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Sunday, December 8, 2013

Project #14

Native Americans
Author: Phillip Hall
Students will make a slideshow about an Indian Tribe using Google Drive and present it at the end of the week. Students will be assigned a different Native American Indian Tribe to present (Apache, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and more). Presentation should include important facts the tribe was known for. Students will spend four days of the week researching and developing their presentations and present the final day of the week. Students will reasearch through websites (iCurio, Discovery Education, YouTube, ect..) Students will use the Smartboard to show their presentation.

Project Overview

Rubric

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Project #15

dance revolution
This is a 8th grade Physical Education dance project based lesson plan. "Dance Revolution" is the title of this project. The object of this lesson plan is for students to learn era, who invented, and.... Students will be split into groups of ten, and each group will discuss the type of dance they were assigned. Students then will research and develop a dance routine to perform. Then they will record and upload their dance to YouTube. My rubric and lesson plan are in the links below!

Rubric
Project Overview

Blog Post #16: Final Reflection

I love PE
Author: Phillip Hall
After reading my first blog post, its not much that I would change in my teaching style but more of what I would emphasize while teaching. After learning so much about Project Based Learning (PBL)in EDM 310, it would be most beneficial to incorporate this technique into any general education classroom. However, as a Physical Educator I feel that it wouldn't benefit my teaching as much as a general education classroom due to the classroom setting and course material being taught. However, I would still find ways to use PBL in my classroom. The teaching style I would focus more on would have to be the third style I chose in my first blog post, which was the reciprocal style of teaching. The reciprocal style is more student-centered. This style allows students to give feedback while observing their classmates perform a skill. The feedback is rather they performed the skill properly or how they can perform it better. EDM 310 has encouraged me to want to use and enjoy the use of technology in the classroom. I've learned so many different tools and fun technology that could be used to make PE more enjoyable to students who might find PE distasteful. As an end result, I definitely will incorporate technology into my classroom. The different types of technology tools that I've learned to incorporate in a PE classroom are: Wii Fit, iPads, Flip Cameras, YouTube, Heart Rate Monitors, Pedometer (step counters), Digital Jump ropes, Exercise DVDs, and many other types of fun technology. I will not be a teacher that simply throws a ball out and tell the kids to play but rather a teacher that teaches the skill, practices the skill and observes to ensure accuracy. My students will learn from different methods and how to use the different types of technology I plan to incorporate in my lessons. They will learn from me and also learn from their classmates. My students will learn skills/activities that they probably would not learn as well in another physical education class. Physical education was my favorite subject in grade school and I plan to make every student I teach feel the same way as I did growing up. The students in my class will say that I was their favorite teacher and my class was their favorite class.

Final Reflection Video

Friday, December 6, 2013

Blog Post #15

What assistive technologies are available to you as a teacher? Select a few and discuss how they may be useful to you. -Dr. Strange Assistive Technologies for Vision and Hearing Impaired Children Author: Brylyn Cowling Teach, Guide, Inspire In this YouTube video, hearing and vision impairment is the main topic. This video asks questions such as the following: Are you doing enough to support these students? Are you prepared? It is so important for students with vision and hearing impairments to be given the opportunity to interact with their environment. Assistive technologies for the vision and hearing impaired include the following: text to speech devices, speech to text devices, talking calculators, iPads, iPods, screen magnifiers, and many more. When I become a professional educator, it will be my job to ensure that all of my students, regardless of their disability, disorder, or impairment are given equal opportunities to learn and succeed. After doing my own research, I found an informative webpage called The Best Software and Gadgets for ADHD Students. If an attention deficit student needs assistance with school work or homework, assistive technologies can capitalize on his or her strengths while working around his or her challenges. Math software and gadgets for ADHD students help students who struggle with computing, aligning, and copying math problems on paper. Electronic math worksheet software enables students to organize and work through problems on a computer screen. Numbers that appear onscreen can be read aloud by a speech synthesizer. Products to consider for electronic worksheets include MathTalk, MathPad, and MathPad Plus. Talking calculators are also great for ADHD students. They have a built-in speech synthesizer that reads aloud each number, symbol, and operation key a students presses, as well as the answer. Reading software and gadgets for ADHD students include audio books and reading software. Writing gadgets and software for ADHD students include portable word processors, which are lightweight devices that look like a computer keyboard with a screen. They can be helpful to ADHD students that have problems with handwriting. When I become an elementary school teacher, I will have to be aware and conscience of any disabilities my students may have. It will be my job as a professional educator to support these students and provide them with the tools and resources available for them to be successful in my classroom. Below are products I found that can help students with vision or hearing impairments: Products for Independent Living, Blind, Low Vision, Deaf, or Physically Challenged-maxiaids.com Learning Ally-A national nonprofit organization that assists students that have vision impairments and students with dyslexia.

iPad
Author: Phillip Hall iPad Usage for the Blind
The iPad has many useful tools for the handicap student. The thing we enjoyed most about this video was actually watching a blind person present and give demonstrations on an actual iPad. The iPad uses voice-over, so the blind students are able to use their sense of hearing to find needed information. Using this tool seems like it will be a hard tool to navigate. It could also be a challenge in the classroom by beings disruptive, but this is what ear-phones are for. When the skill of learning to use the iPad is learned, it will enable the blind learner to explore the world. As with any new technology, for the blind or sited person, it will be hard to learn. However, after a technology is learned, we wonder how we lived without.

