Blog Post 5 Part B

In the beginning of this class, I was not familiar with how a PLN should work. To start with, I made a Twitter. I now have found several other students and teachers with my same interests. For example, Dr. Vitulli taught my class how Twitter can be used to connect one with so many others. Then, I learned how to begin building my PLN. Blogging has actually become very fun for me now. I think after this class I will continue to blog. Some examples of PLN I use are Pinterest, Facebook, and Blogger. Of course with all of these networks, one is able to connect to others with similar interests and a lot of times a common goal. When I use Pinterest, I share my ideas for projects, quotes, and teaching projects. I follow others that post things I like as well. Facebook has become an easy way to communicate with family and friends across the world. My sister is currently living in Alaska. The distance makes it hard to communicate but with technology we are able to talk everyday. Of course these are common PLN, there are many more resources to cater everyone's need. I am very glad I learned more about how to use PLN and how to find more PLN.

C4K POST

1. Ms. Horst's 5-1 Class- Destiny made a blog post about "So You think You Can Dance?" I asked her if she danced and told her about my dancing history. Destiny said she really enjoyed the show.

2. Mrs. Meyer's Art Class- John posted a picture of his print making. I told John that I also worked on print making in one of my elementary education courses. I told John that his prints turned out way better than mine!

 

Blog Post #14

Teaching Can Be a Profession by Joel Klein 

-Better academic training for prospective teachers 

Almost half of the states cannot claim a math program that prepares the student like some of the programs in the higher performing nations. 

I definitely agree with this statement. I struggle with math problems constantly. I have the fear of not being able to teach math adequately to my students. 

-New approach to recruiting teachers

This would change things so that not everyone with a college degree should be allowed to teach, only the top third of graduates.

Again, I agree. Teachers should be expected to reach higher levels of intellect and have qualities of adapting to learning more. 

-Change how teachers are rewarded

This would make it to where keeping a job would be related to competency and not seniority.

Clearly, this statement holds a lot of truth. Teachers should be rewarded on how well their students perform instead of how long one has been tenure. 

-"Teachers establish their own board to police the profession"

Teachers would set the standard for removing incompetent teachers. "Merit-based career ladder" would create promotion based on specialty exams. 

I think teachers should set the system for the exams. The example of how a professional teacher should perform. 

-Demonstrate mastery before having college graduates be aides 

I could not agree more. In order to teach a college student teacher to be a great teacher, one should show professionalism and a master in skills. 

-"Teachers would abandon their support for mandatory assignment of kids to neighborhood school" 

I feel that this would give more choice for how the school system could become more unified in an area. 

Blog Post #13

What was left out?

For this assignment as students we are to suggest what we feel was left out of the blog posts this semester. Based off of my interest as an elementary education major, I feel that we should question how project based learning benefits students. I am very interested in how students learning has changed in harder subjects such as science. Unfortunately, students do not get as excited about learning science, but as a teacher I really hope to change this outlook. So the question is....

How does project based learning affect students' learning? Are they performing better?

Below are resources:

Can PBL Close Gaps in Science Education?

What Research Says About PBL

After reading both these sources, and if you research more, do you feel that project based learning helps students?  Why or why not?

The first resource I read how to deal with science education. This is a great subject to use project based learning. Students can be engaged with the activity while having fun. Researchers found the students performed 8% better with project based learning than in a traditional classroom. The second source also stated that students had a more positive attitude towards math. I feel like project based learning, when done correctly, can be beneficial for students in these subjects. One reason I feel this way, besides the research, is because I haven seen students get excited about projects. For example, in a classroom I sat in on the students were asked to draw a scene from the book that the class read then write how the people felt in the scene. I feel like this let the students step out of their own minds and critically think. Students should be encouraged to think more instead of having to come up with a definite answer. I plan on using project based learning in my classroom after seeing that it benefits students. 

Project 12 Part B

C4T

This week I choose to comment on Darren Fix' blog about science. The video about which ice cube would melt faster on which plate was great to watch. This would be a wonderful experiment for students to try in the classroom. It is cheap, quick, and creates critical thinking. I comment on Mr. Fix's blog explaining that I found this video to be quick and agreed that this was a great way to create critical thinking. Below I have posted a link to Mr. Fix's blog so all can watch the different melting rates. Enjoy like I did!

Melting Rates

For this week, I commented on Josh Stumpenhorst's blog. He made a blog post about teachers pushing back. Mr. Stumpenhorst explains pushing back further. Teachers should always consider what is best for the students, since they are the ones working with students daily. Later, Mr. Stumpenhorst gives more details by stating that there are certain ways to push back. One should be professional and clear about the problem at hand. I could not agree more with Mr. Stumpenhorst. I believe it is easy to be complacent but one should think critically about what is best for the students. This post really made me think not only about my future career but also in my daily life.

C4T #3

I was assigned to arvind s grover's blog. Mr. grover does keep his name in lowcases, which I think is very unique. He posted a video about Photomath app. This was a very short, but informative video. After watching the video, I found out that Photomath is a scanning app that solves problems for the student. It has major pros and cons. Like Mr. grover stated, the most this app can come to critically thinking is by giving the students an assignment to come up with their own useful app. I thanked him for sharing this video showing how simple the app is to use. After my comment, he wrote back that he is torn about the app but would like to think of what good it could bring. Below, I found another video I would like to share about Photomath.

Blog Post #12

In my group we came up with different examples on how assistive technologies can be used in the classroom.

Assistive Technology Google Slides
Assistive Learning Videos
Assistive Technology Articles

Project 14 Group 8

For our project, we decided to work with third grade. The students are in groups and must create a presentation telling the class how these weather occurrences are predicted, how they affect the world, and how to prepare for such things. After the projects, students should have an understanding of weather happening around them.
Checklist
Lesson Plan
Calendar 
Rubric

Blog Post #11

First I watched, Back to the Future and it had a really powerful message. You can tell Brian Cosby is extremely passionate about teaching. Mr. Cosby includes students who speak more than one language and helps these students become even better learners. Another thing I enjoyed from this piece is how blogging can really impact a students learning experience. I believe I will use some blogging in my classroom to get the students more connected with the world and also to learn how to become better writers. Mr. Cosby let his students work doing the talking for what they learn. Another thing I learned from this video is how different types of technology can enhance students' learning experiences and give students fresh ways of learning. Next I watched Paul Anderson's Blog Video. Paul Anderson tells the viewer how much fun learning should be and no one is perfect. Mr. Anderson inspires me to not only teach but make sure my students learn. My students should have fun and also learn in the process. The third video, which was really short, Making Thinking Visible ,showed students working in small groups. These small groups decided from the beginning about the project. I feel like collaborative group projects help students learn how to become oriented with working with their peers. The students will see that everyone can have different thoughts and views but the students must work well together and respect each other. Building Comics was a really wonderful video to watch. It showed me a wonderful project idea and also how students can be safe online. As a teacher, we should show students that technology can be a plus but has downfalls. I feel that before students can use technology they should be instructed on the safety measures. Also not all information online is reliable.This project was fun while they learned. The last video I watched, Roosevelt PBL showed how teachers engaged students by using PBL. I love to watch the students get excited about doing these projects. One thing that stood out to me was that these teachers were already getting the ball rolling with public speaking. I wish I would have had a teacher that encouraged me to be brave enough to stand in front of my peers and speak. I eventually got over the fear but it is great to practice these things. These students have so much room to be creative. Another great point to PBL is the collaboration part gives students a skill that will be used throughout life. I learned a lot through these different videos. I can not wait to put these skills to use for my future students.