude before and during testing. She believes if you are positive about testing, you will get positive results. She also suggests getting a good nights rest and eating breakfast before testing. I told Natae I enjoyed reading her post and that she gave great advice to those who may be preparing to take the PLAN test. I told her I agreed with her when she said "you think negative and you get negative." I also said I believe you should always remain positive when preparing for or taking a test.

 

In my second comment for kids post of the month, Lucas O gave advice for future high school students. He began by telling the future high school students to get good grades, which is most important. He also states that getting involved in school will make the experience more fun. Lastly, he tells the students not to drop out. My comment to Lucas was

"Hi Lucas
I enjoyed reading your post. I like how you began with stating "GET GOOD GRADES." Grades are so important in high school because your grades help you get into college. I agree with you about getting involved also. Getting involved in the things that are going on at your high school will make the high school experience so much better! I found your last piece of advice the most important of them all though. Dropping out should never be an option! Great post!

-Heather"

In my last post Faviola discussed Maleficent. Maleficent is a play that Faviola saw and she wrote a summary about it on her blog. Maleficent is the main character who puts a spell on a princess but ends up saving the princess in the end. My comment to Faviola was I enjoyed her summary of the play and I wanted to know if she wrote summaries of plays often so that I could read more.

Blog Post Assignment #10

What can we learn from Mrs. Cassidy?

Little Kids... Big Potential opens with one of Mrs. Cassidy's students stating that they would rather write on their blog than write in their book because people see it and leave them comments. This statement describes how Mrs. Cassidy's teaching method is set up, very technology oriented. In Mrs. Cassidy's first, second, and third interview with Dr. Strange, she describes how technology is used in her classroom. According to Mrs. Cassidy, technology causes teachers to think in a different way. She started her different way of thinking when computers were placed in her classroom some years ago. Since then Mrs. Cassidy has made a lot of progress with incorporating technology into the classroom. Her students have their own blog page where they can write and it actually improves their writing skills. At the beginning of the school year Mrs. Cassidy sends out permission slips for the parents to sign stating that the students will be using the internet. She tells the parents that only their child's first name will be used and pictures will be used also but not associated with their name. Mrs. Cassidy stated that the parents really like the idea of using a blog because it is like an online portfolio where the parents can go view their child's progress. Mrs. Cassidy's first grade students also use skype as a part of their learning. Finally, Mrs. Cassidy stated that Personal Learning Networks are very important and all teachers need to be able to use technology.

What I learned from Mrs. Cassidy is how important it is to have technology in the classroom and how to include it in teaching. The technique I would use from Mrs. Cassidy is having my students blog. I like the idea of having it like an online portfolio for parents. The problem I could possibly encounter with the blogs would be getting all of the parents on board with their child using the internet. Hopefully with the permission slips and showing the parents progress students have made over the years would persuade them to allow their child to participate. The benefits of using Mrs. Cassidy's approach would be teaching the students something new and useful and hopefully I would be learning new things to teach them.

SMARTboard Project #12 Part A

Blog Post Assignment #9

What Can Teachers and Students Teach Us About Project Based Learning?

Seven Essentials for Project Based Learning
According to the Educational Leadership website, a project is meaningful if the students perceive it as a project that matters and if it fulfills an educational purpose. The website also stated that there are seven essential elements of a meaningful project. The first element is "A Need to Know." Need to Know suggests introducing a project by showing a video or starting a discussion that would interest and engage the students. The second element is a "Driving Question," which is similar to a thesis statement and is about what the students are going to learn. The third element is "Student Choice and Voice." According to the website, this element is key in making the project meaningful to the students, more choice and voice is preferred. In "21st Century Skills," which is the fourth element, to prepare students for the workplace, projects should include collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and technology. "Inquiry and Innovation" is the fifth element. Inquiry is questioning and researching for answers that leads to innovation which is a new answer to a driving question. The sixth element is "Feedback and Revision" and the last element is "A Publicly Presented Product." Teachers should provide direct feedback to the student and the student will present their work to an audience.

Project Based Learning for Teachers
Project Based Learning has students working over an extended period of time answering a driving question according to the Project Based Learning for Teachers video. Project Based Learning is inquiry based, open ended, problem solving, and personalized. With this type of learning students learn collaboration skills, communication skills, critical thinking skills, career skills, and life skills. It is stated that Project Based Learning should be thought of as questioning, investigating, sharing, and reflecting. Technology also plays a major role in this type of learning. Project Based Learning allows students to take charge of their learning.


What Motivates Students?
The video "What Motivates Students?" discusses what motivates students to do well in school. One thing that motivates students to do well in school is being able to become successful. Students also like rewards such as treats, points, and stickers for making good grades or making an effort to do so.

Project Based Learning in PE
Project Based Learning in PE discusses how Project Based Learning can be used in Physical Education class. One project stated was creating a physical fitness program for middle school students. Creating this fitness would involve a lot of collaboration and teamwork and also addresses the Physical Education Standards. These are all a big part of Project Based Learning. The students will also be able to analyze, evaluate, create, and present their fitness program to middle school students.