Teaching Mom What Her Deaf/Blind Child is Learning on The iPad
This video allows the mom of a blind student to see how assistive technology is being used to help her child learn. Mom learned a lot in the short lesson given to her on the iPad. She will better understand the difference in the way she learns and her blind child learns. As a future teacher, I will try to give myself as much practice on assistive technology tools that I can. I need to practice these tools just like the mom on the video did. I think if we as future educators teach ourselves how to use these devices, we will be able to tear down many barriers encountered by our blind/deaf students. I also feel that some of the other assistive technology learned in this assignment, will be beneficial to not only our handicap students, but also to other struggling learners. Teaching Mom Video Teaching Math to the Blind Author: Duane Nelson Art Karshmer Mathematics can be a hard subject to learn for any student especially if they are visually impaired. Art Karshmer, a professor at the University of San Francisco, made a computer based system to teach math to the blind. Karshmer explains that it is tough for an individual who is blind to learn a two dimensional mathematical problem. Understanding this problem Karshmer created the 3 Million Touchpad. This device is an automated teacher and helper designed to use braille and technology together to create a possible two dimensional learning experience. This device uses a voice touchpad and a barcode scanner to identify each number being used. Plus each piece of the touchpad is labeled in braille so that students can still have the option of reading along with voice commands. This is an excellent technological tool that can help many disabled students. National Federation of the Blind While doing my own research, I found an excellent source that is helpful to anyone who is blind or losing vision called the National Federation of the Blind. The National Federation of the Blind is the largest, oldest, and is the most influential association in the United States. The NFB offers many things to these individuals such as training programs, technology, and innovative educational opportunities. Here are some of the programs that NFB offer: Possibilities Fair for Seniors, Braille Readers Are Leaders Program, NFB-NEWSLINE®, Braille Reading Pals - Early Literacy Program, The International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind (IBTC), and many others as well. The NFB also offers many different products and technological devices that will be helpful to the blind such as Independence Market, Technology Center, Blio, Audio Newspaper Service, and the Handheld Reader. The National Federation of the Blind is an excellent source that should be used for anyone who is blind or just starting to lose their vision. Assistive Technologies for Teaching Students in Special Education Author: Victoria E. Williams
Although I have never taught in a classroom with special needs children before, I have spent my life around special needs children. Growing up with a brother who had Angelman Syndrome taught me alot about children with special needs. I know that teaching children with special needs can acquire many unique challenges. Teaching special education requires patience and a heart to work with children to meet their specific daily needs and challenges in which he/she are facing. Their are resources that are steadily available to teachers in the field of special education. Their is a page called 50 Must See Blog's For Special Education Teacher's . This page provides multiple technology resources that can enlighten the knowledge of many disabilities and how to help become the best teacher for YOUR particular students. These 50 blogs help teachers in special education with tips of advice, strategies, strengthening IEP's, and how to work well with parents. This is a fabulous resource I would highly recommend to any teacher who has a student with special needs in their classroom. There are several teachers who teach special education who write blogs to reflect on their daily habits in the classroom. These blog's can be used to provide inspiration and encouragement in the journey of teaching special education. Providing assistive technologies in the classroom for students with special needs could enhance the learning that takes place. Many students are given a better opportunity to learn when given assistive technology. Honestly, it depends on the student. My brother for example, would have been more stimulated by being given time to watch a movie in the classroom. My brother was very severe and had a very low IQ. Student's who are autistic, attention-deficit hyper disorder, or even cerebral palsy would benefit from using an iPad in the classroom to learn, as well as other technological resources. It is important to learn to accommodate the students in YOUR particular classroom. Students with special needs all have different challenges that need to be met, learning these challenges and how to blend them all to be successful in the classroom is of the utter-most importance. It takes special teacher's to teach special children! This blog was written in loving memory of Joshua James Bingham (Brother of Victoria Williams)who has Angelman Syndrome. Joshua gained his wings on November 4, 2013. I am so thankful to have had 17 wonderful years with my precious brother!

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Blog Post 15

What assistive technologies are available to you as a teacher? Select a few and discuss how they may be useful to you. -Dr. Strange Assistive Technologies for Vision and Hearing Impaired Children Author: Brylyn Cowling Teach, Guide, Inspire In this YouTube video, hearing and vision impairment is the main topic. This video asks questions such as the following: Are you doing enough to support these students? Are you prepared? It is so important for students with vision and hearing impairments to be given the opportunity to interact with their environment. Assistive technologies for the vision and hearing impaired include the following: text to speech devices, speech to text devices, talking calculators, iPads, iPods, screen magnifiers, and many more. When I become a professional educator, it will be my job to ensure that all of my students, regardless of their disability, disorder, or impairment are given equal opportunities to learn and succeed. After doing my own research, I found an informative webpage called The Best Software and Gadgets for ADHD Students. If an attention deficit student needs assistance with school work or homework, assistive technologies can capitalize on his or her strengths while working around his or her challenges. Math software and gadgets for ADHD students help students who struggle with computing, aligning, and copying math problems on paper. Electronic math worksheet software enables students to organize and work through problems on a computer screen. Numbers that appear onscreen can be read aloud by a speech synthesizer. Products to consider for electronic worksheets include MathTalk, MathPad, and MathPad Plus. Talking calculators are also great for ADHD students. They have a built-in speech synthesizer that reads aloud each number, symbol, and operation key a students presses, as well as the answer. Reading software and gadgets for ADHD students include audio books and reading software. Writing gadgets and software for ADHD students include portable word processors, which are lightweight devices that look like a computer keyboard with a screen. They can be helpful to ADHD students that have problems with handwriting. When I become an elementary school teacher, I will have to be aware and conscience of any disabilities my students may have. It will be my job as a professional educator to support these students and provide them with the tools and resources available for them to be successful in my classroom. Below are products I found that can help students with vision or hearing impairments: Products for Independent Living, Blind, Low Vision, Deaf, or Physically Challenged-maxiaids.com Learning Ally-A national nonprofit organization that assists students that have vision impairments and students with dyslexia.

iPad
Author: Phillip Hall iPad Usage for the Blind
The iPad has many useful tools for the handicap student. The thing we enjoyed most about this video was actually watching a blind person present and give demonstrations on an actual iPad. The iPad uses voice-over, so the blind students are able to use their sense of hearing to find needed information. Using this tool seems like it will be a hard tool to navigate. It could also be a challenge in the classroom by beings disruptive, but this is what ear-phones are for. When the skill of learning to use the iPad is learned, it will enable the blind learner to explore the world. As with any new technology, for the blind or sited person, it will be hard to learn. However, after a technology is learned, we wonder how we lived without.

