Free Write

First off I apologize for not having this blog up before Tuesday. I just now when to the class site and saw we had one due. I thought we only had our assessment tools due for Tuesday. On the other hand my projects are going along well. I have most of my final project completed. I am still trying to decide which lesson or activity I am going to use in class. Since I have created the lesson plan for a younger grade the poem book you suggested I should do as a whole class. One letter of the alphabet each week. I am not sure if I should perform that in class and make a poem for one letter since they students wouldn't be doing anything on their own computers they would simply just be watching me and talking. I wouldn't have to walk around and make sure they are doing things write if we are doing it all together on my computer. I am thinking I may decide on a different lesson to teach. I haven't worked a whole lot on my portfolio yet. I have the categories up but I have mostly been working on my final project so far. I will be working on it bit by bit to make sure it is completed by the last class.

Renee

It is hard to make students do work that they have no interest in doing. As a teacher I feel it is important to help them understand how to do an assignment and why it is important. Another difficult task is to get groups of students to work together who normally wouldn't. It is important for Renee to feel safe and valued inside the group and as if her opinions matter. Students are still working together if they split up the tasks and work alone. Maybe it would help if Renee was designated a specific task in the group to pick out important events, or find all the images. The group may also decide to split it up by chapter so each student has one chapter to do and they can work on the fourth together. Renee struggles to work in groups and engage herself maybe she would feel more comfortable if she contributed to the group by completing tasks on her own. The teacher should work with this group and check in frequently in order to help them to get on the right track. If there is a teacher aid in the classroom she may spend a lot of her time with this group and help them to decide how their project will work.

There may also be an agreement in place where Renee will be able to have frequent breaks as long as she agrees to try hard and work with her classmates. If the student has ADD it will be difficult for her to sit and work on the same project for long periods of time. She is going to need breaks. This may be something for Renee to strive for and help her to focus on the task at hand. Although Renee thinks this assignment is "stupid" she still has to do it. Although you may attempt to help make it easier for her she still has to participate and help to complete the project. If a teacher were to let her skip this assignment the other students will begin to feel she is favored or that they don't have to do the work either. Not only that but Renee may begin to think she doesn't have to do any of the work she doesn't like.

Educational Games

To start off I completely agree that MOST educational games are helpful. This is one way for students to study things such as addition and subtraction in a fun way. If the students are still learning there is no reason to restrict every single game on the Internet. I feel every teacher should have a portaportal site that has appropriate games listed for their students. This helps the students to understand exactly what games are appropriate educational tools. You can't win all wars, if you tell your students they can't ever play a single game on the Internet they are going to attempt to sneak them once in awhile which would end up being games where they don't learn a thing.

As long as a teacher sets up rules as to when they are allowed to play these games and for how long I don't see a problem. The students may even end up getting on to play these games at home which in the long run may benefit them in math, spelling, or many other subjects. If students are enjoying themselves they are going to try hard to "win" and in the process learn something they may have never known. In the world today children are learning how to use technology at an early age, they are intrigued by computers. It is a known fact that a students learns better when they are doing something they are interested in. I don't feel students should be able to play games whenever they want, they should know the classroom rule and get punished if they can not follow the rules.

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/253058

I agree with this article and that with today's students one of the easiest ways to hold their attention is by doing it through gaming. Just because they are having fun and doing something they enjoy does not mean they are not learning. In today's society this is one way to help students to learn. Students are more engaged to a lesson using technology then simply reading out of a textbook. I feel the author of this article hit it head on and students should be able to learn how they do best. They are not only learning common subjects they are also learning life long lessons such as problem solving and their cognitive abilities.

Free Write

I feel I am doing pretty well in the class so far and I am enjoying learning about new interesting ways to educate using technology. I have used some of the programs before but have forgotten many things about them. I feel this class will help a lot in getting me to think outside the box and make up lesson plans that are fun and educational. Technology helps to create new and exciting ideas for kids.

Although, I have a few concerns, I wasn't able to make it to last class and I wasn't sure if you received my garageband along with the paragraph that I sent you. I sent it on the Husson e-mail but didn't hear anything back. Also with all of these long term projects that were assigned are we going to touch base on them anymore then we already have and are we going to have any time to work on them during class? I was just wondering so I can make sure I have everything in order.

Everything I have learned will help me a lot in the future. I enjoyed watching the video last week because it showed how technology can be used in a classroom. That there are many ways to incorporate what students need to know into a fun, learning atmosphere.

