Project #16 - iBook

Surviving EDM310 - By New York City Group

C4K for April

For the first week of April, I was assigned to Zion in Mrs. Lagitupu's class. His blog post was a creepy story about a boy that dies in his house and haunts it. Then a man walks by and he gets possessed by demons and goes insane. It was an interesting story to say the least. It was apretty creepy story, especially for a 7 year old; but it did contain a lot of details which was good coming from a student of his age. His writing style was very great, even if the story was a little bit creepy.

On the second week of April, I commented on Paris's blog. This post was about a pikopiko fern, it can be eaten either raw or cooked. They have been reading about these plants in class. Paris also included a picture of a drawing of the plant in the post.

For the third week of April, I commented on Simon's Blog. He posted a chart about chromebook. In one column he would ask questions and then he would proceed to answer them in the second column. He said that he enjoyed using chromebook and it helped him learn. His areas that he needed help in were math, spelling, and reading. He also enjoyed doing math games and activities on math whizz. His biggest struggle was that the wireless kept going out. Chromebook seems like a very interesting learning tool.

C4T #4

In Cathy Jo Nelson's blog post, How can my students be productive using BYOD?, she discusses the pros and cons of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). It is a challenge to try to incorporate technology into the classroom this way without having the students get distracted. I am kind of on the fence when it comes to BYOD. Yes it can be useful to students to do their work on their own devices, but I feel it is more of a distraction than an aid. Devices have text messaging, music, games, and social media which can be a major distraction to students during school. On the other hand, BYOD gives the students a chance to research on a device they are comfortable with and it may make it easier to do their work. I like the idea of BYOD, but I'm not sure what can be done to avoid distractions.

In Cathy Jo Nelson's blog post, Unexpected Perks of Poetry Month, she talks about all the perks she encountered in the library while doing a spine poetry activity. Students go into the library and pick out books and stack them up to where the titles on the sides make a poem. This was very neat to read about. I have never heard of an activity like that before, but it looks like something I would want to try. Cathy mentioned that students found books in the library that they never knew were there. The students became really excited about this and began checking out more books. I think it is really great that this activity got the students more interested in reading and they probably will visit the library more often to check out more books.

Blog Post #13

My area of specialty is elementary education. As we have learned this semester, project based learning is an important method to incorporate into the classroom. However, I keep wondering if there are other methods besides PBL and regular lecture type teaching. I did some research and I found Problem Based Learning and Inquiry Based Learning.

Blog Post:
Rather than teaching students facts and having them just memorize the information to pass the test, we should get them thinking and asking questions. That is what problem based learning and inquiry based learning help to do. These videos and websites introduce problem based learning and inquiry based learning; compares and contrasts these two with each and also with project based learning; and demonstrates ways to combine the three to create a better learning environment for our students.
Watch Inquiry and Problem Based Learning (2:29)
Watch Project/Problem based learning in elementary school (5:30)
Visit Project, Problem, and Inquiry-Based Learning and explore the links to learn more about Project, Problem and Inquiry based learning.
Write a quality blog post on it.

As we have already learned, "project based learning is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to a complex question, problem, or challenge" (BIE). Project and Problem based learning are very similar; however, problem based learning focuses more on teaching through problems, and projects are just incorporated into the learning process. In project based learning, the teaching method is solely taught through the students doing projects, and problem solving is one of the types of ways to go about doing these projects. Problem based learning is an approach to learning focusing on the process of solving a problem and acquiring knowledge. Problem based learning is also inquiry-based when students are active in creating the problem. Inquiry based learning is a student-centered, active learning approach focusing on questioning, critical thinking, and problem-solving. These three approaches used separately can help students better understand the information, rather than lecture learning. However, when these learning strategies are combined, the learning process becomes much better and it creates a greater learning environment for the students. They will walk out of the classroom at the end of each day knowing more than just how to memorize facts; they will truly learn and be engaged in their learning.

Blog Post #12 - What assistive technologies are available to you as a teacher?

It is very important to meet every child's need, even the impaired children. There are many new types of technology that were created to assist impaired children to help them have a better learning experience. After watching these videos and doing my own research, I have found many interesting assistive technology devices that are great aids in the classroom. In The Mountbatten - Assistive Technology for the Blind, the mountbatten is demonstrated as a typing device for the blind. The student will type Braille into the typewriter-like machine and it produces a Braille copy onto a piece of paper, reads aloud what they are typing, and also sends the file to a computer for the teacher's use. I found this device to be very interesting because it enables the student to keep up with the rest of the class; it benefits both the student and the teacher because it produces a text in both Braille and regular typing. Another interesting device was the iPad with the voice over. In both iPad usage for the blind and Having a great time teaching mom what her deaf/blind child is learning on the iPad, it shows how blind people are able to use an iPad just as efficiently as a seeing person. The voice over application makes it where everything that is on the screen can be read out loud to the user to benefit those who are unable to see. Watching these videos on assistive technology tools got me really interested in learning more.

In my research, I found a device called Tactile Image Enhancer (or T.I.E). In Tactile Image Enhancer - Assistive Technology for the Blind, it demonstrates how this device works to create an image or representation where all the parts are able to be felt and identified. This video shows a teacher making a flower. First, she draws the flower onto special chemically treated cotton-woven paper with a China pencil. Then it was put through the machine and the heat of the machine caused the lines that were drawn to be raised up; the darker the lines, the more it rose. This enables a blind student to feel over the picture and identify the different parts and create their own image in their head. The Tactile Image Enhancer is great for making pictures, charts, graphs, and tables for tests.