Teaching Mom What Her Deaf/Blind Child is Learning on The iPad
This video allows the mom of a blind student to see how assistive technology is being used to help her child learn. Mom learned a lot in the short lesson given to her on the iPad. She will better understand the difference in the way she learns and her blind child learns. As a future teacher, I will try to give myself as much practice on assistive technology tools that I can. I need to practice these tools just like the mom on the video did. I think if we as future educators teach ourselves how to use these devices, we will be able to tear down many barriers encountered by our blind/deaf students. I also feel that some of the other assistive technology learned in this assignment, will be beneficial to not only our handicap students, but also to other struggling learners. Teaching Mom Video Teaching Math to the Blind Author: Duane Nelson Art Karshmer Mathematics can be a hard subject to learn for any student especially if they are visually impaired. Art Karshmer, a professor at the University of San Francisco, made a computer based system to teach math to the blind. Karshmer explains that it is tough for an individual who is blind to learn a two dimensional mathematical problem. Understanding this problem Karshmer created the 3 Million Touchpad. This device is an automated teacher and helper designed to use braille and technology together to create a possible two dimensional learning experience. This device uses a voice touchpad and a barcode scanner to identify each number being used. Plus each piece of the touchpad is labeled in braille so that students can still have the option of reading along with voice commands. This is an excellent technological tool that can help many disabled students. National Federation of the Blind While doing my own research, I found an excellent source that is helpful to anyone who is blind or losing vision called the National Federation of the Blind. The National Federation of the Blind is the largest, oldest, and is the most influential association in the United States. The NFB offers many things to these individuals such as training programs, technology, and innovative educational opportunities. Here are some of the programs that NFB offer: Possibilities Fair for Seniors, Braille Readers Are Leaders Program, NFB-NEWSLINE®, Braille Reading Pals - Early Literacy Program, The International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind (IBTC), and many others as well. The NFB also offers many different products and technological devices that will be helpful to the blind such as Independence Market, Technology Center, Blio, Audio Newspaper Service, and the Handheld Reader. The National Federation of the Blind is an excellent source that should be used for anyone who is blind or just starting to lose their vision. Assistive Technologies for Teaching Students in Special Education Author: Victoria E. Williams
Although I have never taught in a classroom with special needs children before, I have spent my life around special needs children. Growing up with a brother who had Angelman Syndrome taught me alot about children with special needs. I know that teaching children with special needs can acquire many unique challenges. Teaching special education requires patience and a heart to work with children to meet their specific daily needs and challenges in which he/she are facing. Their are resources that are steadily available to teachers in the field of special education. Their is a page called 50 Must See Blog's For Special Education Teacher's . This page provides multiple technology resources that can enlighten the knowledge of many disabilities and how to help become the best teacher for YOUR particular students. These 50 blogs help teachers in special education with tips of advice, strategies, strengthening IEP's, and how to work well with parents. This is a fabulous resource I would highly recommend to any teacher who has a student with special needs in their classroom. There are several teachers who teach special education who write blogs to reflect on their daily habits in the classroom. These blog's can be used to provide inspiration and encouragement in the journey of teaching special education. Providing assistive technologies in the classroom for students with special needs could enhance the learning that takes place. Many students are given a better opportunity to learn when given assistive technology. Honestly, it depends on the student. My brother for example, would have been more stimulated by being given time to watch a movie in the classroom. My brother was very severe and had a very low IQ. Student's who are autistic, attention-deficit hyper disorder, or even cerebral palsy would benefit from using an iPad in the classroom to learn, as well as other technological resources. It is important to learn to accommodate the students in YOUR particular classroom. Students with special needs all have different challenges that need to be met, learning these challenges and how to blend them all to be successful in the classroom is of the utter-most importance. It takes special teacher's to teach special children! This blog was written in loving memory of Joshua James Bingham (Brother of Victoria Williams)who has Angelman Syndrome. Joshua gained his wings on November 4, 2013. I am so thankful to have had 17 wonderful years with my precious brother!

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Blog Post #14

teasher with ipad
1. First watch Helena Baert's video Technology in PE
2. What are some technological tools Physical Educators can incorporate in their class, and what are the benefits?
Answers to part 2.
Pedometers and Accelerometers. These are great tools to incorporate into physical education classes. Pedometers and Accelerometers count the steps students take each day and motivates them to adopt a more physical lifestyle. These are wonderful tools to connect the students with other subjects, such as math or geometry.
Heart Rate Monitors and Pulse Sticks. Heart Rate Monitors and Pulse Sticks are important tools to show students how unique their bodies are and how different we all are from our peers! These tools are great to teach the students what exercises and different physical activities help increase the heart rate, resulting in calories burned. The sooner educators can incorporate pulse sticks the quicker they can be introduced to more advanced heart monitors.
Active Gaming & Excergaming. Examples of these tools are Wii Fit, and X-box Kinect. These devices make exercising more enjoyable for students who rather play video games than play outdoors. Using the Wii Fit for physical educational purposes helps students increase coordination.

3.Pick a sport you enjoy playing or watching and find ways of incorporating technology into that particular sport to make it more health related, or beneficial. Also find a video example of how it can be incorporated.

Answers to part 3.
The sport I enjoy both playing and watching is basketball. There are many ways to incorporate technology into basketball and make it beneficial for the participants. As a future basketball coach I plan on using pedometers to track the distance my players run during practice so I can gradually increase the running to maximize the amount of running I can get out my players. Another technological tool I plan to use are flip cams, ipad or some type of video capturing device. This would be the most beneficial technological tool for my players. Using video is a critical part for critiquing a players movements/actions while at practice or during a game. Watching video of a previous game is important to get an understanding of what the players could have done better and correcting the mistakes. The last type of technology I plan on incorporating into my basketball team is YouTube. YouTube is a great way to broadcast special talent to the world to see. This gives a student athlete free promotion to showcase his or her talent to colleges and scouts around the world which could lead to scholarships from colleges around the world.
Video Example. This is a video of some young basketball talent showcasing their ability to the world. Their dad coaches them and records every practice and workout he puts them through to perfect their work habit and knowledge of the game. They call themselves "Shift Team," the father critiques their skills by use of video then uploads the videos to YouTube to encourage scholarship offers due to their hard work ethic. By watching the videos at home the players can see what needs more practice and what not to do in the game. This is a prime example of using technology in the game of basketball.

