Blog Post #6

What did I learn from conversations with Anthony Capps?

In the first video, I found it extremely interesting that this third grade class got an opportunity to write to Congress. As a Project Based lesson, this was very beneficial for the students to work on as a class. One way Anthony had the class work together was by picking eight letters the students decided were the best to send to Congress. This allowed Mr. Capps to meet third grade standards while using PBL. In the second video, I learned that allowing students freedom to create and by not limiting their learning experience is rewarding for not only the student, but also as a teacher. Students will be more excited to begin a project if they are passionate and they are encouraged. As a teacher we should set project guidelines but continue to let them be learners. Project Based Learning takes planning for teachers but in the end can be successful. Also, I learned that in planning projects, I should factor in my students opinions and what they enjoy best.
iCurio has not been introduced to me until I started my field experience at Rockwell Elementary School in Baldwin County. I still was able to learn even more through Anthony Capps. iCurio is a safe search engine for students of all ages to use and also teachers. Documents, videos, and graphics the students find are able to be saved for easy access and to be organized. Anthony further elaborated on this, by saying students can go back to sites quickly without wasting time searching again. As a teacher it is helpful because the teacher can organize by lessons and projects to show the class later. It is a great tool and I look forward to being able to use it in my future classroom. Another wonderful search engine is Discovery Ed. I have used Discovery Ed for my own research. It gives great expert videos and there are very many! I think as an educator this will be a great tool to show visually and have someone else explain other than myself. Students can even look up these videos again at home.
Strange Tips for Teachers helped me realize even more that teachers must be willing to always learn. Teaching is a fun experience and very rewarding. Teachers must be able to think outside the box and be prepared for the unexpected. Another factor is to have children engaged.
Another great point I learned from watching, Conversations with Anthony Capps, is that technology a tool. By allowing students to use technology and combine it with other sources, it gives students the ability to express and create while learning new ways to learn. Using technology is clean. Teachers do not have to clean up from projects but instead can spend more time teaching. This lets student learn to teach themselves.
Thank you to Anthony Capps and Dr. Strange for these GREAT tips on teaching, as well as discussing new technology and how to incorporate it. I enjoyed these shorts videos and they helped me understand more about the role of a teacher.