Project #16

EDM 310 Final Reflection

Project 12B

Blog Post #5 Part B

ATTN: This blog post is a continuation of blog post 5.

"My PLN"
Throughout my semester in EDM 310, I have built up a vast personal learning network. I can mainly accredit this success to Twitter. Through the use of twitter's features such as "retweet," I have found so many different teachers across the world who provide ideas for everything needed in the classroom. I have kept track of a lot of my network through pinning blogs, twitter accounts, and websites to Pinterest. I like using Pinterest to track because it will suggest things to "pin" based on my personal boards. I have found resources such as teaching materials, teacher blogs, classroom blogs, twitter accounts, and even "teacher outfits!"

C4K #6

#1Henly H.
Henly's blog post was from the Bible. This post was about forgiveness and gratefulness, through a story about Jonah. While Henly did not completely grasp what the story was about, she still provided great input on what she thought it was about! Either way, she did find a great moral in the story. I commented along with her teacher explaining what I thought the story was about, in addition to my opinion on the moral she came across!

#2Dakota
Dakota's post was his bucket list. I told him that I share many of his bucket list items in my bucket. He has great goals such as graduating, getting married, and having children. I told him that my favorite task on his list was to visit Alaska, since that is something I have always wanted to do.

#3.Henly H.
Henly's blog post was regarding her spring break. She told her readers all about her skiing trip she took with her friends. I told Henly about our rainy Mobile spring break, and how I miss going skiing over break when I was in high school.

Blog Post #13

Apps for the Classroom (Research 5 apps that will help teachers and students to be more effective in the elementary classroom.)

My top 5:

1. Quizlet

Quizlet is an app that is available not only on your phone, but on your computer as well. While most students in college use this app for cramming for tests, it can very easily and effectively be incorporated into the classroom. One way I have found it useful is for sight words. On the app, you can type in words on one side of a digital flash card, and a definition on the other. I used this in tutoring by putting a sight word on one side and a sentence using the sight word on the other side. The great part is, when the students get home, they can log on using their parents' phone to independently study. (Fun fact: The student can also click "read aloud" so the app will tell the student what the word is if they are having trouble.)

2. Scholastic Book Wizard

Scholastic Book Wizard is a great app for AR/STAR reading. With this app, teachers and students can scan the barcode on the back of the book, and receive a quick glance at what the book is about, who it might interest, the grade-equivalent level, the guided reading level, and the AR level. 

3. Stack the States

One of the most nerve-wracking homework assignments for a parent seems to be when it comes time for their child to memorize the 50 states and their capitals. Using "Stack the States" students can practice the name, geographic location, and capitals of all 50 states through fun games and activities. 

4. My Math Flash Cards

My math flash cards appeals to the student who prefers digital worksheets as opposed to paper ones. With My Math Flash Cards, students can practice their time tables with the convenience of digital, immediate answers. 

5. Class Dojo

Class Dojo is a GREAT app for parent-teacher communication. Similar to a "group message" teachers can send out updates, homework, or simply words of encouragement. This also provides parents with an easy way to get in touch with the teacher when email isn't effective. 

Blog Post # 12

Assistive Technology

C4T #3

IMG SRC: DML CENTRAL

DML Central-Howard Rheingold

For C4T #3 I commented on two blog posts by Howard Rheingold of DML Central.

For the first post, Rheingold wrote a post called "Our Common Core." In this post he analyzed the structure of the way educators teach, assess, and review. He also reviewed the "6 assumptions" made in the Postman Program:  “(1) that learning takes place best not when conceived as a preparation for life but when it occurs in the context of actually living, (2) that each learner ultimately must organize his own learning in his own way, (3) that problems and personal interests rather than subjects are a more realistic structure by which to organize learning experiences, (4) that students are capable of directly and authentically participating in the intellectual and social life of their community, (5) that they should do so, and (6) that the community badly needs them.” In my comment I provided my own insight on the 6 assuptions: "I am especially fond of the 6 assumptions. More specifically, "that problems and personal interests rather than subjects are a more realistic structure by which to organize learning experiences." I found this one particularly interesting because it is completely true. I always found it easier to do my work in high school when it pertained to real-life issues/experiences. this is something that I feel should be better incorporated into the classroom. Student's would not only gain additional life-advice from it, but it would also have a higher chance of sparking interest with the students."