Project #10 Movie Interview

Project 12 Part B Smartboard

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Blog Post 13

Education legend Sir Ken Robinson picked the talks he loves - all full of insight, bright ideas, and of course, creativity. What can we learn from these TED talks? -Dr. Strange Shane Koyczan: “To This Day...for the bullied and beautiful” Author: Brylyn Cowling Before you speak, think! Shane Koyczan’s "To This Day...for the bullied and beautiful" is so powerful. The main topic of discussion is about bullying. He mentions that when we are very young, we are expected to define ourselves, or others will. Isn’t this the way it works? If you aren’t bold in who you are, won’t others define us with terms and stereotypes that may not apply to who we actually are? When this happens, how do we stand up for ourselves when we do not even know who we are yet as a person? Who I am now is not who I was in high school. Who I am now will not be who I am in 10 years. Life is a growing experience. A physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual growing experience. Why is it that we start at such a young age being so critical of one another? Is it a learned behavior? Is it in our genetic makeup to be so critical? Who are we to judge one another? Don’t we all have faults? We are none by zero means perfect, so why is the human race like this? We are asked at a very young age what we want to be when we grow up. People ask you this question, and then shoot down your dreams and aspirations. Why are dreams so easily dismissed? What is it about our dreams that are so wrong? Children and young adults should be encouraged to dream and aspire to be whatever they are passionate about. Something very interesting and enlightening Shane mentions is that we grew up to cheer on the underdog because we often see ourselves in them. Isn’t this true? I can reflect back on so many instances when I stood up for someone because I could see myself in their struggles and pain. I could, at times, relate to what they were going through. What did I learn from this TED Talk? Most importantly, I learned to be encouraging. I will have to encourage my students to stand with me in putting an end to bullying. I will have to positively encourage each of my students to be creative and to DREAM. I will have to be sensitive to each of my students’ needs. Students are forced to come to school to learn content required by the state. Not only do I want my students to be educated in Mathematics, Science, Language Arts, the Arts, Technology, etc., I want my students to be educated in how to be a compassionate human being in our diverse society. I want to teach my students the importance of respect for others and themselves, self-worth, and discipline. Wow! Our society has a long ways to go, but the change in our society begins with me. “If you can’t see anything beautiful about yourself, get a better mirror, look a little closer, stare a little longer, because there’s something inside you that made you keep trying despite everyone who told you to quit.” -Shane Koyczan Mae Jemison: Teach Arts and Sciences Together Author: Victoria E. Williams
Albert Einstein once said “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. Mae Jemison is a very ambitious individual who is an astronaut, a doctor, an art collector, and a dancer. Jemison inspires educators to create bold thinkers through merging the two subjects of art, and science together. Through TED talk Mae Jemison: Teach arts and science together she explains her perception of education from telling her own experiences and from her time spent in space. Educators job is to lay the foundation of our students to prepare them for the jobs of the future. If we are teaching material in an insufficient manner we are lacking in the efforts to prepare our students to be successful. Who does not want to be creative, or logical? Of Course, everyone desires to be creative and logical! These are two characteristics that correlate to each other when merging arts and sciences together. Mae Jemison said, “The imagination and creativity that it takes to launch a rocket ship, is the same imagination and creativity it takes to carve a piece of wood.” If we want to inspire our students to be the future of tomorrow we should think about the way our education is being taught today. Jemison described it best when she said, “Science provides an understanding of universal experience and arts provides a universal understanding of a personal experience.” As future educators we need to begin revitalizing the sciences and arts in the educational system. Jemison said, “My chemistry teacher use to hold up a ball and would say this ball has potential energy, but nothing will happen to it until I drop it and it changes states.” Nothing will happen until we risk taking chances and change the way we are teaching arts and science’s in education. We need to forget being fearful of failure, and become daring teachers who are willing to make risks to conquer true success of the education our students deserve! I believe that teachers should integrate art into every subject, not just science. If art was integrated into more subject areas student’s would be more interested in the material that was being presented to them. Yes, our philosophy of the way science is being taught needs improvement. I do believe that blending art into science will provide a better understand for students, but I think that integrating arts in every subject could shed light and create a more engaged learning process for every subject that is being taught. I have never taught in a classroom before, but I still believe that to be a successful teacher one must be unique, daring, and fearless. A teacher must learn to adapt to her students, what works one year may not work the next. I do believe however, that when adding art and involving incorporation of art into any subject, one will never go wrong.

Shukla Bose: Teaching one child at a time
Author: Duane Nelson

Shukla Bose

Shukla Bose is founder and CEO of Parikrma Humanity Foundation. The Parikrma Humanity Foundation is a non-profit organization that runs schools for under-privileged children in India. The schools provide quality English education to children from slums and orphanages. In the beginning of Shukla starting her foundation she realized the outrageous number of children that are uneducated. In the video she states that 200 million children from the age of 4 to 14 should be going to school but are not, another 100 million children are attending school but cannot read, and 125 million cannot do basic math. Shukla states that 250 billion Indian rupees are dedicated to government schooling with 90 percent going to teacher and administrative pay. The problem with this is that India has the highest teacher absences in the world. This reflects on the children's education because 1 out of every 4 teachers do not attend school the entire year.

At the beginning of her search to better education for the children her first school consisted of 165 students in a two story building with half of a tin roof. In just six years her foundation created four schools and one junior college. This included 100,100 children out of twenty eight slums and four orphanages. Shukla's main focus is to give these children from the slums an education and a peaceful place to live. The education that these children are receiving has inspired other family members of the household to want to learn as well. Shukla and her foundation started noticing that 80 percent and sometimes even 100 percent of the parents were attending school meetings. Many of these parents showed great interest and asked for a class to learn how to read and write. With this high interest from the parents she started an after school program for the parents interested in learning to read and write. Shukla Bose and the Parikrma Humanity Foundation have already helped out countless number of people and are planning to continue in the years to come.

Charles Leadbeater: Education innovation in the slums video
Author: Phillip Hall
classroom

Charles Leadbeater's video talked about how some of the world's poorest kids are finding transformative new ways to learn. The video starts out talking about how some people have better advantage points in life, for instance a poor child vs. a privileged child in the education world. What Leadbeater means by this is, your advantage point determines what you can see. The advantages some students have basically determines everything they will see and the questions they ask will determine the answer they get. The lessons children learn in school in developing countries are not for academic purposes but how they can stay alive. Education is a global religion and EDUCATION+Technology=HOPE for students in developing worlds.

Most of the education in our society is pushed upon rather than being self-influenced. Leadbeater states that education needs to work by "pull not push" method. In order for children to stay entertained and influenced about their education they should be motivated to do so, rather than having an education forced upon them. The "pull" method influences a student who looks to sell drugs and make easy blood money through criminal activity to stay alive rather than rely on education to play a role in life. The idea of a curriculum is irrelevant to children in developing countries who may see drug dealing as a necessity to survive. Education should start with things that would make a difference to them in their lives or settings.

Motivation is the key. Learning has to be productive for it to make sense and be self influenced. There are two types of motivation: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation means that education has a payoff, but you may have to wait quite a long time for it. However, that's too long if you're poor and have daily needs to meet. Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation that comes from inside an individual rather than from any external or outside rewards, such as money or grades. Intruistic motivation is the key concept for a child seeking an education in a developing world. Developing countries use this technique to teach students essential things they need in life, for exapmple, how to make soap! Making soap is a very intrinsic way of learning.

The models that work best in the developing world are the "Chinese Restaurant Model" which uses the same principles but different applications in different settings. The Chinese model spreads vs. the "McDonald's Model which scales. Our education systems can learn more through the Chinese Model rather than using the "McDonald's model. Our systems fail to reach the people they most need to serve, they often hit the target but miss the point. Leadbeater makes a point in the presentation; We need a global wave of social entrepreneurship to create highly motivating, low cost ways to learn at scale in the developing world. The two types if basic innovation: sustaining and disruptive. Sustaining innovation sustains an existing institution and disruptive innovation breaks it apart and creates different ways of doing it. Sustaining & Disruptive can be in a formal or informal location. Our systems focus more on sustaining in formal setting and developing worlds focus on disruptive and need more reinvention. Where some of the world's poorest kids are finding transformative new ways to learn this informal, disruptive new kind of school, Leadbeater says, is what all schools need to become.Charles Leadbeater's Video

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Blog Post #12

Sir Ken Robinson: Changing Paradigms Collaborative
Sir Ken Robinson
Sir Ken points out at the beginning of his video that we are still modeling our schools from times long ago; the 19th century. A time where people grouped children as academic (smart) or non-academic (not needing to be educated and basically illiterate). He also points out that during this time,our culture was based on Enlightenment and our economy on the Industrial Revolution. He believes our current system of education is structured on another era that simply does not work for the 21st century classroom.

