C4K Summary for March

For my first C4K for this month, I was again assigned to Adan P. from Mrs. Weil's Fourth Grade Froggies. Unfortunately, Adan still does not have any posts, so I chose to comment on Alondra C.'s post Writing Fiction. 

In her post, Alondra discusses how she struggles when writing fiction. She begins her post by saying that it's easy for her to write in the beginning, but once she gets to the middle she finds it difficult to think of what she is going to say. She believes that the hardest part of writing is when she gets writer's block. 

In my comment to Alondra, I told her that I am the opposite of her when it comes to writing. I have a hard time starting my papers, but once I get started I can usually finish my papers quickly. I agreed with Alondra that the most difficult part of writing is when you get writer's block.


Per 6 David from Moments that Matter with Mrs. Masloski was my second C4K for the month of March. When I first went to David's blog, I was amazed at how neat it looked. Just by looking at David's blog, it appears that he likes science. 

David's post is about the meaning of Valentine's Day. David describes Valentine's Day as a day when people spend time with their loved ones and also give those special loved ones gifts. He also explained that on Valentine's Day many people express their feelings for others, only to get their feelings hurt in the process. After this happens, David believes that it gives the rejected people confidence since they came out of their comfort zone to express their feelings for someone else. Overall, David believes that Valentine's Day is both a happy and sad holiday, but that it can sometimes create special memories.

I started off my comment to David by explaining who I was and why I was commenting on his post. I then told him how I thought that his post was interesting. I told him that I have never really thought about Valentine's Day as being a happy and sad holiday, but after thinking about it I agreed with him that the holiday can be both happy and sad. Lastly, I told him that I agreed that Valentine's Day can generate special memories for people.


My last C4K for the month of March was McKenzie T. from Mrs. L.'s Awesome 7th Grade Class 2014-2015

McKenzie's blog post, Book Project, is about a book that she read entitled The Kill Order. McKenzie explains that this book is a prequel to the Maze Runner series. She gives a short, detailed synopsis of The Kill Order. She also mentions how she enjoyed reading the book and recommends it to anyone who likes action stories or who are fans of the Maze Runner series. McKenzie believes that The Kill Order was a great prequel to the Maze Runner. Because one might get confused, McKenzie advises reading the Maze Runner series before reading The Kill Order.

I mentioned to McKenzie that I thought she did a great job describing The Kill Order.  It sounds like an interesting book. I also told her that I am glad she mentioned it was a prequel to another book, otherwise I would have never known. Lastly, I told McKenzie that I think it was a great idea to mention that anyone who is interested in reading The Kill Order needs to read the Maze Runner first so that they will not get confused.

Project #9 - Video Book Conversation

Blog Assignment #9

What can teachers and students teach us about Project Based Learning?

The article Seven Essentials for Project-Based Learning begins by describing the difference between busy work and project based learning. The article then continues by stating what every good project needs. Every project needs to not only be meaningful, but it also needs to fulfill an educational purpose. Next, the article lists the seven essentials for project based learning.

1.  A Need to Know - This part is saying that the project should have an "entry event" so students will feel a need to know the information. This way the students can get excited about the project.
   
2.  A Driving Question - The authors of the article compare this part of the project to a thesis statement in a paper. Without a thesis, it is difficult to determine the main point of the paper. So without a driving question, it is difficult to determine the main reason for the project. The driving question is the most important part of the project.
3. Student Voice and Choice - This part is also very important. The project will be more meaningful to the students if they are allowed to choose what they will create, what resources they will use, and how they will use their time to work on the project.
4. 21st Century Skills - The project should provide opportunities for students to build 21st century skills. These are skills that will benefit the students later in life as they get jobs.
5. Inquiry and Innovation - We need to guide students in real inquiry which is where "students follow a trail that begins with their own questions, leads to a search for resources and the discovery of answers, and often ultimately leads to generating new questions, testing ideas, and drawing their own conclusions." With the technology available, students can do so much, and it is important that we do not limit them.
6. Feedback and Revision - This is important because it teaches students that most of the time, first attempts don't result in high quality work. We need to make sure that students understand the importance of quality work, and that it sometimes takes multiple revisions before something is considered high quality.
7. A Publicly Presented Product  - Student's work is more meaningful when it is presented to others, not just the teacher. Also, when students present their work to others, the students care more about the quality of their work. 

