Blog Post #10

What Can We Learn From Mrs. Cassidy?

For this week's blog post we watched a Skype interview between Dr. Strange and Mrs. Kathy Cassidy. Mrs. Cassidy is a 1st grade teacher in Moose Jaw, Canada. Mrs. Cassidy was given 5 computers to use in her classroom about 10 years ago. She wanted to make them useful so she began to explore the internet which led to blogging, and from there she added new things over the years. One thing she said that stood out to me was that she is always looking for new things to try. I think it is very important for teachers to always be on the look out for new ideas or methods that they can use in the classrooms. This can bring new ways of learning to the students and a means to perhaps improve lessons previously taught before. Mrs. Cassidy also talked about the use of the blog in her classroom. I learned that it can be a great way for the parents to keep up with their children's progress through the year. It can also help with the students writing skills. I loved how she mentioned that one thing a blog gives you that pen and paper doesn't is an audience. The students know that other people from all over can see who reads their blog. In this video the students talk about how they like to get visitors and comments on their blog. Mrs. Cassidy also stated that technology is here to stay and that teachers can no longer teach they way they did 10-20 years ago, but there are many resources available to being learning how to use technology. And it can handicap yourself or your students if you don't take advantage of those resources. What I learned from Mrs. Cassidy was that there is no better time than now to starting thinking and preparing for my future classroom and how I want to incorporate technology into my lessons. 

Project #12 A Using Smartboard Tools

C4K Summary for October

Amara

Amara is in an 8th grade class that uses their class blog for homework purposes or writing whenever they feel motivated. The post I commented on was actually written by Amara and her friend.  They talked about their friendship. I commented that I really enjoyed reading her post. It reminded me of a friend I had growing up. The unique thing about our friendship was that we were always able to make each other laugh. A genuine friendship is one to cherish!

Kiyan

Kiyan is in Mrs. Gadzala's 5th Grade Class in Downers Grove, Illinois. The topic of his post was "Should kids lose recess for bad behavior?" He felt that kids who are bad should lose their recess, and that it was unfair for them to get to go to recess when they have misbehaved.
I commented that I really enjoyed reading his post about kids losing recess for bad behavior and to keep up the great work!

Diya

Diya's post was about her online responsibilities. She talked about needing to keep her passwords safe and gave a few tips to help do just that. I commented that I enjoyed reading about her online responsibilities. She had some very good tips on how to keep her passwords safe!

Marilyn

Marilyn is a student at Pt. England School in New Zealand. Her most recent post was a Google Slides presentation on Kete. Kete are baskets make in New Zealand that are used by Maori people. Kete is woven from the leaves of New Zealand flax. I told Marilyn I had never heard of Kete before so I was able to learn something new! I told her she did a great job on her Google presentation.

Blog Post #9

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

At this point in EDM310 project based learning is no longer an unfamiliar concept. I still don't know all there is to know about PBL but I feel I now have a good base to build upon going forward. The article Seven Essentials for Project Based Learning gives several key factors needed for project based learning. They are as follows:

1. A Need to Know - it is a good idea for teachers to introduce a project through a means that will "activate" the students. She could show a video, the class could take a virtual or real life field trip, or they could engage in a class discussion. Doing this will help to get the students attention from the beginning.
2. A Driving Question - a good, open-ended driving question helps to guide the students through the project. It is the foundation. The video Project Based Learning for Teachers by Tony Vincent gives some examples of what a driving questions looks like.
3. Student Voice and Choice - the more choices students have within a project the more meaningful it can become to them. They can make the decisions on what resources they will use and what they can create from it.
4. 21st Century Skills - these are skills such as collaboration, use of technology and critical thinking. Students can acquire these skills through PBL and can continue to use them in the future.
5. Inquiry and Innovation - real inquiry is where students follow a path that starts with their own questions that allows them to research for the answers. This can lead to new questions which can inspire students to test ideas and ultimately draw their own conclusion. This process is the exact opposite from the teacher to reproduce information already given to them through textbooks or the teacher herself.
6. Feedback and Revision - feedback on a project helps to make learning more meaningful. This can be done directly or through rubrics.
7. A Publicly Presented Project - if a student knows their work will be presented to an audience they are more likely to care about the quality of their project.