In the video, Sir Ken states that we must 'Change the Paradigm of believing a child is academic or non-academic. Also, that we must teach children at their ability level. He believes that our current system, working under the beliefs of the Industrial Revolution, which keeps our children from learning at their full potential. He states that students should not be taught in age levels because even though children may be the same age, their levels of intelligence and creativity are very different. He believes children learn differently and must be taught differently.

As you view the video, anyone can see that Sir Ken is not a fan of medication for ADHD students. He makes reference to ADHD as being our modern plague. We felt as though he was comparing the ADHD plague in today's society, to the culture of Enlighentment and the Industrial Revolution era. Each plague playing a disservice to our children's education. Sir Ken points out to his listeners that we are living in the most stimulating times in history, with media and different forms of technology thrown at us daily. His point is, how can we penalize a student or anyone for that matter, for having a bit of ADHD. He helps the listener understand that there has been drastic changes in society since the 19th century. Therefore, we must change our teaching habits to fit the needs of our students. I felt that this is not something we have to think about doing, it is something we have to do to meet the needs of the society we live in. Sir Ken believes ADHD is a made up epidemic and that as educators, we have to allow children to discover their creativity and learn differently. The teacher also has to be willing to teach differently, not teaching children in what he calls batches.

Sir Ken Robinson also explains the difference in Aesthetics and Anesthetics. Aesthetics is when a person's senses are operating at full peak; they are at the top of their game. Anesthetics is when a person's senses is the total opposite. The person shuts their senses down and deadens their ability to be creative. ADHD would be under the influence of anesthetics. Sir Ken makes it clear that we place too many limits on many of our students and prevent them from reaching their full potential. He states that their are so many very bright students out their that we as educators have damaged because of these limits. We do this by continuing to model our educational system by an ancient rule. We must take these limitations off and allow our students to soar; then and only then will we see change needed to embrace the 21st century classroom.

The last part of the video dealt with Sir Ken's view on standardized testing and curriculum. He believes that this is definitely not the direction we should follow. This is one of the man reasons he believe it is crucial we 'Change the Paradigms'. In this section, he explains the difference between divergent thinkers and creativity. His definition of creativity is the process of having original ideas that have value. Divergent thinking on the other hand is being able to think outside the box and have more than one answer or idea. Divergent thinking is not the same as creativity but true creativity cannot exist with it.

The thing we took most from this video, is that we as a society, especially educators, must get over our old habits. We must embrace a child's creativity, understand that students learn differently, stop using ADHD as a reason for not teaching the overstimulated student and discontinue the 19th century style of educating. How to Escape Education's Death Valley: Collaborative
Death Valley

The information I took from Sir Ken Robinson's video, is how educators have the ability to challenge student more effectively. The three principles crucial for the human mind to flourish are: 1st principal- human beings are naturally different and diverse, 2nd principal- curiosity and the 3rd Principal- human life is inherently creative.

Human beings are naturally different and diverse. Education on No Child Left Behind is based on conformity. The education is necessary but not sufficient. True education has to give equal weight on arts, humanities and physical education. Sir Ken gives a great explanation on why ADHD isn't an epidemic! He makes a valued point that if you sit a child down and give them hours of boring work, don't be surprised if they start to get frigid and rowdy! Sometimes, this is not the fault of the student, just poor teaching skills.

The second principle, Curiosity, is the engine of achievement; kids prosper best in a broad curriculum. Task vs Achievement was also discussed. Task vs Achievement: the role of a teacher is to facilitate learning. The video pointed out that testing is sometimes a problem in teaching. Standardized tests shouldn't be the dominant culture of education, they should be diagnostic. It should be used to point out a child's target areas, so the educator can form lessons that focus on these weak areas. Standardized test does not make students excited and curious about learning, they limit students to making a score rather than giving them the knowledge to applying what they've learned in the real world.

Principles three, human life is inherently creative is one of the most important principals discussed in the video, in my opinion. We create our lives and we can recreate them as we go through life. Education isn't a mechanical system, it's a human system. As a human system, individuals require different approaches to learning; people learn differently. Students should not be made to learn the same as every kid in his class or school. Mechanical systems aren't made to be individualized but a human system can helps students in more specialized ways. Ken Robinson: How to Escape Death Valley

Ken Robinson: How schools kill creativity

Ken Robinson

Ken Robinson gives a great lecture and keeps the crowd interested by being humorous. He believes all children are artistic and creative, but the problem is that we lose it growing up or it is educated out of us. There is a universal hierarchy in education; where math and languages dominate, followed by humanities, and lastly the arts. He mentions that many professors, while highly educated, only use their intelligence within their own minds. They tend to forget that intellect can exist outside of the brain. He believes that people need to be more dynamic in their learning and have original thoughts. Robinson defines creativity as being original. The school curriculum focuses on more note taking and lecturing instead of giving students the ability to think on their own. If the school curriculum focused more on Project Base Learning this would allow students the capability of using more creativity. As future educators it is our responsibility not to steal the opportunities of creativeness but allow them to explore the possibilities.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Blog Post #11

classrom
First Graders in Ms. Cassidy's Class

The video about the First Graders in Ms. Cassidy's Class, shows in a first grade class what we as college students have been learning all semester. Students in the class are experiencing technology that college students are using today. From the video, they appear to be as knowledgeable or more knowledgeable than I am with some of the technology tools discussed. These students are not only familiar with these tools, they are applying these skills within their lessons. First graders in Ms. Cassidy's class are using the following: Blogs, Smartboards, laptops, high tech headphones, Skyping, Wikis, videos and even Nintendo DS'S. The students also made reference on how to comment properly on blogs. Again, they seem to have a heads-up on us. The students in the video state that the use of different technology have made them better writers, better problem solvers and better communicators. They said that technology has even helped them share more with their classmates. The students in Ms. Cassidy's class threw a shout-out to one of our EDM 310 classes about learning ALPHABETS through WIKIS. These student are not limiting their technology abilities to only their classrooms, but also sharing it with other students across the United States and perhaps the world. They make me want to do even better in this class. I simply wish I had more time. Great video.