These tools and many others are great and useful tools for impaired students. These students should get an equal opportunity to have the best learning environment possible; and these tools help make learning much better and easier for them.

Project #12 - Part B

Smart Board Lesson

Blog Post #11 - What can we learn about teaching and learning from these teachers?

Jasmine Boykin
In Brian Crosby's Back to the Future video, he talks about his ESL class and shows a project that they did involving a balloon. This balloon project taught them the scientific side, pressure, and also helped the students further their knowledge for technology. Rather than it being a typical science class with homework and tests, they would have to write blog posts on the experiments that they performed in class and research information for experiments. One point I found very interesting was when he said that we shouldn't race kids through school, they should be excited about what they are learning rather than dread going to school everyday.

In Paul Anderson's video, the Blended Learning Cycle, he presents a way to combine blended learning (online, mobile, and classroom) and the learning cycle (engage, explore, explain, expand; which all four E's evolve around evaluation). His teaching method was "Quivers" : Question, Investigation, Video, Elaboration, Review, and Summary quiz. The question is what hooks the students and gets them interested in what he is teaching. The students investigate by experimenting and examining what is happening. The video is what the students watch on their own time to free up more class time for experimenting. Elaboration is when the students read about what they are doing. Then they review what they have learned before taking a summary quiz. This way of teaching ensures the students leave the classroom truly knowing what was taught.

In Sam Pane's video, Super Digital Citizen, he teaches his students about internet safety. They create comics about a digital superhero that they make. They create a situation that could happen on the internet that they could avoid by using correct internet safety. They include themselves in the comic and tell their story. This project not only teaches them internet safety, but it also lets them incorporate technology into their learning.

In Dean Shareski's video, Project Based Learning, three come together and combine their class as one. History, English, and information processing are combined to make a class that depends on project based learning for a unique learning experience. Project based learning is a very effective method of teaching which involves the students in the lesson more than regular lecture based learning. One interesting point I found in this video was that starting PBL at an early age can help students overcome the fear of public speaking. If we start students off early with presenting in front of their peers, then they most likely won't be afraid to stand in front of people and present later on in life. They would have already overcome that fear in elementary. school. Project based learning is very effective, even in the long run of life.

Kayla
There are so many great points to Brian Crosby's Back to the Future Lecture. Not only is he showing a perfect example of project based learning, he is showing that students are capable of so much more than we give them credit for sometimes. Even though some of his students don't know their addresses and phone numbers, they excel at the balloon project. They are even excited about it. He is so right. We need to stop racing kids through school. Let them get excited and learn at the same time, and the results will be better.

In Paul Anderson's video,Blended Learning Cycle, he begins with getting back to the power of the question. I love the formula he uses for his lessons. It begins with a question. That question is followed up with an investigation done by the students. He has a video lesson that the students watch on their own time, and that frees him up to help them elaborate and review before they have a quiz. I really like the idea of the students having access to the lesson ahead of time. This goes back to flipping the classroom. This allows for more class time to be spent doing hands-on activities.

Paul Anderson and Brian Crosby are not the only teachers that are utilizing the project based learning method for teaching. In these videos there are a few more examples of how learning is changing.

C4T#3

In Will Richardson's blog post Classrooms as “Shapeless and Unmoored”, he provides a link to a post that talks about how corporations put up a wall between now and the future. The future is an enemy because it is an idea that can't be thought and it is a risk that can't be managed. Richardson comments on this post saying that if you replace corporations with classrooms, it will make sense. The classroom doesn't need to treat the future as an enemy. Students should be creative and invent a future for themselves that will make them better students. He really gets his readers thinking about how classrooms need to break down the wall and work with the future to make a successful learning environment. What really stands out is the comparison of corporations and classrooms. Change needs to be made both in the classroom and in corporations. We can't keep living in the past and keep making the same mistakes. We need to invent a future that isn't the enemy; we need to combine the future and the classroom to make a better learning experience rather than living in the past.

In his blog post, One Mom’s Struggle With School and Tests, he shows a letter that he received from a mother that is thinking about opting her child out of testing because she feels that it does not help her daughter at all. She is not happy with the way the school system is teaching children and causing them to feel inadequate. I believe that not every child has the same way of learning. Some students may benefit from hands on activities while others learn better by reading. It should be a teacher's job to adapt to each child's needs and ensure they have the best learning experience possible. It is not right for a student to feel inadequate in their learning, they should feel confident in what they learn. Change needs to start in the school, not at home with the student.

C4K for March

In Mrs. Lavakula's class, I read Martin's blog about mazes. He discussed why people use flags when walking through mazes and why the lifeguards stand on a platform. The lifeguards stand up high so that they can see the flags to help prevent people from getting lost. He says that mazes are built for people to have fun. He also included a picture of a maze in his post. The post was very good for his age level, he just needs to work on spacing, capitalization, and punctuation.

In Efa-Lata's blog, she talks about how her class does recess everyday. She explains what types of exercises they do in recess. Fitness is very important for your body. Her blog post was very unique; rather than a typical written post, it was a video blog post. It also included a picture that she had drawn on a computer. It was a very interesting post to watch, I enjoyed it.