For the second post, Rheingold wrote a post called "Assessing, Measuring Connected Learning Outcomes." In this post, Rheingold discusses the benefits of connected learning through an open classrooom. I found this especially interesting because it completely pertains to everything we are learning in EDM 310. He talks about the benefits of connecting with other k-12 students throughout the world. In my comment I discussed how we focus on doing exactly that in EDM 310, 

Blog Post #11

"What can we learn from these teachers?"

1. Back to the Future by Brian Cosby
Brian Cosby teaches us a variety of important teaching aspects as supported by his former class. Cosby focuses on the importance of creativity and real world connections. What I found most interesting was his anecdote about a former class where he asked his students basic questions about their everyday life. (i.e. What state do you live in? What country do you live in? and What is your address?) Few of his students could answer all of the questions correctly. I found this interesting because of how much my class focused on these basic topics in Kindergarten.Therefore, I learned that we should not teach our students only the state standards of curriculum, but also parts of everyday knowledge. 

2. Blended Learning Cycle by Paul Andersen
I really enjoyed learning about Paul Andersen's method of teaching. In his method, acronyms play a large part in successful teaching/learning. A big fan of acronyms myself, I found his various ways to incorporate them to be very useful. Andersen creates acronyms to assist the students in retaining what they have learned for the day. 

3. Making Thinking Visible by Mark Church
Mark Church appears to enjoy the teaching style that is a mixture of PBL, lecture, and presentation based. In his video, he had his students write on a banner what they already knew about human origins. After his lesson, he allowed them to go back and add on what they had learned. I really like this idea, as giving the students a creative activity prior to teaching is a great way to spark interest in the subject at hand. 

4. Building Comics by Sam Pane
In "Building Comics" Sam Pane focuses on teaching his students internet safety and the importance of being a digital citizen. I found this to be very useful, as I. along with many other students from my age group, were never really taught about internet safety and digital citizenship; therefore, we have a large rate of cyber-bullying, and poor internet safety techniques.

5/6. Project Based Learning by Dean Shareski and Roosevelt Elementary's PBL Program 
Project based learning is already something that I am highly interested in. Therefore, videos 5 and 6 only reiterated that. In both of these videos, the use of PBL is elaborated on and used to combine subjects.. What I liked about these videos, is that technology was incorporated and subjects were merged. Coming from a school district where technology is not viewed as that important, I enjoy finding out different ways that I can, hopefully, one day incorporate into my classroom. Additionally, I really like the idea of merging subjects to teach a lesson. Why just focus on one subject when your students can learn more from the combination of multiple ones?

C4K Project 6 #5

Post 1:

For my first student I commented on Rashad's blog. Rashad made a great post regarding respect toward teachers. His post was in response to a prompt by his teacher, "Provide advice for future students." He provided personal experience on what happens when you disrespect your teachers in addition to what happens when you do respect your teachers. In my comment I told Rashad that his post was great and I also gave him personal advice on respecting everyone.


Post 2:

For my second post, I commented on Arturo's blog. Arturo provided a great post regarding first impressions. Arturo stated that first impressions are not always accurate, whether you are talking about a class or meeting a person for the first time. In my comment I told Arturo that I too agree that first impressions are not always accurate. I provided a personal experience story informing Arturo that I have had not just one, but multiple poor first-impressions.


Post 3:

For my third post I was asked to comment on Jesse's blog. Jesse provided a great review on a Group interpretation play he recently saw at his school. Having never heard of GI, I found this post to be very interesting! In my comment I told Jesse about my high school improv team participating in the Rubber Chicken Festival, which sounds similar to GI. 

