Blog Post 10

  In the video, "First Graders in Ms. Cassidy's Class" (Little kids... big potential), Kathy Cassidy's class talks about all the way they use technology in their classroom. The students enjoy writing their blogs. They love seeing other people comment on their blog and how it improves their own writing skills. One student says to never say mean things on a comment, always say nice things! The students also show how they interact with their classroom webpage, wikis, and Skype. The students use Skype to contact students in other classrooms and in other states.

  In the video, "Interview with Kathy Cassidy Part 1", Dr. Strange and Kathy Cassidy discuss aspects of technology in the classroom. Cassidy says she is always pushing the envelope when it comes to new technology. She is also adamant on protecting her students identities online by having students post only their first name, not their last. Her students love technology, and she says students and technology go hand in hand. Students won't learn by the same tools that were used to teach 10 or 20 years ago. We are limiting ourselves by not taking advantage of technology. Does every teacher need to be technology literate? Absolutely! Technology is not going away, it is here to stay.

  In the video, "Interview with Kathy Cassidy Part 2", Dr. Strange asks Cassidy how teachers should begin the technology process in their classroom. She says the best way to start is with video, photo sharing, blogging, overall creating a network. Both also discuss the importance of Twitter. Following other teachers on Twitter has helped them in their own teaching skills.

  In the video,"Interview with Kathy Cassidy Part 3", Dr. Strange's students ask Cassidy questions. One student asked how often Cassidy uses blogging in the classroom and replied by saying once or twice a week, depending on how things are going in the classroom. When asked about cheating, Cassidy says using technology to cheat has not really become a problem. Technology has created a shift to collaboration. To protect students while they search online, Cassidy teaches her students to not use their last name, to not post pictures of themselves, to not say negative things to others on the internet, and to not click on flashy ads or links to other websites.

  The main technique of hers I plan on using is internet safety. It is so important to keep these students safe and on track while they learn with technology. If students are taught internet safety correctly, a whole world of information is in their hands to educate and help them.

 

Blog Post 9

  The article, "Seven Essentials for Project-Based Learning", discusses what every good project needs, and how to keep a project from becoming busy work. Students must find the project personally meaningful and it must also serve an educational purpose. The first step is a need to know. Teachers can engage students interest with an entry level event. Students will not want to learn if they don't believe they need the material in their life. They don't want to learn something because they'll need it later in life, for the next course, or simply because "it's going to be on the test." Second is a driving question. A driving question gets the main goal of the project across and gives students a sense of purpose and challenge. It needs to be a question that students can expand upon. A project without a driving question is like an essay without a thesis, students need this to understand why they are undertaking this project. The third is student voice and choice. Students need their own voice and their ability to choose in projects so the project becomes more personal. With their own voice and choice, students become more creative with the endless options they can choose from. The fourth is 21st century skills. The point of a project is to present students with opportunities to exercise 21st century skills such as collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and the use of technology. These skills are vital in the workplace and life. Letting students be exposed to these skills dives them meaningful work. The fifth is Inquiry and Innovation. With inquiry, students begin with their own questions, search for resources and the discovery of answers, which leads to producing more questions, testing ideas, and finalizing their own conclusions. With inquiry comes innovation, which is a different answer to a driving question, a new product, or an individually produced solution. The sixth is feedback and revision. Feedback and revision lets students know that the work they present needs to be high quality hard work. This is an example of real world work. The seventh is a publicly presented product. Projects are better presented to an entire class of peers, rather than to the teacher only.

  In the video, "Project-Based Learning for Teachers", teachers are given the positives of PBL. With PBL, you can take advantage of what technology has to offer, the classroom will be more student centered, learning will become more meaningful to the students. PBL is a way to reach students of the 21st century, it fosters inquisitiveness, and eliminates busy work. PBL has students working over an extended period of time answering a driving question. The driving question needs to be meaningful and requires students to share their reached end product with peers. PBL is inquiry based, open ended, problem solving, and personalized. Through this process, students learn collaboration skills, communication skills, critical thinking skills, and career and life skills. Think of PBL as questioning, investigating, sharing, and reflecting. Technology plays a major role in PBL. Through PBL, students take the lead in their own learning.

  In the video, "Wing Project: Crafting a Driving Question", creating a driving question is tackled. Pairing teachers up with PBL experts greatly improves their own teaching ability. A good driving question frames the task for students. It also sets up a process of inquiry that students are interested in and shows the kind of work they will have to do to produce an answer.

  In the article, "Ten Sites Supporting Digital Classroom Collaboration In Project Based Learning", ten sites are given that best help students and teachers with PBL.
  Titan Pad allows for quick collaboration.
  Wall Wisher is a virtual post it note on a virtual wall.
  Coarkboardme supports a group's collaborative activities.
  Google Docs facilitates live and real time digital collaboration.
  Microsoft Live
  Today's Meet gives teachers & students an isolated room where you see only what you need to see.
  Will you type with me
  Linoit is an online electronic classroom display board.
  Skype in Education incorporates skype into the classroom.
  Quick Screen Share helps to share scrrens i=and info among students.