Skype Interview with Ms. Cassidy
The interview with Ms. Cassidy was very interesting. Ms. Cassidy's approach to the use of technology in the classroom, is similar to what we have been learning with Dr. Strange in EDM310. Ms. Cassidy's approach is to teach students technology as early as possible. She do not believe that we should wait to teach our children all the new technology that is available today. She believes as I do, since the world is changing so much, it is our responsibility as future teachers to teach our children these changes. I also agree, that we CANNOT teach our children the way we taught them even five years ago.

Ms. Cassidy believes and uses blogs in her class because she believes that the student's work is read by an audience instead of just one person, the teacher. To me, the more people commenting on a blog, the more perspectives you have about the topic. Collaborating over blogs is a great way to see how things are all over the world. For instance, events happening in the world are looked on differently in different parts of the world. I also agree that it is not just a good idea for today's teacher to be technology literate, I think it should be mandatory. I believe a teacher should have to pass a test that shows computer literacy before they are offered a job. (Did I just say that?) Since we have been blogging all semester, this is the technique I will definitely use in my class. Even though I am majoring in physical education, I think blogging and tweeting is a technique I will be able to use effectively. For instance, I will post assignment, share ideas, post important dates and group projects on my blog. I will be able to communicate with parents, peers and students; enabling me to share information at one time.

I think the impediments I may have is assessing assignment dealing with technology. I guess in this case, I will also have to use Ms. Cassidy's suggestions. I will develop a fair system of grading on collaboration. We will have to view assessment differently. To me, grading is a bit over the top anyway. I think if a person can show they know the skill, they should be given a decent grade. I can remember having to do 50 problems in math, but the teacher was assessing the same skill. Did I not grasp the concept after the fifth problem? I believe this wastes valuable time; we could have been learning the next concept/skill. I think by using Ms. Cassidy's approaches, we will not allow our students to be left behind. I think she is a teacher who wants her students to be top of their game when it comes to technology. What I worry about, is the next year's teacher. Will all the work she did in first grade go in vain? Ms. Cassidy's Class Blog

Project #13 Smartboard

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Blog Post #10

Randy Paush's Last LectureRandy Pausch Quote
After watching Randy Pausch's Last Lecture video, my first thought was of Tim McGraw's song 'Live Like You Are Dying'. The video struck so many nerves, that I truly had to reflect on my own life. The video helped me to realize that my troubles, no matter how hard they may be, are not the end of the world. What a powerful lecture.
We were asked in our blog question, to identify what Randy Pausch says about teaching and learning. To me, Randy did not list any particular teaching and learning styles in his lecture, he simply allows us to pick out throughout his lecture, the teaching and learning moments. He did this by discussing three points: childhood dreams, enabling dreams of others and through lessons learned: How you can achieve your dreams or enable the dreams of others.

The part of Randy's lecture that deals with achieving your dreams, dealt with his bucket list. He shared with the audience how he achieved his dreams. He lets us know that achieving your dreams is not easy, but with the help of others, they are definitely attainable. My take on this lecture, is that if we have dreams, we can never give up on them. Randy tells us in so many words, that we have to depend on others to help us attain our dreams. Randy makes it very clear, that we should go for our dreams no matter how hard they may seem. He believes that if they are not attained, we did our best to try to make them come true. I believe this teachable moment tells us to push our students and not allow them to take the easy way out. He makes this point clear when he speaks of his class turning in outstanding assignments and him still asking them for more. Lesson learned, push our students to their highest potential and challenge them to reach for the stars.

Another lesson we should teach our students, is Indirect Learning, so he did point out a couple of learning styles. I too think Indirect Learning has to take place before anything else. Teaching a student integrity, hope, respect and fearlessness should be taught first. Head Fake Learning is also a way we should teach our students. I believe this is how my teachers helped me learn; they gave me fun ways to figure out complicated problems; making me believe I was having fun, when I was really learning something hard. Giving a child a task and allowing them to figure it out through ways that do not feel too complicated, is when meaningful learning takes place.

Randy believes that teaching can come from everywhere and be learned from anyone. Learning should come from students, teachers, parents, everyone. He believes a teacher should give students the reign to explore their imagination and we as teachers should help them to explore it. Teachers should be able to teach to different people and that a good teacher should always be able to think like a child. I guess he means that a good teacher caters to the audience they are teaching. Other useful advice that will be useful to me as a new teacher is: to be loyal, the students advocate, not a know-it-all and be apologetic when necessary. I believe he is telling us to win our students over and we will have their respect for life. I also believe he wants us to teach our students as early as possible, in hopes that learning becomes a part of them.

Again, this was a very powerful video. It is so powerful, that I watched the 40 minute interview with Randy and Diane Sawyer. I also went back and read my blog post #1 on Randy. I did not realize his condition at the time, but after this blog/lesson, I understand blog #1 much better. Brick walls are there to weed out the people who really do not want something bad enough. A person wanting something enough, will tear down the brick wall. Well said Mr. Pausch, a great deal of respect is owed to Mr. Randy Pausch and his Last Lecture video. He is a hero in my book and I intend on being a 'Tigger Teacher' in my future classroom. If you haven't watched Randy Pausch's Last Lecture here's the video,

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Blog Post #9

Blog Post 9 Mr. Brian Crosby

”bear”

Mr. Brian Crosby is a teacher who had the same 4th graders for three years. He had them for the 4th, 5th and 6th grade years. His students are from a low economic background but were excited about learning, because of how their teacher incorporated technology. Mr. Crosby points out in his video, that some of his students were unable to answer even the most simple questions. Many of the students did not know the city, state or country they lived in, and many did not know their address or phone number. He shared this status to point out how technology has made a difference in their lives. Mr. Crosby points out that even though a narrowed curriculum is not what educators want to teach these students, that a narrowed curriculum is what these students have been living with all their lives. After watching this video, it made our group reflect on our own lives. To us, some students, who may be very intelligent will begin school at a disadvantage. We believe some students are at a disadvantage because of the lack of opportunity due to their upbringing and childhood.
Technology definitely helps students level the playing ground for the disadvantaged students. It allows students who have not had the opportunities like we have had in our lives, or will never experience trips/vacations like we have. Technology also allows his students to visit other people around the world, on topics being discussed, that will be remembered forever. After watching the section of the video on High Hopes, we know his students learned more from releasing the balloons and watching them in real time, over what they can read in a book. Active learning is what he called it, it empowers his students to be better learners. This is a learning style we all wish could’ve been available to us earlier in our grade school years. It is a learning style we definitely intend on incorporating in our future classroom. The High Hopes lesson is one that we would like to do with our future educational classes.