Blog Post #10

Interviews with Kathy Cassidy

Kathy Cassidy with her book, Connected from the Start

 In the three interview videos with Kathy Cassidy, Interview 1, Interview 2, and Interview 3, many questions regarding the use of technology in the classroom were resolved. Mrs. Cassidy provided many useful techniques, in addition to various obstacles to be aware of. In her interviews, Mrs. Cassidy states that she normally has her students blog 1-2 times per week if it is a small group, or multiple times if it is a large group. An obstacle that she brought to my attention was that of parental consent. I understand this to be a moderately prominent issue in the district that I plan on teaching in. She states that to make parents more at ease she assures that students do not put their last name anywhere and she does not associate images with names. There were many different benefits as listed by Mrs. Cassidy, however, one that stood out the most to me was that creating a blog early on leads to a broader personal learning network. An additional benefit that was not discussed in the three videos, but catches my attention, is that the students will have a better understanding of technology and social media as a whole. Mrs. Cassidy stated that she recently created a Facebook, and is not very fluent with it. I find that being fluent with technology is highly important in today's society, so becoming associated at an early stage gives more time to become better acquainted with it. I also found Mrs. Cassidy's guidelines for her students' blogs to be very interesting. She not only enforces collaboration and safety, but being a "digital citizen" as well. This is vital because so many people do not think of how their comments can affect someone, and this issue should be addressed early to prevent cyber-bullying in the future. These interviews were extremely helpful and have me very excited for my future as a teacher using technology!

Project 9

Blog Post #9

What Can Teachers and Students Teach Us About Project Based Learning?

IMG SOURCE: TGC CAPSTONE

  7 Essentials for Project Based Learning

In an article by John Larmer and John R. Mergendoller, the 7 base components of PBL are described to create the perfect PBL plan.
     1: A need to know. In order for the student to become interest, the teacher must spark interest and create the "need to know." 
    2. A driving question. The driving question feeds off of the "need to know." This is the question that creates curiosity in the student's mind. 
    3.Student voice and choice. Giving the students a choice in the project helps keep interest. 
    4. 21st century skills. "A project should give students opportunities to build such 21st century skills as collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and the use of technology, which will serve them well in the workplace and life."
    5.Inquiry and Innovation. 
    6.Feedback and Revision. Given students the opportunity for revision relieves some of the pressure and giving feedback provides motivation. 
    7.Publicly Present the project. Presenting a project to a group encourages the student to assure better quality. 

Project-Based Learning for Teachers

In the video Project-Based Learning for Teachers many important aspects were covered. The main points that mean the most to me included: collaboration, communication, and critical thinking; allow students to take charge of their own learning; always have a purpose; brainstorm; meet deadlines; and refine the ending product. Each of these aspects are incredibly important for teachers to do in order to host a successful PBL lesson. 

What Motivates Students?

In the video "What motivates Students" students describe what they find important in PBL. I found this to be very important and informative. Students stated that they liked positive feedback from teachers, classroom incentives, and free-time incentives.  They also stated that their goals consisted of "wanting to do well in life, having a good career, and being able to take care of their families. This was very helpful because it gives the teacher knowledge of how to motivate the students.

High School Teachers meet the Challenges of Project Based Learning
This video shows the crossover from conventional style teaching to project based learning. This helps a lot in high school due to the inclusion of real-world problems and connections. This helps to keep motivation and make PBL exciting for not only students, but teachers as well. 

Two Students Solve the Case of the Watery Ketchup by Designing a New Cap

In this article, the reader meets two students who are currently in a PBL course. What I found the most interesting, however, is that the teacher simply gives the students the prompt "It bugs me the most when..." and allows the students to run with their response. This gives ample leeway for the students to be innovative in creating their projects and provides a real world connection. Allowing the students to choose their own topic based upon their interests keeps motivation in the forefront of their minds. 

Project 13

Is it Magnetic?

Image Source: Texas Watchdog

This project teaches students in second grade the difference between magnetic and nonmagnetic objects. This project also teaches students how to work collaboratively to complete research and writing assignments in a timely manner,

Is it Magnetic? Lesson Plan
Is it Magnetic? Lesson Calendar
Is it Magnetic? Project/Evaluation Rubrics
Is it Magnetic? Project Checklist

VIrtual Poster Sample (Included at end of Lesson Plan)

Blog Post #8

For this weeks assignment we have been instructed to watch Randy Pausch: The Last Lecture, and I have to admit, Randy Pausch definitely knows what he is talking about. Not only is he a phenomenal inspiration, but a great teacher to say the least. Throughout his lecture, I learned many things regarding teaching and learning. What stuck out the most to me was his story regarding setting the bar. As a teacher, we never know exactly where the bar is. I found it to be great advice that his mentor told him to say "You can do better." He is right. While we may not know exactly where the bottom bar is, we will never know where the top bar is. It is our job as teachers to motivate our students to reach their highest potential. The best way to do that is to not give them a "maximum."

