Project #8

Blog Post #6

In resource number one, ”A 7th Graders Personal Learning Environment” we were given a brief overview of how a 7th grade student uses the internet and her PLN to aid with her science class. Without instruction, she reached out to an Australian scientist to look over the information on her blog, thus exhibiting the true essence of engaging in a Personal Learning Network.

In ”Building your PLN- A Primer for anyone” Steven Anderson discussed the importance of PLN's and taking your connections global in order to improve upon the educational process. Steven is very involved with the global aspect of PLN's and has made contact with many different countries and is especially looking forward to linking up with someone who resides in Antarctica. He talked about the importance of collaborating with other educators and also discussed ways to do so, such as blogging, Twitter and Skype.

Of all the resources provided, I would have to say that ”Developing a Personal Learning Network in EDM310” was the most informative. It is a very clear guide on how PLN's are created, the purpose they serve, and what they actually accomplish. After reviewing this document, I was better prepared to respond to the questions proposed for this particular blog post.

A Personal Learning Network is a select group of people with whom you can consult and exchange information with online. The group can be comprised of family, friends, peers or colleagues. The benefits to having a PLN are endless. PLN's can help you as a teacher by enabling you to seek the opinions of other educators, providing access to academic resources such as lesson plans or PBL activities, and providing links to additional educational resources. They are formed by choosing a subject area or particular questions you would like additional opinions or information about and then seeking out people you want to include in your network. Currently, one of the easiest ways to create a PLN is to join a social networking site such as Twitter or Facebook. These sights enable you to search for people by occupatiion, interests or accomplishments thus enabling you to tailor your PLN to your specific needs. Another way to create a PLN is through blogging. Over the course of the semester many of us will begin to create a PLN consisting of peers and current educators, which will be a great help in the future. By starting a PLN now, it will allow us to cement educational relations and resources that will be very helpful to us first year teachers.

Blog Post #5

The central message expressed by Anthony Capps in this Video was the importance of Project Based Learning being used as a means of learning and not just as a tool by which learning is measured. After watching ”Project Based Learning Part 1” I learned of the change in the way project based learning is interpreted among educators. In the past, PBL was used at the end of a lesson as a way to measure whether or not a student met the learning objectives. Presently, PBL is a method used to aid students in the learning process. I love the way that Anthony incorporates project based learning into his daily instruction and it seems that students enjoy hands on activities which increases the urge to learn. The project that Anthony initiated that involved his students writing to Congressman Joe Bonnor was very interesting. It allowed students to express their personal opinions about a certain topic and allowed for the incorporation of peer editing. Even though only a certain amount of letters were actually sent off, peer editing and revising allowed all students to feel like they were represented. Overall, I feel that EDM310 really gives us as teachers an advantage over those who may not have had such a requirement to fulfill before they graduate. Project Based Learning is a very important part of education in the 21st century and I will incorporate it in many ways when I become a classroom teacher.

In ”Project Based Learning Part 2” Anthony discussed other projects in which his class participated. He also stressed the importance of not having restrictive instructions, this allows students to be more creative and usually results in projects that are more detailed than what a teacher originally expects. Another important issue in this video was what a teacher can do when a parent has an issue with a particular assignment. We as educators have to understand that no two families raise their children alike and that in certain cases precautions should be taken to ensure that all parties feel comfortable. Allowing the option of an alternative project was an excellent solution.

In video 3 ”iCurio” we are given an introduction to iCurio and ways in which it can be used. It is basically a search engine that provides age appropriate audio, text, and pictures that have been filtered specifically for educational purposes. Students and teachers can also store content within iCurio. I think this is a wonderful resource it allows students access to information they need within the risks associated with random internet searches.

It is evident that Anthony Capps is a big fan of Discovery Ed. He explained the benefits of this tool in ”Discovery Education”. He believes that students retain more information when they have visuals and audio coupled with the information to which they are being introduced.

” The Anthony - Strange list of Tips for Teachers Part 1” is somewhat of a blueprint for first year classroom teachers. Anthony and Dr. Strange provide a view example of how to make year 1 easier. First, it is important for a teacher to have a love of learning. Second, work should be fun! If you love what you do, you tend to become better at doing those things. Third, teachers should know that things will change frequently and should be able to effectively adapt to those changes. In other words, be flexible! Last but certainly not least, allow time for reflection. It is a very important step in the learning process and should be incorporated into as many projects as possible.

Technology is all around us and there is no way to ignore its prevalence. In ”Don't Teach Technology, Use It!” Anthony describes how important it is to incorporate the use of technology into the curriculum rather than just teaching it. It is a great motivation tool and students are able to gain hands on experience rather than just hearing about the potential benefits. We as teachers can also aid in the process by completing the activities before hand so that we better understand how to respond to questions a student may have.

In ”Additional Thought About Lessons” Anthony gives us his interpretation of a lesson which he says includes 4 components year, unit, week and daily. On each level standards should be incorporated and they all work together to complete a common goal.

My Sentence Videos

My Sentence is...

My Passion is...