Blended Learning Cycle

Blended Learning Cycle

The podcast by Mr. Paul Anderson focused on the Blended Learning Cycle. Blended Learning is taking the techniques of online, mobile, and classroom learning and blending them together. The Learning Cycle is a excellent way of presenting material in a classroom by first engaging the question, then exploring upon that question, explaining the outcome of the experiment, expanding on the topic, and then reevaluate the question. When combining these two techniques at the same time it creates the Blended Learning Cycle. Anderson provides six steps that he uses in his Blended Learning Cycle. These steps are as follows:
  • Question - When presenting to the class it is best to begin with a question to hook the students focus in to the lecture.
  • Investigation/Inquiry - Teachers should allow their students time to search and experiment their topic to get a better understanding.
  • Video - Using a video instead of just lecturing allows the teacher more time to interact with the class and gives the students the opportunity to learn independently.
  • Elaboration - This allows the teacher to focus on explaining the topic more in depth.
  • Review - At this point the teacher should evaluate the students to see if they are comprehending the subject.
  • Summary Quiz - The last step is to test the students on the information they have learned to see if they understand the topic.




Mark Church is a 6th grade teacher who inspires his students to form answers to valid questions in order to promote learning. After watching Mark Church's video Making Thinking Possible it was encouraging to see how students navigated their way to find their own answers. Mr. Church chose a project for the students in order to walk them through the process of thinking through a topic. He allowed the students to split up into small groups and work on a topic that they had been discussing. The topic was where they originated from and how they got here on Earth. After being split into groups, he then asked the students to come up with a title that summed up what the students were doing. He wanted this to be a phrase that could bring the groups thought about the topic to life. Every group came up with their topic, and shared the topic with the class. Then the students were asked to begin creating the project in their groups. Mr. Church explained how much each group’s topic had changed by the end of the project. This is a prime example of how we as teachers can make thinking visible. It shows how the students got from point A to point B and formulate their own thoughts and opinions. We all thought that this particular lesson of having the students formulate something from the beginning and watching and change at the end is an excellent tool in which we plan to use in our own classroom. Mark Church's valid point of making thinking visible is a fantastic resource to see how our students will navigate themselves to their own answers. We believe that it is critical for teachers to walk students through a process similar to the one Mark Church presented.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Project #9

Blog Post #8

Blog Post #8 Finding the Right Tool
Authors: Victoria Williams, Phillip Hall, and Duane Nelson (Collaborative)

Physical Education

Blog Post 8 challenged us to find new tools and tell how we would incorporated them into our classroom as future educators. We did not realize when we began research on this project, that we would come across so many different tools that would be beneficial when teaching. Phillip had to learn how to incorporate technology into physical education. He thought this would be a hard task, until he did the research for this project. After collaborating as group we found many tools that Phillip could use to provide technology into physical education. We discussed how to incorporate ipods into physical education to offer music while students perform activities such as running. We also thought about incorporating tools such as the Wii Fit and Heart rate counters.
While researching this project, we came across some amazing resources/tools. The websites Phillip will incorporate into his lessons are: Electrikids for Teachers www.electrikids.com and www.peuniverse.com. Electrikids for Teachers provide teachers, parents and students, free fitness related activities to download and use. The website also provide other websites related to physical education. Electrikids include activities he intends on incorporating into his individual lesson plans. Some of the activities listed included: Traffic Cop, Body Map, Applauding Heart-rate and Bean Bag Hockey. All of these activities include helpful tips and demonstrations on how to keep our bodies healthy and fun ways to enjoy physical activities. PE University is another website found while researching this project. PE University provides PE video activities, demonstrations on how to use weight-lifting equipment properly and social media websites exclusively designed for the physical education professional. The social medial component is compared to YouTube and Facebook.
ePal


There are also many other tools that can be used in the classroom. Victoria Williams becoming a future Elementary educator and Duane Nelson becoming a Secondary Educator the possibilities of using different tools in the classroom are limitless. One of the great tools that can be used in the elementary setting is ePals. This gives students a great opportunity to connect with anyone, anywhere. This tool will allow students to explore different cultures of their own and communicate with other people globally. Another great tool that can be used in a Secondary setting is Ning. This tool allows anyone to make a personalized social network which is a great use for both students and teachers alike. The number of tools of technology that can be used in any grade level are countless. It just takes research and drive of a teacher to incorporate these amazing assets in to the classroom.

Ning

Although the tools listed above, is more than sufficient to improve my classroom objectives, I did come across another tool that I plan on incorporating in my physical education class. The tool is the Wii Gaming System. The activities on this game is directly linked to the physical education classroom. This will be a most useful tool in Phillip’s class, especially on rainy days. Phillip learned that physical education should always include teaching that will promote good health, but also include learning that is enjoyable and fun. This is turn, will hopefully help my students become life-long lovers of physical education. Wii Youtube Video

Technology Used in the Classroom
Authors: Victoria Williams, Duane Nelson, and Phillip Hall

We all became excited when discussing what all could be used in the classroom when acknowledging technology available. Many teachers are unaware of all the resources that are steadily provided to us on a daily basis. We plan to use iCurio for our students to look up important people they are interested in doing research for that is relevant to the lesson. Victoria discussed how using iCurio in her elementary classroom would be a safe way for her children to navigate the web without stumbling upon negative or inappropriate material. Discovery Education is another beautiful resource to use especially when engaging in science. Discovery Education allows students to watch science in life action and bring the pages of a textbook and what students are reading to life! The SMART board is one of the latest innovations at the moment which we all can not wait to have the opportunity to use in our classrooms. The use of the SMART board is crucial to all of us because we did not have the opportunity as students to learn through an engaging process using technology, which the SMART board demonstrates so effectively. All of these resources have been discussed in our EDM 310 class so we took it upon ourselves to discuss resources outside of what has been brought to our attention in EDM 310. We discussed the many reasons that we could incorporate cameras and camcorders into our classrooms. Cameras and camcorders could be a wonderful asset when applying project based learning. We recently wrote a Project based lesson plans on for third grade science about insects. Cameras were used in this project/lesson. Which can be found on our blog. Cameras and camcorders could also be used in the classroom to engage students in participating in a learning scavenger hunt. There are endless possibilities to incorporating cameras and camcorders into the classroom. To be the best teachers that we can be it is a necessity to keep up with the latest technology and learn how to incorporate it into our classroom. Students will be more willing to learn material when they are using devices and experiences that many use on a daily basis.

Monday, October 7, 2013

C4K Summary

working hard
The first C4k assignment was for a 10th grade student by the blogger name, American Eagle, at Baldwin County High. His class blogged about, how working hard pays off in life.

birds on powerline
My last C4k was for a student named Zach, who's in the 6th grade at Robertsdale Elementary. Zach's class blogged about something very interesting, why birds don't get shocked on power-line. In his blog he why birds dont get shocked when they perch on powerlines.

