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.