Project-Based Learning for Teachers is a short video that explains what PBL is. For it to be such a short video, it had a lot of information. The video explains what a driving question is and how students will work on that driving question. The video also has information about Common Core State Standards, Project Based Learning, and the skills that students will develop from PBL. The video describes PBL as inquiry-based, open-ended, problem-solving, and personalized. The video also instructs us to think of PBL as questioning, investigating, sharing, and reflecting. By using PBL, students will gain various skills such as collaboration skills, communication skills, critical thinking skills, and career and life skills. I think this is a great video for anyone to watch who is not sure what exactly PBL is.

Two Students Solve the Case of Watery Ketchup by Designing a New Cap is an article that includes a video about two students who used PBL to design a new cap for ketchup bottles. I think that this was a unique problem to address. Like these two students, I do not like having watery ketchup. However, as the students' teacher pointed out, one can simply shake the bottle to get rid of the watery part. The two students were convinced that they could find some other way to prevent watery ketchup. The students researched several ideas and even created a new cap using a 3D printer. After watching the video that accompanies the article, you can tell that these two students seemed to be very engaged and had a lot of fun working on their project.

The video PBL: What Motivates Students Today asks a few students two questions. One of those
questions asked students what motivated them to do good in school. One student said that he is most motivated when the teacher compliments him in front of the class. Another student said that he was motivated because if he didn't do good in school, then his parents would punish him. The other students surveyed in the video had the same response for being motivated to do good in school: so that they will be successful in their future endeavors. The second question that the students were asked was about rewards that work. One student said that in his classroom they have a color chart. Depending on what color the students are on they either receive money or have to pay the teacher money. The students can use their money at the end of the week to buy miscellaneous items. Another student said that their teacher rewards them with candy. A third student said that his teacher rewards them with "brownie points." Another student said that he would like to be rewarded with food, but when he was younger he enjoyed receiving rewards such as pencils, colorful notebooks, and stickers. The last student mentioned that her teacher rewarded them differently every day. I think that it is a great idea to interview students so teachers can discover what works and what doesn't work.

Many people do not think of utilizing PBL in a PE class. However, the article Project Based Learning in PE discusses a way that high school PE teachers can use PBL in their class. The teacher had his high school PE students create a physical fitness program for middle school PE classes. This required the high school students to know the standards of middle school students so that they could plan the fitness program accordingly. The students then collaborated to come up with different exercises for the middle school students. I think this is a great way to have students involved in PE, instead of just having them only do exercises. This idea would also be great for middle school students to make a fitness program for elementary students.

Blog Assignment #8

What can we learn about teaching and learning from Randy Pausch?

I was not too enthused about this assignment after I saw that the video Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams was over an hour in length. After all, I am a busy college student who is currently taking 5 other classes. However, there was no way to avoid watching this video. After I sat down and watched the video, I discovered that it wasn't that painful to watch. I actually enjoyed watching this video, despite it being over an hour long. I highly recommend everyone to watch this video. 

Randy Pausch seemed like an amazing individual. He did not let the discovery of cancer in his body stop him from living his life and being happy. I learned so much from watching this video. I learned the importance of teaching children to have childhood dreams. Even if some of your dreams may be impossible, you will still learn something from the process.

The video begins by Pausch telling everyone that he has been diagnosed with cancer, and that he is dying. However, had he not informed the audience of this, I'm sure no one would have ever known because he was a very energetic, funny, and healthy-looking individual. Pausch said "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." When I become a teacher, I hope that I am able to teach my students not to feel sorry for things that they do not have. Instead, my students need to be happy and find a way to change the situation.