  In the article, "Project-Based Learning and Physical Education", Andrew Miller describes the correlation between PE and PBL. The first is need to know. A group of high school students were asked to create the best exercise program for middle school students. To do this, they had to engage in research, both online and in person, in order to accomplish this authentic task and present it to a real audience. The second is a driving question. For this exercise, students were attempting to answer the question, "How can we create the best exercise program for middle school students?". All the work was geared toward answering this question. The third is students voice and choice. If students are given voice and choice, they are engaged and empowered to perform the task. The fourth is 21st century skills. Collaboration and presentation are 21st century skills. This is what professionals do in the workforce. These skills are key after graduation. The fifth is Inquiry and innovation. It is not simply a regurgitation of knowledge, but instead using that knowledge and newly created data to design an innovative PE unit. The sixth is feedback and revision. The students from this PE project learned that continuous improvement is possible, and that revision is a great thing to do. The seventh is a publicly presented product. The students shared their findings, demonstrated their units, engaged in persuasive rhetoric, and shared the stage with each other. After the presentations, the students felt relief as well as a sense of accomplishment.

Project 14 Lesson Plan - Digital Scrapbook

  My Group (Group 4) did our Lesson Plan on creating a digital scrapbook on a historical figure. We received our resources from ALEX.

  Google Slides Lesson Plan

  Project Calendar

  Rubric

  Written Lesson Plan

 

Project 9 Video Commentary

Blog Post #8 - What Can We Learn About Teaching and Learning From Randy Pausch?

  On September 18, 2007, Randy Pausch gave a rather funny lecture (Randy Pausch's Last Lecture) on his childhood dreams, enabling the dreams of others, and how others can achieve their dreams or enable others to do so. My post is more pointed at his experience as an educator. As a Carnegie Mellon professor, Pausch loved the fact that the teachers had the reigns. He loved that there were no deans to report to, that the mold of everyday class could be broken, his classes were project based, the students loved it, and there were field trips! As I watch his lecture and see how much his students loved this kind of work, it really makes me want to incorporate it into my own lesson plans when I am a teacher. FREEDOM helps a lot when it comes to teaching out of the box.

  One point Pausch makes about teaching, advice that he had received from his own mentor, is to push your students to do better, even if they are already showing great work. If a teacher does not continue to push, students will set a bar and think they never have to go beyond that. He makes a point that we as teachers can learn from our students. He also says to NEVER GIVE UP. We have to learn that it's okay to ask for help, and know that we can't do everything alone. One way to learn is to get a feedback loop and to use it. So tell the truth, be earnest, apologize when you mess up, and focus on other people. His final advice was to be good at something, work hard, find the best in everybody, and to always be prepared!

 

Blog Post 7 How Do We All Become Learners?

  In the video "Using iMovie and the Alabama Virtual Library in Kindergarten", Mrs. Davis, Mrs. Bennett, and Dr. Strange all discuss introducing technology at the early grade of kindergarten. Mrs. Bennett talks about kindergarteners reading their weekly books and creating trailers with iMovie. She explains that once you introduce technology to the students and give them an example, they take off and learn the technology rather quickly. The kids love to edit and work with the technology. Mrs. Davis talks about AVL (Alabama Virtual Library). She says it is a great way to tech students basic research. She explains that AVL gets the students excited about research and eager to do it.

  In the video, "We All Become Learners", Mrs. Davis, Mrs. Bennett, and Dr. Strange explain how we ALL become learners, not just the students, but also the educators. Mrs. Bennett explains that teachers teach their students technology, students teach other students, and then students teach teachers even more about technology. It goes full circle. This way everyone becomes a learner and a teacher. Technology changes the dynamics of learning. The barriers go away and we all learn.

  The first video I chose was, "Interview Rosado How to Get a Job". Dr. Rosado and Dr. Strange talk about the employing of teachers process. Dr. Rosado says a candidate needs to be able to bring something to the table that works with that schools vision. He also says he needs a teacher who does not lecture, who understand technology, and who is a team player. He is very specific on not wanting someone that lectures, but someone who delivers the material in a different way. Real world projects are necessary. This is all very different from the way I and my classmates were taught.

  The second video I chose was, "Interview Rosado Part 1". The main point of this video is that TEACHING AND LEARNING ARE DIFFERENT NOW. Dr. Rosado says that this change can be difficult for teachers to adjust to, due to the way that they were taught. Before, teachers had books and a course of study. Now, they are required to use technology and PBL. It's not about changing the teacher, it's about changing how the teacher reaches the students. He explains that students WANT more than a lecture, they want an experience and practice. Dr. Rosado also talks about how the use of technology in his school reduced the amount of discipline problems, creating a better learning environment.

  The third video I chose was,"Interview Rosado Part 2". Dr. Rosado Discusses that his school is so technology based, that textbooks are almost non-existent. Yes, there are students who do get off task from technology, but there have always been students who get off task. Costs have also gone way down from using less paper. There is a second part of the video that talks about bringing the real world to the students and the students to the real world. Dr. Rosaldo discusses how they have put a cafe, a store, a charging station, and an art wall into the school. This makes the school more like the real world and real colleges. This is very similar to how Google runs their company. These projects have helped the community to get more involved in the school. Students are getting real world application.

  The fourth video I chose was, "Mrs Leslie Welch 2". Mrs. Leslie Welch discusses with Dr. Strange how her students are learning information through the use of technology and how they want to teach it to their fellow classmates. This is a motivator to students, almost like a peer review among the students. They become aware of their own work, excited about their work, and put pride into their work. Students want to show their work and show what they've learned. They have gained a lot of confidence. Students use these projects and go up and beyond when they are not even required to. This reaches all students, both high achieving and struggling students.

 

Project 13

  My Group (Group 4) did our PBL on the water cycle. We received our resources from ALEX.

  LESSON PLAN

  PADLET

  PROJECT CALENDAR

  RUBRIC