Two Students Solve the Problem of Watery Ketchup by Designing a New Cap
In this video, two high school students try to find a solution to prevent water from squirting out of a ketchup bottle.  With their school's "Project Lead the Way Program" the two students were able to design a new cap with a 3-D printer that prevented watery ketchup. The "Project Lead the Way Program" allowed the students to do research for a year on the cap problem and it appeared in a senior showcase.

Project #9

Project #13

Project Based Learning Plan #1

Using Shapes to Create Art

Links:

Calendar
Lesson Plan
Worksheet
Rubric

Blog Post Assignment #8

What Can We Learn About Teaching and Learning From Randy Pausch?

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture opens with Pausch giving some background information about himself. Randy Pausch was a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University and was ill and only had three to six months left of good health. In Pausch's last lecture he discusses achieving your childhood dreams. Pausch states his childhood dreams and how he worked to achieve them no matter what they were. What I have learned from Randy Pausch is it is important to stay focused to achieve your dreams. Sometimes you cannot do it all by yourself so it would be good to develop a Personal Learning Network in order to learn new things and achieve more. Pausch's lecture reminded me of how important team work can be. Pausch used a system similar to Project Based Learning where he assigned his students projects in order for his students to learn on their own, they also went on field trips. I liked how Pausch used technology during his lecture in order to inform and get the audience's attention. I also liked how he discussed topics that would interest the audience. Randy Pausch's last lecture was so inspirational and I will definitely use some of his techniques in my career.

C4T #2

In my first assigned post to Mrs. Cathy Jo Nelson on Professional Thoughts, she discussed the Learning Management System. The Learning Management System would be used to engage students to learn using technology. I enjoyed reading about the system and asked where could I find more information about it. I also stated that it sounds like a great idea and I hope more teachers are willing to use it next year.

In my second post Nelson's post was titled "#SCASL15 This Week!" SCASL15 stands for South Carolina Association of School Librarians 40th Annual Conference. Nelson discusses the conference and mentions "Flipped Libraries" and presentation alternatives. I asked Mrs. Nelson where could I find out more information about "Flipped Libraries" and if she would be posting more about the conference. I believe this conference is a very exciting time for librarians and a way for them to share new ideas.

Project #6 C4K

In my first comment for kids post, Kayla stated two clues. Clue number one was "He loves to dig up stuff" and clue number two was "He loves to eat avocados." In my comment to Kayla, I stated that her clues suggest that she may be referring to a dog. I asked Kayla what kind of dog is she referring to and I also said that I find it interesting that he loves avocado. Lastly, I asked Kayla what kind of things does the dog like to dig up.

In my second comment for kids post, Grant and two of his classmates made a video about prepositions. I liked how he was really excited about learning about the subject and thought it would really get students engaged in learning. In my comment I told Grant that his video would really help students that are having problems with prepositions. I also asked him how often does he make these videos because I would like to see another one.

My third comment for kids post was by a student named Giana. Giana's post was titled "Battling My Monster" and discussed the problems she faced one summer. She was self conscious about her weight so she stopped eating and her boyfriend also broke up with her which caused her to become depressed. One day Giana finally vented to her best friend and it helped her win her battle against her monster and she also found a new guy friend. I told Giana that her story is very inspirational and would help a lot of young girls that are dealing with the same problems she had. I told her that I was happy she took control of her life and defeated her monster.

In my fourth comment for kids post, Kayla discussed the visit the senator made to her school. She stated that the senator talked to her class about the unicameral system and stated what it is.The unicameral system is where the senator puts bills on the floor and people say what they think, according to Kayla. She asked her blog readers if they preferred the bicameral system or the unicameral system. I told Kayla that the unicameral system seems like a fair system to use and asked her what is the bicameral system.

Blog Post Assignment #7

The videos for this assignment have taught me a lot about using technology in the classroom. In the video Using iMovie and the Alabama Virtual Library in Kindergarten I learned how teachers use iMovie for the students to make a trailer about a book they have read in class. The video also stated that Alabama Virtual Library is a good way to teach students basic researching. In We All Become Learners it is discussed how technology changes learning in the classroom. For example, while using iPad's the teacher can teach the student, the student can teach the teacher, and the student can teach another student. Everyone becomes learners in a technology based classroom. The teacher in the video iPad's in the Classroom stated that iPad's allow the teacher and students to take a virtual field trip everyday. Special education students can also be helped with iPad's by using the app iConverse to communicate. In Top 10 Reasons to Use Technology in Education I picked out what I believe are the most important reasons for technology in the classroom. First, it engages the four key components to learning: active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to real world experts. Second, it has been proven that engaging students with technology improves test scores. Lastly, it helps professional developmental for when the students enter the real world and have to know how to use these tools.

Before I graduate there are several things I need to know and do. One of the most important things is learning how to incorporate technology into teaching. To do this I should do some research on technology that teachers use in the classroom. I can also find some educational apps to use on the iPad to incorporate into my lesson. Although I know a lot about how to use tablets and computers, I should focus on doing more things and newer things on them. Knowing how to effectively use these tools will help with participation and learning in the classroom. Technology is constantly changing and I should be up to date in order to teach my future students.