I think that my favorite quote from Pausch's lecture was "When you screw up and no one is saying anything to you anymore, that means they gave up." I have never thought about it that way before. Our parents and teachers are constantly correcting us when we do something wrong. They do this because they care so much about us that they want to see us succeed rather than fail. I hope that when I become a teacher that I will have the patience and willingness to constantly push my students to succeed.

Another thing that I learned from Pausch's lecture is that Project Based Learning (PBL) is not a new thing. Pausch and his colleagues were utilizing PBL in the 90's when they created the class Building Virtual Worlds. PBL is not only fun, but it works. Pausch's students were extremely engaged and surpassed his expectations with each project they did. Pausch said "Millions of kids having fun while learning something hard. That's cool." I agree that is is very cool. We need to make learning fun so children will continually have the desire to learn more.

C4T #2

In her blog post It's Been Awhile...Lessons Learned as a New Administrator, Jennifer Brokofsky discusses how she has not blogged in a long time. She isn't exactly sure why she hasn't blogged in so long, but is glad to be back at it. She also mentions that she has obtained her Master's degree and is now a vice principal. Brokofsky continues by stating all of the lessons she has learned as she has transitioned from being a consultant to becoming a vice principal. The first lesson that she has learned is that all students are different, and it is important to address student's individualized learning needs. Secondly, she has learned that it is okay if a lesson takes longer than anticipated because everyone learns differently. Another lesson that Brokofsky has learned is to appreciate her students and all of their unique skills. Brokofsky has also learned that she can't do everything at once. She came to the realization that she does not have all of the answers, and she is okay with that. Lastly, Brokofsky learned that while it is a tough job, being an educator is extremely rewarding.

In my comment to Brokofsky, I congratulated her on getting her Master's degree and told her how I someday hope to obtain a Master's degree myself. I then continued by telling her how much I enjoyed reading her post. My favorite part was how she mentioned that we need to be able to adjust our lessons to our student's needs. I believe that it is important for us educators to be able to cater to our student's learning needs. I also enjoyed her statement about how she doesn't know everything. Many people are under the assumption that educators know everything when the truth is we are still constantly learning new things ourselves.

In her second most recent post, Three Acts Math Movie - Candy Colours, Brokofsky has three videos. These three videos are part 1 of the problem, part 2 of the problem, and the solution to the problem. During these videos, a young boy and girl are trying to figure out how to equally split packages of Skittles between them. They both only want to eat certain colors, so this poses a problem. Since there are not an equal number of colors in each bag of Skittles, the children have to open more bags until they finally get the colors they want and both have an equal amount of Skittles.


I left a comment on Brokofsky's post and mentioned how I thought what she did was a great idea. I told her that it is always a good idea to use fun and engaging ways to teach children. I also told her that I believe that children learn more through hands-on learning than from the traditional lecture method. Lastly, I mentioned how I like that the videos not only demonstrated math, but also demonstrated how to get along with others.

Project #7 Part B

Blog Assignment #7

Instruction is completely different now than it was when I was in elementary and even high school. Many teachers are now utilizing project based learning (PBL) because they can see the benefits it has in student's learning. Before EDM 310, I had never done anything concerning PBL, and I knew very little about it. Every time that I had a project, it always came after the lesson, not during. Another thing that was not utilized while I was in elementary school was technology. The only technology that was ever used at my elementary school was an overhead projector, but it wasn't the nice fancy ones we have today. The overhead projectors we had at my school were the ones that sat on a rolling desk and had to be brought out for every use and put away after every use. Technology is constantly evolving into bigger and better things. As a future educator, I believe that I need to be technologically literate. With all this great technology that is available today, I need to be able to adapt and always be learning how to use current and new technology. In order to prepare myself for my career as an educator, I believe that I will need to become familiar with all the different types of technology from iPads and Macbooks to PCs and other tablets. I will also need to be up to date on the latest educational apps that could further enhance my classroom.



