Sunday, September 28, 2014

Blog Post #6

Conversations with Anthony Capps 

    The conversations with Anthony Capps were very inspirational. Project based learning is incorporating projects into the lesson plan. Anthony mentions in the video Project Based Learning Part 1 that project based learning is normally used at the end of a lesson to see if the student actually learned what he or she is suppose to. Capps implies that is not the case of PBL that you should inquire projects during the lesson as method of resources to allow the student to participate while retaining the information. I am a more hands on learner myself. I love doing projects on new things, at the end when I am done I feel I have developed a new skill and expanded my knowledge.
    PBL Part 2 provided us with a project that all kid love. Capps asked his students to write a script as if they were a child in Afghanistan while incorporating cultures. One student's parents served our country in Afghanistan and didn't want their child to learn about the horror stories that exist oversees. Capps allowed this particular student to do a science project instead of completing the culture one. This will happen to us eventually and Capps did the right thing. It is important to please the parents while meeting the standards provided by each state in the learning process. Icurio is a website that has pulled information and made it child proof for them to access and search what it is they are looking up. This is used like a search engine for the students. This website also allows for storage so you can keep everything stored. This is also away to keep everything organized.
    Visual learning is one of the many ways I like to learn. If I can see it and have something to relate it to I am more likely to remember it or even elaborate on it. Discovery Ed provides you with illustrations to go with just about every subject to help you provide that visual learning to your students. The students can also use this as a search engine. The site also gives the students a video to watch and have another resource and not just the teacher. It also brings the text to life according to Anthony Capps.
Providing tips for future teachers is a great way to be added to someone's PLN. Tips for Teachers offers beneficial tips to future educators. John Strange offers that you have got to be interested in learning yourself. You need to be constantly learning to help understand different strategies to help your students learn on different levels. Capps says you need to be interested in learning as a hobby. You should be wanting to make lesson plans or discover things to add to your curriculum even when you are not on the clock, hard work. Enjoy what you do. The video Dr.Strange and  Capps has put together gives you tips from an educator and an educator who has just started.
    Technology is slowly being incorporated into the classroom. Technology should be a source to help the students learn, not the curriculum itself. Use Tech Don't Teach It is a great video explaining how technology can be incorporated in the classroom.
Don't worry Be Happy Keep Learning and photo of light bulb

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Thursday, September 25, 2014

C4K Summary September


Ilisa is year 7 and was able to help the year 2 girls around the cross country course. Lee is classmate was helping the year 1 girls which happend to be the same course as Ilisa's age group. Lee and Ilisa are rivals and Lee has beat Ilisa in the race for years. Today, was Ilisa's day. He was going to challenge Lee and finally win. Once the race was almost done Ilisa felt the fatigue but pushed though. In the end nor Lee or Ilisa won, they ended in a tie. Ilisa Blog is very interesting and impressive to be such young age.

My opinion was the pushing through to the very end is rewarding in itself. Most people would have gave up and quit, but he didn't. Even though it was a tie he was a winner in my book. Being friends and enemies is what it's all about. Friendship off the course only calls for more competitive feelings on the course.



Jordan B expressed how they were going to make a mark in the world by ending hunger. She feels that every one should have at least  3 meals a day. She also expresses that when you are hungry you make irrational desicions and do not think straight.
Jordan B. Blog


World hunger exists everyday. It is all around us if we know it or not. People like her will make a big improvement in this world by trying to fix what shouldn't have to be. Thinking irrationally is a side effect of being hungry. You don't think right and you may end up doing things unintentionally.



Hard work is more important than talent. She expresses that hard work can get you far in life such as good grades and a good job. By having a talent it can teach you to try new things. By using hard work it helps you to find out what you are good and bad at. Having a talent is like a hobby. By working hard you will earn what you get.



Hard work is very important in anything you do, if it's your talent or not. To achieve your set goals you need to provide hard work to make the reward that much sweeter. Talent is a hobby because normally your talent is what you are good at and enjoy doing.
Chloe's Blog



Comment 4 Kids

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Blog Post #5 PLN

My PLN progress is slow, but I am learning quick and finding new resources. I joined the FEA Future Educators in Action group here at the University of South Alabama. I hope to gain life long friends and different opinions on styles and teaching techniques. I am on twitter if you would like to follow me. I have followed a few of my professors and slowly building up my resources on twitter. I also like to watch and analyze my teachers just to see how they do things and if I would like to apply that to my classroom. Youtube provides great examples if you ever have a question and need an explanation. In my opinion the best resources out there are your fellow teachers. You are both in the education field two minds are better than one. I have also ordered some books off the internet to help further my knowledge on teaching. Interacting and talking to current teachers is also great way to help build your curriculum and get ideas.
http://www.onlinedegrees.org/building-your-personal-learning-network/

Project #3 Presentation

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Search Engines

WolframAlpha is a great search engine to practice math problems. You simply type the problem you have and it generates the answer along with more facts on answer. WolframAlpha is a great study tool if you seem to be struggling in mathematics. This search engine seems to work well with numbers.

Bing is also a great search engine site. It allows you to search whatever you are interested in and pulls up the answers fast. It provides you with current news and also allows you to watch videos and search images.