Video courtesy of YouTube.

C4T #2

Emailed Mr. Tashbin regarding first C4T

For my second post in this series, I was asked to comment on the blog DML Central under the author Howard Rheingold's post "KitHub Designed to Empower Young Innovators." I found this post to be very interesting, as it discusses a monthly subscription box available to the younger generations as well as schools. Within this box is a technology-accompanied experiment that can be conducted at home. Rheingold does a phenomenal job of describing the box, in addition to, providing a one-on-one interview with one of the designers from KitHub, Tara Tiger Brown. You can even view the video here!  I told Rheingold about my astonishment with these boxes alongside my love for the idea of "monthly boxes."

Project 7 Part B

To Students


















To Parents

Blog Post #7

Technology in the Classroom

In the video We All Become Learners I found it very interesting as Michelle Bennett discussed how a kindergarten student taught her something about technology in the midst of her teaching the student something with the iPad. Although we are teachers, we are also learners. Although we as teachers can spend time trying to catch up on technology, students have more time and more curiosity. I agree with Michelle Bennett on the aspect of "barriers going down" when students assist teachers. I love that the barrier can now be removed, as it creates a better environment for the students. Students are there to learn, but they are also there to teach. Without students present to assist teachers in ever-evolving subjects such as technology, teachers may not be presented with the opportunity to learn about the changing technology. 

Using iMovie and the Alabama Virtual Library in Kindergarten is an interview with John Strange, Michelle Bennett, and Elizabeth Davis. Bennett discusses how students use iMovie/iTrailer to complete a book project in the kindergarten classroom. I find this incredibly interesting because I know of many college level students that cannot efficiently do this, but the five and six year old students can do it weekly. Davis discusses Alabama Virtual Library. AVL is an easy way to do research, similar to our very own Marx Virtual Library here at the University of South Alabama. I enjoyed Davis' point on teaching kindergarten students how to virtually research anything. 

C4K February Summary

For February I was asked to follow the blog of seventh grade student, Max K. Max wrote many great posts during my time following him, and does a fantastic job at reviewing his books.

First post:
In Max's introduction post from Mr. Boylen's 7th grade Literature class, he describes his various hobbies and favorites. He introduces his friends and family. Max and I share various characteristics such as the love for reading and the liking for the color sea foam green. In my comment I reintroduced myself to Max and told him about our similarities. I also informed him about my hobbies and favorites, including my other favorite color. Max writes very well and shows an enjoyment for blogging through his detailed posts.

Second Post: 
In my second response to Max's posts I was able to catch a glimpse of what the book Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was like. Max did a great job at reviewing this book and made me really want to read it! I told Max that I too enjoyed reading J.K. Rowling's work in middle school, even if the books were hard to get into. 

Third Post:
In Max's post on the Deathly Hallows, I was given the challenge of reading the book, as he did another great review! It is clear the Max really enjoys reading, especially novels such as the Harry Potter Series. Although he will no longer be my C4K poster, I still plan on returning to his blog to read his posts!

Blog Post #6

Q & A With Anthony Capps

Image Source: Evergreen

I found all seven video-interviews with Anthony Capps to be very interesting and highly informational. The first two videos, Project Based Learning Part 1: Experiences of a Third Grade Teacher and Project Based Learning Part 2: Experiences of a Third Grade Teacher both provided information regarding using PBL in the classroom. Capps provided information on not only how he uses project based learning, but also on how teachers could improve their own PBL experiences. I agree with his point on "make it enjoyable," as I always find PBL to be just as useful as lecture and exam if the students do not find enjoyment. In the second two videos, iCurio and Discovery Education, Capps discusses two very useful search engines popular among students and educators. Both iCurio and Discovery Education give students and teacher the opportunity to search the World Wide Web with ease and security. A plus side to iCurio is that it not only searches text, but video and audio clips as well! In the fifth video, The Anthony - Strange list of Tips for Teachers Part 1, Capps provides useful "first year" advice for new teachers. I found this list to be incredibly helpful, and I hope to portray some of these characteristics  when I enter into the teaching field. One of the tips that I found to be the most useful was "Never stop learning." I feel as though some people, upon becoming a teacher, assume that they learned everything they needed to know in college; however, I have been told by many current teachers that is untrue. As the world and ways of teaching evolve, you as the teacher don't need to adapt in your set ways, but open your mind to the new methods. In the sixth video, Don't Teach Tech-Use it, Capps informs the audience that his third grade classs has the ability to efficiently use iMovie on their own. The surprising side? They taught themselves! Capps believes, according to his video, that you cannot simply teach technology, but you can incorporate in and engage the students in hands on learning. In the final video, General Thought About Lessons, Anthony explains the importance of creating a lesson, in that we must take an overall look at the grade's objective, not just at the little pieces. Planning should be consistent for an entire lesson week and not vary drastically day to day. I never thought of it this way, and I am glad that has been brought to my attention.