Project #3

Blog Post #4

The million dollar question for this assignment is "What do we need to know about asking questions in order to become an effective teacher". The resources I explored provided many different answers to this question. I'll start by discussing “The Right Way to Ask Questions in the classroom”. The author wants us to know that the way we question students’ needs to change!! After reading the post, I began to think of just how much the dynamic of the classroom is changing. GOOD teachers are beginning to realize some of the error of their ways and are taking the steps to make improvements to the way they ask their students’ questions. The author tells readers that many teachers ask questions to see if students have gained an understanding for what they were just taught. However, he raises an important issue about this method being ineffective because of the fact that some students don’t’ REALLY know if they understand or not. Another questionable form of questioning is the “yes or no” approach. In this approach students have a 50/50 chance of getting the answer correct and can easily guess which way their teacher would prefer the question to be answered. Instead Ben suggests randomly calling on students to answer questions so that the students who identify themselves in certain way (smart, dumb, uninterested) won’t be able to avoid verbally responding to questions just because someone else volunteers to do so.

Questions should be specific! This was an important component in the resource entitled “Asking Questions to Improve Learning”. After reading the information provided I found that many different concepts help you be effective when asking questions. For example, teachers should avoid asking leading question. Students often catch on and as a result do not actually master certain concepts. Another way to improve the effectiveness of questions is to ask different types; a mixture. A mixture of questions is more beneficial to teachers in helping with the learning process. If a teacher wants to spark a debate he or she might consider open ended questions. While if a teacher was looking to evaluate how much information a student has retained or how well they can relate material they learned to questions asked, he or she may considered closed ended questions. With this assignment I’ve learned that there is a lot I need to know about asking questions in order to become an effective teacher. Most importantly, be specific in what I am asking!

C4T #1 Project #4

I was assigned to Mrs. Kathleen Morris' blog entitled “Primary Tech”.

C4T#1 Comment #1

The title of the most recent post was "Blogging and The Literacy curriculum" posted on July 31, 2013. This post provides teachers with information about educational blogging and the effect it can have on student literacy. She also provides information about how to effectively incorporate blogging into the classroom. On the first attempt she found it to be a difficult task but goes on to inform teachers of the benefits of educational blogging as well as ways to effectively implement it into their own classroom. My reply to Mrs. Morris post is written below.

As a future educator I found this post to be very informative. I'm sure all first time classroom teachers have an issue with planning and time management and this post provides guidance as to how to handle blogging. The author states that blogging should be integrated into the curriculum rather than be introduced to students as a way to pass time. This allows the students to make personal connections and become interested in what they are actually completing. Educational blogging is very beneficial to students as well as teachers and the information provided can be a blueprint as to how to incorporate blogging into my daily schedule. Blogging can help students improve their literacy skills and also serves as a tool for integrating the concept of teaching and being taught in the 21st century.

C4T#1 Comment #2

The title of the next post was "Looking Back, Looking Forward" posted June 23, 2013. In this post, Mrs. Morris speaks about her desire to rid her classroom of worksheets. Unlike some teachers she realizes they are no longer and effective resource in instruction and is looking at ways to replace them with resources that involve the use of technology. These changes would save classroom space and enable students to become skilled at using technological resources. My response to Mrs. Morris' post is written below.

My name is Tywondra and I attend the University of South Alabama, located in Mobile, Al. I am currently enrolled in EDM310 and was directed to your blog by our professor, Dr. Strange. This post is a wonderful example of a teacher changing with the times. I am 26 years old and unfortunately many of my memories from elementary school involve worksheets. I'm glad to know that teachers are beginning to phase out this type of instruction. I also like that you provided information about things that can be done in place of worksheets!

Blog Post 3

The overall message presented in the video “What is Peer Editing?” is to remain positive! It gave a clear definition of what it means to engage in peer editing, while also offering potential suggestions on how to effectively do so. As explained in the video, “peer” refers to someone your own age, while “editing” refers to helping to improve, revise and edit someone’s writing. The video also provides what can be described as the “cardinal rules” of peer editing. First, begin with compliments. More than likely EVERYTHING was not wrong with the post, so it is a good policy to start by telling your peer what he or she did correctly. Second, make suggestions about how your peer can improve his or her writing. The recommendations should be SPECIFIC and should focus on areas such as word choice, organization, sentence structure and topics. Last, but definitely not least is making corrections. During this step the focus should be on punctuation, grammar, and spelling. Once all three steps are completed you should have effectively exhibited how to edit the work of a peer.

The slide show "Peer Edit With Perfection Tutorial" informs us about how to remain positive while editing the work of peers. Keep in mind that reactions can vary when engaging in peer editing and follow the proper steps to ensure effective criticism.

The second video,” Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes” , depicted what can go wrong with peer editing in a very light hearted, innocent way. In the video we learned from a group of young students about things that are NOT helpful when critiquing the work of others. These mistakes can occur as a direct result of not following the three steps to peer editing. The top ten mistakes that occur in peer editing were presented in skit form and showed the types of peer editors and responses one may encounter during the process. From “Picky Patty”, whose purpose is to find every single mistake to “Whatever William” who isn’t responsive to peer editing suggestions, peer editing is a sensitive matter and should be approached with a certain level of etiquette.

Every resource provided gave me more insight on how to participate in peer editing. In order to be successful, both parties should be patient, positive and open to suggestions. Not only were we provided with steps on how to successfully edit, we were also shown examples of how we SHOULDN’T respond to peer editing, as demonstrated by “Emotional Eddy” and “Whatever William”. If I had to offer advice on peer editing, I would tell others “be open to change”! Remember, your peers may have a better understanding of how to complete an assignment and those suggestions could very well help you in your future endeavors.