 

I have seen several videos that shows the positive effects of project based learning with students. However, until I watched how teachers meet the challenges of PBL implementation I realized all of the great opportunities it bring for teachers. The high school teachers in this video talked about how exciting it was for them to be able to have a voice in how their class is designed through PBL. They also mentioned the opportunities it gave them to come together and collaborate with one another. 

I really enjoyed watching students talk about what motivates them. One boy said that positive feedback from his teacher really motivates him. Another talks about how he will not be able to participate in baseball if he does not do well at school. I think this is such an important question to ask students. I think teachers definitely should want to find out what motivates their students so that they can use that information to help them in class.

When students are motivated I believe it helps to give them the little extra push  to take their thinking and work to a higher level. For instance, look at the two students who solved the case of watery ketchup. The first thing I wanted to know after watching this was is this gadget sold in stores? It was really neat to see two students put their minds together to create something like this!

Blog Post # 8

What Can We Learn About Teaching and 

Learning From Randy Pausch?

    Randy Pausch was a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon Univeristy. He was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer and after being given a terminal diagnosis he decided to give "The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams". This lecture became extremely popular and has reached many people. It was a very touching and humorous lecture in which Randy discussed his childhood dreams, how he achieved them, and how he helped others achieve theirs. This is an inspiring video about living life. It was interesting to see how he was able to achieve all of his childhood dreams and the obstacles he overcame along the way. He believed in having fun in what you are doing. 

- Randy Pausch

    One of the things he talked about that stood out to me was what he call the "head fake." He said "the best way to teach somebody something is to have them think they are learning something else." I thought this was a neat concept of getting someone to learn something that might not necessarily interest them. He also said "remember brick walls let us show our dedication. They are there to separate us from the people who don't really want to achieve their childhood dreams." What a great way to view the obstacles that come in life. I had never thought to think of them in that way!  And likely my most favorite quote from Randy Pausch is "don't complain, just work harder." I have never been a fan of complaining. I try hard not to complain about anything and be thankful for everything. Complaining only focuses on the negative and it can become a really bad habit that can drain the happiness from yourself and those around you. If you're looking for a little inspiration and entertainment I would recommend that you watch Randy Pausch's last lecture video. It is sad to think that he is no longer on this earth to continue innovating and helping others to reach their dreams. However, I think he will continue to impact people through the legacy he leaves behind. 

Project # 9 Video Book Commentary

C4T #2

Post #1

Daniel Edwards Blog

Daniel Edwards is the director of Digital Strategy at the Stephen Perse Foundation schools in the United Kingdom.  In his first post I read, he talked about how exciting a time it was for teachers with the access to all of the new technologies that are available. Pedagogy was a term he used often in this post. I had actually never heard of the word before so I researched and found that merriam-webster defines it as "the art, science, or profession of teaching." Edwards discusses the different ways pedagogy can adapt to take advantage of the use of technology in education. I commented that through taking EDM 310 I have been able to observe the use of technology in classrooms and the positive impacts it is having on teachers and students. I also stated that it has been fascinating to see how combining technology with class content has really gotten students engaged in the learning process. I told him that I definitely agree it is an exciting time for teachers and I am looking forward to the journey.

Post # 2 

The second post of Daniel Edwards that I read was called "Why Innovate?" He says the most important thing is learning however, with the changes in curriculum and implementation of new technology, he is curious to how much time is wasted with distractions. With all these things adding distractions to learning he could make a case for or against innovation and it just being another distraction. He feels however that this is the wrong way to look at the situation. He states that if teachers aren't using the tools available to them then they aren't helping to develop the learning process so its time to start taking advantages of the opportunities available. So "Why Innovate?" he says, because you can.  I commented that the ways in which we can teach and learn are constantly changing.  I agree that those involved in education are not helping to develop the learning process if they aren't innovating and using the the great resources available to them.