Project #7

My sentence

My Passion

C4K #2

Guitar image from Max's blog

In Max's introduction post from Mr. Boylen's 7th grade Literature class, he describes his various hobbies and favorites. He introduces his friends and family. Max and I share various characteristics such as the love for reading and the liking for the color sea foam green. In my comment I reintroduced myself to Max and told him about our similarities. I also informed him about my hobbies and favorites, including my other favorite color. Max writes very well and shows an enjoyment for blogging through his detailed posts. Above is an image from Max's post. He chose this image because of his love for playing the guitar.

Blog Post #5

Personal Learning Networks

What are Personal Learning Networks (PLN)?

A PLN is basically your own virtual basket of connections. It is an easy way to access tools, information, and assistance from other people across the World Wide Web. Your PLN can be as simple as one Twitter page, or as complex as multiple social media sites. This is a great way to connect with various people of various backgrounds and degree levels. 

How can they help you as a teacher?

One of the main duties as a teacher is to collaborate and research with fellow teachers. Just as each student is different, each teacher is different and provides a different method of teaching. Using the resource of a PLN can help you to locate new teaching methods, resources, and studies. PLN can lead you to new information, new studies, and new collaborators. PLN also give way for you as a teacher to receive assistance from peers. 

How are they formed?

There are many ways to form a PLN. The easiest way is to create a social media page or site such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Tumblr, etc. I personally began with LinkedIn years ago. The plus side to using LinkedIn, as well as Twitter, is that they will provide suggestions for "people to follow" based on your personal information and posts. This is a quick and easy way to expand multiple connections in a short amount of time. 

How can you create your own PLN?

I have already begun my PLN through the creation of  Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. I will, however, research other social media to create. I also plan on creating a Symbaloo account to keep track of my various accounts and tools. 

Symbaloo Screenshot

Who will be the first additions to you PLN?

Luckily, I began early with my PLN. My first few additions included Edutopia, various teachers from my local school district, and the University of South Alabama College of Education. My PLN has expanded, especially recently, as I have now added each of my professors, and their followers as well. 

C4T Summary 1

Middle School Matrix is a phenomenal blog written by Hadley Ferguson. In her blog, Ferguson provides various resources and lessons for fellow teachers to use in their own classroom.

C4T #1 Comment 1
Ferguson's most recent post is regarding "Student Superpowers." In this post, she gives a great first-week activity that helps her get to know the students, and also gives the students the opportunity to anonymously share information. For this assignment Ferguson told her class to write down one superpower they wish they had to help them with school, and post it to the bulletin board. The reviews brought forth by the students were great, and she described it as a personal learning opportunity as well. In my first comment I introduced myself and reviewed the idea of Student Superpowers. Of course, I LOVED it! I mentioned that I plan on using this idea in my future classroom.

C4T #1 Comment 2
In Mrs. Ferguson's second post she describes a part of her "Identity Project" where she gives her students four minutes of alone time. During this time students were asked to find a space in the room away from everyone where they could sit quietly for 4 minutes. She said that the end result was great as the students never realized how much you could think of in four minutes. In my response to this post, I told Mrs. Ferguson how I admired her projects. I also incorporated some of my own knowledge by mentioning my observation of students who have the opportunity to work creatively with personal reflection. When students are allowed to use their creativity, you tend to achieve more involvement.

I have thoroughly enjoyed Mrs. Ferguson's posts, and I intend on continuing my reading.

Project #15

Educational Search Engines

Educational search engines come in great hand when working on projects, or any activity that may require credible sources. Here are eight useful search engines for a variety of educational activities. 