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Blog Post #7

What Can be Learned from Conversations with Anthony Capps? Author: Victoria Williams, Phillip Hall, and Duane Nelson (Collaborative)
What is project based learning? How can it be used effectively in the classroom? Can a teacher that uses project based learning confirm that this form of learning is more effective? These are all questions that many may have questions when thinking about Project Based Learning. These questions can be easily answered in the interview Dr. Strange held with Anthony Capps Project Based Learning 1 - Experiences of a 3rd Grade Teacher and the conversation continues with Project Based Learning 2- Experiences of a 3rd Grade Teacher. Anthony Capps is a 3rd grade teacher in Baldwin County in Gulf Shores. Mr. Capps uses projects as a method in which students learn. Anthony Capps said it best when he said "It is not only a means to show students of what they have achieved but a method used to teach students how to learn. As Anthony Capps said " Project based learning allows children to engage in learning.  Project based learning allows students to get excited about what they are learning and giving students the opportunity to OWN what they have created through the learning process. The goal of a good project is one that has an authentic audience (so that the kids are rewarded for the work that they do and motivated to do good work). One that has student interest and is relative to the student's life. The best is to have the project relate to the community some how because it relates to the real world experience. Students are driven by content. Content standards that are based from the ACCRS, which is the content the state expects each grade level to know." Project based learning is the MOST effective way for students to LEARN. It has been proven by many including Confucius and Aristotle who first practiced project based learning. Students LEARN more when they are learning by doing, and having a hands-on experience. iCurio in the Classroom
Mr. Capps presents a fabulous way to incorporate iCurio in our future classrooms. This can be found by watching the interview Dr. Strange had with Anthony Capps iCurio. What is iCurio?How do we allow our students with the opportunity to search through the internet for projects? iCurio easily provides a safe search engine and prevents children from viewing things that are inappropriate. When using iCurio as a search engine in the classroom it allows students to not only be able to view text but also images and videos as well. iCurio possess a storage capacity that allows students and teachers to store material that they find valuable. iCurio is a very effective way for students to easily organize their work. Anthony Capps brought up a resourceful tip when he mentioned that in the classroom their are sudden changes that cause students to have to come to a complete stop. This means having to stop and go to lunch, or recess, ect. iCurio presents students with the opportunity to pick up exactly where the student left off and saves the progress that each student has made. iCurio is also a wonderful tool for ALL students including students who face disabilities. For example, iCurio make this possible by providing opportunities where students can click a button and hear the material read out loud. This is a wonderful tool to use for someone who faces challenges with reading or someone who is blind. iCurio incorporates diversity into the classroom and provides students with individual resources, which they can use to learn. Discovery Education in the Classroom
Anthony Capps reviews how to use Discovery Education in the classroom in Dr. Strange's interview Discovery Ed. What is Discovery Ed? Discovery Education is a beautiful resource in project based learning. Anthony Capps said "Well, I think there is a phrase 'a picture is worth 1,000 words, and a video is worth a million. Discovery Ed is worth every but of that!" Discovery education provides the text book to come to life through videos and pictures. It could not have been said clearer when Mr. Capps said "Discovery Ed brings other people into the classroom via video". Dr. Strange made a wonderful point when stating "Often times students learn by listening and watching versus reading and writing due to the technology that is accessible to our students and society." Discovery Ed is a program that goes hand in hand with reading and allows the experience of reading to be more enjoyable process. For example, Discovery ed gives students the opportunity to watch a video on sharks instead of just listening about sharks, they are provided the resource to WATCH how sharks react in real life. We are sure that this provides a wonderful experience for students and gives them the opportunity to learn through Project based learning. Discovery Education allows students to learn in a fun and exciting way, one process in which many of us were not given the opportunity to learn as a child.


Additional Thought About lessons
Author: Phillip Hall

lesson plan

Anthony stated that a lesson is 4 layers thick. The first layer of a lesson consist of the school year the teacher has to work with. As an educator, ask yourself, how will you incorporate all the content standards, and have you written a map that makes sure all the standards get covered. The second part of a lesson is the unit size. The unit size is a layer within the first part of the lesson. You should unfold the unit into a stair step, which stretches the lessons out to make it easier for the students to comprehend. The objective of the stair step is not throwing all the material at them at once. This layer should be meaningful and connected in some way. As you approach the end of the lesson the students should be able to master the outcome which should take 6-8 weeks. The third layer is a week scale. You should ask yourself, how are you devising your week? So that you can accomplish day by day goals for that week. The final layer consists of daily lessons. Daily plan's are how you deliver the lesson to your students that particular day. Daily lessons should catch the students attention and engage them to learn for that day. At the end of the day, you should measure what they've learned during that day to know where to pick up on the lesson the next day. All these components are equally important to making a great lesson.


Preparing yourself as a Teacher
Author: Duane Nelson

There are many aspects that all future teachers should follow to prepare themselves as a successful educator. Anthony Capps and Dr. Strange provided many great tips and points as a guideline that will help up and coming teachers in the classroom. Many great tips when preparing oneself as an excellent educator are as follows :

  • Be a Constant Learner- All teachers should keep the drive of constantly wanting to learn even after becoming an educator.

  • Teaching Never Ends- Remember when working and playing work is not separate from play. Hard work is very rewarding for you and your students.

  • Be Flexible- Always keep an open mind when teaching because the unexpected will happen.

  • Start with a Goal- Always have a lesson plan so you can reach your achievements.

  • Engage 100% of your Students 100% of the Time in 100% of their Projects- As an educator you should constantly figure new ways of keeping the students interested in the subject topics.

  • Reflect, Revise, and Share Work with an Audience- When producing a topic in a curriculum setting a teacher should always review and edit their work multiple times before sharing to the class.

Cartoon Teacher Teaching


Don’t Teach Tech – Use It
Author: Collaborative Duane Nelson, Victoria Williams, Phillip Hall

Technology in the classroom is still a controversial topic even in this modern age. Technology should not be a question on use but a necessity that all students should be able to have access to on a daily basis. Regardless of high income or low income areas technology is present in a student’s everyday life. When using technology in the classroom allow the student to explore the device and learn on their own. At this time of age technology is natural for students and they will enjoy the curriculum even more. Referred to by Anthony Capps technology should not be taught as part of the curriculum but used during the curriculum. This will let students use their own thought process and ideas to create an original made project. By letting the students work off their own skills students will be proud of what they have achieved and will proud of their new skills. Hopefully sometime in the near future technology will be used as an everyday tool in the educational setting.

Students using Computers