In the video Using iMovie and the Alabama Virtual Library, Dr. Strange has a conversation with Elizabeth Davis from Daphne Elementary and Michele Bennett from Gulf Shores Elementary. Both Elizabeth and Michele are librarians/media specialists at their schools. Michele talks about how kindergartners are using technology in the classroom. She explains that these children know how to use iMovie. I think that is incredible. I had absolutely no idea how to use iMovie before this class. It is very obvious how excited Michele is that these kindergartners are actively learning using this technology. After Michele completes her story about iMovie, Elizabeth continues the conversation about technology in the classroom by talking about the Alabama Virtual Library (AVL). Elizabeth basically describes AVL as being "a great way to teach your students basic research." The AVL is completely free to use for students, teachers, and anyone else in the state of Alabama. You can obtain an AVL card by visiting your local public library or your local public school library if you are a student. At Gulf Shores Elementary, the kindergarten students utilize this program by looking up a list of different animals that they are assigned. Elizabeth also discusses how excited and eager the students are to do this type of research.

We All Become Learners is another video where Dr. Strange, Elizabeth Davis, and Michele Bennett are having a conversation about the use of technology in the classroom. Michele states that using technological devices in the classroom not only allow for teachers to teach students, but it also allows for students to teach students and for students to even teach teachers. With this, everyone becomes not only a learner, but also a teacher. Michele gives an example of a kindergarten student she encountered who taught her how to use the camera feature on an iPad.

The video Top 10 Reasons to Use Technology in Education provides 10 excellent reasons why technology should be utilized in the classroom. The first reason the video provides as to why technology should be used in the classroom is because students love it. The video mentions that many students go home after school and use technology to play video games and watch tv, so why not engage these students through the use of technology in the classroom? The second reason is it engages the four key components to learning. The four key components to learning are active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to real-world experts. Third, technology in the classroom allows students to learn different skill sets which help with their professional development. These skills that the students are learning could eventually help them get jobs in the future. Fourth is that technology makes life easier for teachers. Teachers have many jobs outside the classroom such as planning lessons and meeting with parents. With the use of technology, teachers can put tests online that will immediately give students their grades afterward so that teachers do not have to spend their valuable time grading tests. The fifth reason is it improves test scores. When incorporating technology into the classroom, students can learn at their individual pace, and not be held back by students who are progressing at a slower rate. Technology also helps students learn since everyone has a different learning style. Sixth, technology can help students with low attention spans. With the help of technology, teachers can provide engaging activities for students with ADD or ADHD that will keep those students' interest. Seventh, technology can connect you to experts from all around the world. Who wouldn't want that as a resource? Eighth, technology encourages students to do homework. Many educators are finding that a flipped classroom approach is the best model because it allows teachers to help students with homework. A flipped classroom also eliminates lecture time so teachers can focus more on helping students individually. The ninth reason is that technology saves money. While technology is initially expensive, having something such as a tablet computer can increase the number of teachers in the classroom, which allows the real teacher time to answer questions and help students. Lastly, technology removes obstacles. For example, if a teacher has students who have trouble hearing, the teacher can use a classroom amplifier system to amplify their voice so that every student can hear the teacher's voice.

iPads in the Classroom is a video that concentrates on the use of iPads in the Chicago public schools district. Many teachers in these schools are seeing the changes that the iPads are making to education in their classrooms. These teachers also are seeing great benefits to the use of this technology in the classroom. The video also gives an example of how one elementary school uses iPads to help special education students who have trouble speaking. These students were able to take a field trip to a local grocery store and use the iConverse app to help them find the items that they were looking for. At the end of the trip, the students used iConverse to verbally thank the cashier. Every teacher that speaks in the video about the use of iPads says that they can tell a difference in their classrooms. The teachers can tell that the students are engaged, which is helping them to learn.