1. WolframAlpha.com

Wolfram Alpha is a great all-around search engine. Bright colors and a simple interface make the site user friendly; while features such as the problem generator assist with homework in subjects such as mathematics. 

2. iSeek.com

iSeek provides users with easy-to-access peer-edited content. While the site appears slightly outdated, the information is easy to find and reliable. 

3. WorldCat.org

World Cat is not as user-friendly as Wolfram Alpha, however, does provide with a large selection of books from various virtual libraries. World Cat users have access to ebooks, audiobooks, books, DVDs, and CDs with a simple keyword entry. 

4. Jurn.org

Jurn has an incredibly user-friendly interface powered by Google Custom Search. The website is welcoming and provides users to custom access in Arts, Humanities, Business, Ecology, Science, and Biomedical subjects. Materials found include peer-reviewed articles, chapters, and theses. 

5. MathGuide.com

While not very user-friendly, Math Guide gives teachers and students resources to the multiple categories of mathematics. This includes lessons, test prep, and calculators. 

6. HistoryBuff.com

History Buff gives students and teachers access to lessons and resources for every age of history; in addition to state facts for each of the 50 United States. This site is credible and fairly easy to use. 

7. RefSeek.com

RefSeek is similar to sites #1 and #2, as it is also a peer-review search site. The site is very easy to use and has a clean appearance. An additional feature of RefSeek is the option to click on a "suggested item" to learn about. This regenerates each time the page is refreshed, so there is always the opportunity to learn about a new topic. 

8. ScienceResearch.com

Science research is a great site for finding any information that falls into the broad field of science. The site is clean and simple, giving it an easy to read appearance. 

Blog Post #4

Asking Questions: What questions do we ask? How do we ask?

I. Why do we ask questions? Answered by Ben Johnson on Edutopia

       a. To spark interest

       b. To solve any misunderstanding

       c. To check student progress on the topic

II. How do we ask questions?

       a. Three steps outlined by Maryellen Weimer, PhD in Faculty Focus

       b. Open ended and engaging

III. Check out these videos for additional information on asking questions in the classroom:

                  Open Ended Questions

                  Asking Better Questions

                  Questioning Styles and Strategies

      

 Asking questions is a proven part of effective teaching; however, not all questions contribute to this effectiveness. Often teachers are found asking students questions that confuse the students or, even worse, close out the opportunity for further explanation. It is important to provide the students with a question that can be answered in a manner that will spark additional interest, in addition to, settling any confusion regarding the lesson. 

Checking understanding is one of the main reason teachers must ask questions, as this "benefits the teacher more than the student," (The Right Way to Ask Questions in the Classroom). In addition to checking for understanding, questions also spark interest and solve any unspoken questions for other students. According to Ben Johnson, a commonly asked question is "Does everybody understand?" While this may seem like a harmless question, we are only providing our students with a yes or no response option, if they even choose to respond. 

How we ask our questions and what questions we ask alter the outcome of what the student may gain from the lesson being taught. Maryellen Weimer, PhD provides us with three ways to improve our questioning strategies. Step one is to prepare your questions ahead of time. Preparation not only keeps you on track, but also keeps you from missing a vital point in the lesson. Secondly, it is important to "play with" questions. Don't just simply ask questions, provide an entertaining and educational way of getting students involved. This can be as simple as placing the questions on a poster or PowerPoint to attract the students visually and intellectually. Lastly, Weimer advises us to preserve our good questions. When a good question is asked, it engages the students and may even provide the students with an additional lesson. It is important to save these questions, as they can be revised and added to for future classes. 

Questions asked in the classroom should not be yes or no, but open-ended. Open ended questions give the opportunity for discussion, and possibly a different perspective for students whom were unable to grasp the concept originally. Open ended questions also give the teacher the ability to check the progress of her class, and possibly learn something as well. 

Teachers in the classroom are not only there to educate, but to be educated; and the best way for this to happen is through questions. Not just any questions, but effective questions. To find more information on how to ask questions, check out these educational blogs: 

Asking Questions to Improve Learning

Teaching Students to Ask Their Own Questions

Blog Post #3

Peer Editing

I. What is Peer Editing?

           •Reviewing work by your peers and providing constructive criticism in a positive manner. 