The search engine that doesn't track you is known as Duck Duck Go. In this search engine you can adjust the language settings and layout to suit what is best for you. You can make this your primary search engine. It provides you with news, images, videos, and even a stopwatch if needed. All while ot tracking you.

Dogpile is another great search engine. It allows you to access the white pages, images, video, news, and shopping. This search engine has all the best search engines piled into one.

IXQuick is the world's most private search engine. This engine provides results from the top 10 best search engines. You can also search privately with ensure full privacy.

Lycos in this search engine it allows you to search, play online games, provides email, weather, news, and more. This engine also allows you to browse the internet and shop.


A source that uses Lycos is called HotBot. This engine allows you to search the web. It also keeps you up to date on the news and weather.


Another great search engine is Excite. On the homepage has many links to help you browse. If you want to book a flight you can, read the news, and also search the web.




names the different search engines



Saturday, September 13, 2014

C4T September

Classroom Chronicles by Henrietta Miller addressed some points of view that I agree on. 


Few years ago she spent her Sunday afternoon's reading papers and stamping, being the only author of the students work. Now, the students have an audience. They are to write their own adventure story. Each week the students are to write a chapter in their Adventure Story. They also have to give three possible scenarios on what will happen in the next chapter. After accomplishing this they are to comment on other students post giving their thought on what scenario should happen next. This allows the student to interact with others and keep their mind busy.

I enjoyed this approach. Instead of telling students to write an adventure story and the teacher being the only reader. Now students have the opportunity to express themselves for the whole world to see. This also allows for another parties idea on what should happen in your story. It builds for suspense as to which one the student will pick each week after having peers comment their opinion on what should happen next. Great way for students to stay busy and use their imagination.


It was a rainy day, but the Teach-Meet was still in action. Enjoying cake and exchanging ideas on how to better yourself as an educator. The 7 min "teacher talk" came to question. Can you limit your "Teacher Talk" to 7 min a lesson? There are some teacher who just love the sound of their own voice. She uses yoga in her spare time and emphasizes the mindfulness that yoga brings and use it in the classroom. She asks, " Can students benefit more from slowing down and becoming more mindful?"


I think the 7 min "Teacher Talk" allows room for more questions. I as a student tend to lose track and my mind starts to wonder if a teacher just keeps talking because they love to hear themselves talk. The slowing down and being more mindful allows the student to think more deeply on a subject. This gives them a chance to develop questions they normally wouldn't have spending a few seconds on the topic.


laptop with books coming out of screen

Blog Post #4


 Teachers normally find themselves asking multiple questions pertaining to the lesson that they just presented to students. There is no wrong question, but simply how you ask can impact the students. The Right Way to Ask Questions in the Classroom mentions that a teacher might ask a question to check if everyone is understanding the material. This method sometimes benefits the teacher more than the students. When asking a question it is best to ask the question wait 3 seconds and then call on someone. During those 3 seconds every student is thinking of the right answer just incase they are called upon to answer the question. Stating a students name and then asking the question eliminates every one else from achieving an answer because they are relieved that they were not called upon.
 Three Ways to Ask Better Questions in the Classroom has a great article on ways teachers can improve their question skills. You should plan out your questions when making notes for your lesson plan. Writing down your questions eliminates the misleading questions you come up with on spot and are less likely to change the subject. Being prepared allows you to address the concept before hand and during the lesson reminds you what you want the students to learn. You can also leave questions unanswered for a while allowing the students to elaborate in their mind for an answer. Teachers may also want to preserve good questions. When asking a question the students answer may allow you to think of the question in a different way and even alter the question the next time you teach that lesson. Questioning Styles and Strategies  uses a great variety of questions to engage different styles for different students. Studies have shown that effective questioning leads to a gain in student achievement. There are no right or wrong questions. The way you present them determines the outcome.


The word questions stacked on top of each other covering the square

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Blog Post #3



      One of the best ways a student will learn is from peer editing. Peer editing is having someone your own age or for say your classmate look over your paper and make corrections. A great video on explaining peer editing is What is Peer Editing?. Most students will listen to their peers. Having a peer edit or in other words make suggestions, or changes to your paper will allow the student to see their work through someone else's point of view. When you peer edit someone's paper there are three steps you should follow compliments, suggestions, and corrections. Peer Edit with Perfection Tutorial
   
      The first step to peer editing is compliment. Always be positive, you don't want someone criticizing all your hard work either. State out what you like about the paper and what really caught your eye while reading it. The second step is to offer suggestions. Let the writer know what he or she could have done different in order to make the statement more interesting. Offer what you would have done if you were writing the paper. Last step in peer editing is to make corrections. Mark where the writer misspelled a word, forgot to capitalize, and anything else you find grammatically incorrect. This doesn't mean the writer doesn't know grammar, when writing it is possible to miss something and this is why you should have someone peer edit all of your work. Writing Peer Edit Review Top 10 Mistakes

     I think peer editing is a great way for students to interact with each other and talk about learning. A student may not remember what the teacher had said, but they are more inclined to remember one of their friends correcting them. The sources I are located at the top of the page.

Lined paper with wavy lines for writing and corrections in red with a red pen