Kindergarten Pilots

First off, I was completely impressed with this video. I loved how engaged the students were and how excited they were to be at school. I feel the use of technology really helped these students to understand while having fun. They had to start off doing things such as research and problem solving but eventually got the opportunity to go out and DO it. I have never seen anything like this type of teaching before. It is amazing what can be accomplished in a classroom and how they can still have fun and meet the learning standards. I feel that this is how teaching is going to be very soon. I feel with the use of technology it is important to not only tell students about different subjects or places but to physically show them or take them.

On the other hand this type of learning would take a lot of hard work and there would need to be more then just one teacher in a classroom. I feel many teachers could follow this type of a teaching to an extent but not all teachers have this kind of technology in their classroom to be able to teach this way. Not all schools can afford Smart Boards or the materials needed to create a plane. There is a lot of materials needed in order to do those types of things. With technology schools have it is easier to take this path to an extent. Teachers could teach the lessons best to their ability. They could still research different topics and show the videos and pictures instead of explaining.

These types of lessons let the students truly experience the atmosphere for themselves. I also enjoyed how the students were learning content matter in real life situations. It is important to do since students can learn and understand better if they can relate it to real life scenarios. I feel the interaction part is also key. Students need to learn how to be life-long thinkers as well as how to interact with others. You could be the smartest person, subject wise, but if you can't interact it would be hard to go very far.

The teachers would use technology to teach basic lessons on letters as well as to answer students questions. The students got a better understanding compared to just being told. The students got to study the map and really understood that their town isn't the only place in the world. It really gave the students out outside view. I really enjoyed watching this video and seeing how learning really can be fun. Technology is an important piece in the school systems today and it if the tool is there it is vital to use it.

Reaction to Ken Robinson's Lecture

In my opinion there are many classrooms where the students are being asked to perform the exact same task over and over again. These assignments are graded the same and have one answer. By doing these types of assignments it leaves little room for students to be creative and expand. Students need to be led in the same direction but then left on their own to figure out how to complete an assignment. There are many variations of the same task that can be right depending on creativity levels. If students are using their talents at a young age they will simply lose interest in them. It is important to get children out doing things that they love and off the couch.

Creativity and variety are a few ways to keep lessons at school fun and exciting. Students aren't interested in a boring class where everything is done in one way with one answer. Students want to be able to create something and call it their own, something to be proud of and show off to their classroom. Students who start to get bored by these classes end up dropping out of school or may even turn to things such as drugs and alcohol. If lesson's aren't fun they will start to pay less and less attention during school and grades will begin to slip.

I feel throughout my schooling there was a lot of choices that led us to be creative. We had many projects where there wasn't a specific outcome the teachers were looking for but rather our own intake of the unit. We were able to express what we learned in our own way. There was a good variety but we never felt there was one certain way to do things. I remember in 3rd or 4th grade we had multiple projects, both in and out of class, where we had to take it upon our self to do things such as show a part of a book, or a project on a certain animal. We were able to combined our imagination along with creativity. I loved being able to create my own project how I wanted to do it. There were guidelines but no one in the class had the same final project. I felt this is how many classes should be. Giving the students information, guiding them, but also letting them show you what they got out of it.

I agree with Ken Robinson to a point. I do feel students need the oportunity to express themself in their work although there will be certain lessons and assessments that are straight forward. Students need a variety in the classroom and the ability to show who they are.

My experiences with technology

Throughout middle school and high school I have used technology in many ways. Starting out with my own lap top we used it for research, papers, and even making movies. Some classes used the lap tops a lot more then others. We were able to do science projects through slide shows or reports with pictures. One of the most important skills I feel we learned in middle school was how to do research. We were able to have teachers to help guide us on the correct way to search for information and site those resources. This is a life long tool that was very important to learn. In high school I have used multiple programs to make things such as a podcast and basketball programs. I made my own senior slide show along with my own calendar, and online scrap book. I learned how exciting typical lessons can be.

I feel I have learned a lot about how technology works. I am pretty good with computers and figuring out different programs. Although I would like to learn more about how to integrate that with teaching. I feel with the technology we have it is important to use it and make our lessons more exciting to students. Since I am interested in teaching at the younger levels it is more difficult to use technology but I feel it is still important to do so.

Since I do have a fairly strong knowledge about computers I feel it will come in use. However I do feel as though I need to learn more about how to intergrate lessons with technology. In order to be an effective teacher I know that I must be able to be flexible and be up-to-date with what is going on. The world is becoming more dependent on technology which is why these skills are important for students to learn how to use tools, such as computers. During middle school teachers taught us mostly on a trial and error basis. They let us do a lot of playing around in order to figure out certain programs. There would always be help if we needed it but by letting us figure it out for ourselves it helped us to try and learn things on our own.