II. Peer Editing with Perfection Tutorial

           •3 Steps

                1. Compliments

                2. Suggestions

                3. Corrections

III. Writing Peer Review, Top 10 Mistakes

           • Don't be afraid to edit, but also don't "over-edit!" Be nice!

Peer editing is reviewing work written by your peers by checking for grammar, spelling, and structural issues. Throughout each of the presentations listed above, three main concepts are consistent. The first step to peer editing is to provide compliments. Compliments can be anything from, "I really liked this paragraph!" to, "Your choice of the word ____ was a great decision!" Being positive is not only necessary in the beginning, but also throughout the criticism. 

Suggestions and corrections are the main concept of peer editing. It is especially important to remain positive during this step as not to offend your peer. Providing comments  such as "This part was great; however, adding _____ gives the sentence more flair," is helpful, but not offensive. Writing positive suggestions is more likely to encourage the student to consider the changes. When suggesting corrections directly onto the work, it is important to use proper editing marks as shown below. Proper editing marks, best made in red ink, are universal and easy to read and understand.

Peer review is essential to good writing, and being an effective editor can be of great help. A good tip to remember is, "Review others as you would have them review to you!"

Photo Source: Papershelm4.blog.de

Blog Post #2

1. 

Response to Mr. Dancealot

                     ♦Mr. Dancealot teaches via PowerPoint for a physical dancing class

                           -Students appear confused

                    ♦Mr. Dancealot give the students a practical exam in a course he has only taught through                      lecture.

                           -Students do not perform correctly

The central message of Mr. Dancelot seems to be that as a teacher, it is your responsibility to coordinate your teaching style to the subject being taught. One cannot teach a dance class in the same manner as an arithmetic course and vise-versa. The author makes this case in numerous ways. First of all, the author shows the viewer the confusion the students are experiencing as the teacher begins the course with a power point based syllabus. Secondly, the teacher failed to properly demonstrate the dance moves, leaving the students with only the power-point to learn from. Last of all, the teacher taught in lecture format the entire course and then provided the students with a physical final exam. The students were unable to perform as the teacher expected due to a lack of hands-on demonstration.  I completely agree with the author’s conclusion, as I have been in the student’s situation myself. I know that I have a hard time learning without hands-on instruction, and I can see where those students would have difficulty as well.

2. 

Response to Teaching in the 21st Century by Kevin Roberts

Outline:

I.                    Teaching facts only has become obsolete.

a.       Students can find information virtually anywhere.

                                                               i.      Google

                                                             ii.      Youtube

                                                            iii.      Facebook

                                                           iv.      Blogs

                                                             v.      Ipods    

                                                           vi.      Cell Phones

                                                          vii.      Wikipedia

                                                        viii.      Twitter

II.                  Shouldn’t teachers be more focused on teaching skills?

a.       Validating

b.      Synthesizing

c.       Leveraging

d.      Communicating

e.      Problem Solving

III.                Teaching how to use technology by using technology has become almost a necessity.

a.       Teachers often think that teaching with technology is the source of negative behavior.

                                                               i.      It is not.

1.       The lesson must be relevant, challenging, and engaging.

a.       Engaging and entertaining are not the same thing.

                                                                                                                                       i.      Entertaining is passive, for enjoyment, and provides short-term results.

                                                                                                                                     ii.      Engagement is active, for learning, and provides long-term results.

I firmly believe in Robert’s point regarding modern teaching. The role of a teacher, and the method of teaching, as completely altered of the course of many years. Teachers no longer teach just the facts, as many students have access to the internet for all unknown answers. I feel that everyone in today’s society needs to have some form of technology literacy, and we as teachers, should start with that in the classroom. Teachers—that have not already done so—should incorporate technology in any way possible. Not only does it build on the students level of technology understanding, but also provides a whole new level of engagement for the student. Students today are constantly engulfed in many aspects of technology. Due to this, teachers should adhere to the interest of the student to better engage them. I plan on incorporating as much technology as I can into my lessons as a teacher, especially in the elementary setting.

3. 

Response to The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler.

                

                ♦Connectivism:
                                 -Learning is based off of networking with a variety of sources through                                                   technology.

                ♦An American Psyche student uses a series of networking tools to research for a project.

                                -Blogging

                                -Commenting

                                -Podcasts

                                -ITunesU

                                -RSS Reader

                                -Video Sharing

                                -Voice Threads

                ♦Information management will be a challenge for the 21^st century.

                ♦Why does the student need a teacher?

                                -To teach the student how to utilize his sources and information.

                                -How to organize information gathered.

The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler is a video clip that portrays how the modern day student in a textbook-free class can perform research. In addition to the student’s method of researching, the video also shows how a teacher, even when not teaching facts, is a necessity. The Networked Student shows the path of a student who begins his research with a search for a peer review, and summarizes it with classes via iTunesU. Upon watching this video, I was honestly stunned. I have blogged before, and I have also read peer reviews; however, I never would have thought to share my peer review findings and use those shared by others. I did not know that networking could be so useful.  In the video, the author asks, “Why does the student need a teacher?” The response of which the author provided was that the student needs a teacher to not only educate the student on utilizing his sources and findings, but organizing them as well. This is very true! While anyone can Google information, not everyone knows how to store the findings for later reference. This is an important tool that, thankfully, I was taught by my teachers.

               

4. 

Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts by Vicki Davis

                ♦Westbrook High School Class on technology

                                -Students wrote blogs and created avatars for a digital program

                                -Connected them to people across the world

                                -Connected a rural town in Georgia to places like Qatar

                ♦Davis believes students should be thinkers.

                                -Research words they are unaware of

                ♦Students enjoy using the technology

Harness Your Student’s Digital Smarts by Vicki Davis is a movie that shows how technology in the classroom has become an effective method of teaching. Davis, a teacher at Westbrook High School, incorporates blogging and digital design into her daily lesson in order to connect her students to the world. Davis believes that networking through technology is an important aspect of society today, and it starts with students. Throughout her video, Davis mentions that she expects her students to be thinkers,, and she expects them to use technology for tasks such as searching a word for its definition. I agree with Davis’ method of teaching, especially after hearing the responses from her students. I enjoyed seeing students engaged in their work with honest interest as opposed to doing the work simply to earn a grade.

5. 

Response to: Who’s Ahead in the Learning Race by Dr, John H. Strange

                  ♦Students in first grade classroom participate in technologically advanced activities that                          both undergraduate and graduate students have difficulty performing. 

                                -Effectively using Google Drive

                 ♦ Students in a Kindergarten classroom use technology to a degree, with undergraduate                           and graduate students performing at the same level.

                               -Voice recording and playback

                 ♦Students in a third grade classroom successfully use Macbook Air's to create movies and                     perform tasks; whereas graduate and undergraduate students have a difficult time                                 operating the devices.

                 ♦Dr. Strange questions "Who is ahead in the learning race?"

                             -First grade and hird grade classes can successfully utilize more technology than                                    students of undergraduate and graduate status can. 

Who's ahead in the Learning Race, a movie by Dr. John H. Strange, addresses the technological evolvement of elementary classrooms. I believe that elementary students are miles and counting ahead of undergraduate and graduate students in the field of technology. I believe this because while we (undergraduate students) have the ability to learn these new innovations, not everyone has the motivation. Additionally, even if we do eventually pick up on each of these advancements, we will still have less time involved with them, as elementary students are already incredibly savvy.

 6. 

Response to : Flipping the Classroom:

                  ♦Flipping the Classroom is the process of giving students virtual homework to prepare                           them for the following day's lesson.

                                 -Students view a video at home about the lesson so that they may come to class                                      with questions the following day. 

                 ♦Encourages students to become more engaged with their schoolwork

                                 -Prepares the students for questions so that lesson time is not wasted the                                                 following day. 

Flipping the classroom is the process of giving students a video to watch for homework to prepare them for the following day's lessson. This allows the student to come to class he following day with some knowledge of the subject to be taught in addition to the oppurtunity for questions to be answered. This specific classroom began to "flip" the classroom after weeks of tradiitonal lecture. Flipping the classroom is new in the sense that I have never been in a classroom in the process of being “flipped.” I have been enrolled in both blended (already flipped classes) and traditional lecture-style classes. This approach is very useful and much easier on the student and parent than an already “flipped” classroom. By introducing it to the parents after traditional instruction has already taken place, it gives the parent a margin for learning the process as opposed to jumping right into advanced learning. I do intend on using this strategy as a teacher due to the lack of technology literacy in society. This method will not only assist the students in becoming more technologically involved, but the parents as well.