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Blog Post #6

Personal Learning Network, which is also referred to as PLN, is a network that you use to exchange information, usually on-line with people of like interests. There are many social networking sites that you can use to connect with people and exchange information. These sites include: Facebook, Blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn, Wikis, Digital Discussion Forums, Social Bookmarking, Google+ and more.

The advantages of teachers using a PLN are: Access to global learning communities, share resources, discuss best practices and collaboration, exchange ideas and experiences with educators at all levels, share and organize bookmarks online, find opportunities, share opinions and discuss topics.

Because there are so many different sites available, it is important to utilize a program to organize your desktop personal settings. One program that I like is Symbaloo. It is a display of tiles that allow you to directly search your mail, newsfeeds, and commonly visited internet sites with a touch of a button.

The best way to create your own PLN is to reach out to people on Twitter that share the same interest as you. I began my PLN by reaching out to teachers on twitter from a list that Mr. Strange provided. I am also following a blog called At the teachers desk. Larry Ferlazzo provided a list entitled “The Best Twitterers For Sharing Resource Links:” I think I will reach out to the individuals on this list as well.

Remember:

• Make sure that your source of information is credible

• The tools are not as important as the connections made by them

My Sentence Videos

This is my Sentence

This is my Passion

Blog Post #5

What did you learn from these conversations with Anthony Capps?

From the Project Based Learning Skills video series, I learned some great examples of how you can use Project Based Learning in the classroom. The videos were taken from conversations between Anthony Capps,a 3rd grade teacher at Gulf Shores Elementary and Dr. Strange, teacher of USA EDM310.

I learned that Project Based Learning is constantly evolving. It was initially a measurement at the end of the lesson to show what a student learned. Now, it is focused on the process of learning.

In the first video series Project Based Learning: Experiences of a 3rd Grade Teacher. Anthony explains how he determines a project topic for his class. He has to make sure that the content meets the state ACCRS standards, motivates the children, has a relevant subject, involves the community, and has an authentic audience. In the example that he used, the class wrote a letter to a congressman. They were encouraged to interview family and friends. All children were required to participate but only 8 letters were selected to be sent. The class critiqued the letters and chose the best ones.

When selecting a topic, I learned that not all projects will go as planned. In some instances, a parent may not agree with the topic and request a change. If this occurs, an alternative project should be assigned to the student. The goal to keep in mind when selecting a topic is for all children to be engaged and excited about the project.

An important part of any project is research. In the video iCurio, Anthony points out that the website iCurio is available for students to do research, download images, text, graphs, and videos. This website is specifically designed for educational use as it meets alabama curation standards. You don't want children searching and finding inappropriate or inaccurate information on the internet. This tool also has an on-line storage capacity which allows students to create folders to keep them organized.

Discovery Education is another website that Anthony recommends. This website encourages the use of digital technology in the classroom to enrich the research experience. This site offers instructional videos, skill builders, games, audio files, images, writing prompts to improve writing skills, encyclopedia research for the basic core subject areas.

I love the video on Strange List of Tips for Teachers . He reminds us that we need to be constantly learning and setting examples for those around us. Teaching never ends and it is hard work but it is so worth it. As he mentioned in the second video, unexpected things will happen as it did when the parent wasn't happy with the project topic that was chosen. In this case, we need to be flexible and have an action plan in place so that we will know how to move forward. In everything we do, we need to have a end goal in mind. What is it we are trying to accomplish and how are we going to get there. Our goal when selecting a topic for Project Based Learning is to engage 100% of students, 100% of the time in 100% of their projects. Once our project is completed, we should reflect and learn from our mistakes and our successes. Ask for feedback from our audience on how we can improve for our next project.

Dont Teach Technology - Use It is a great video where Anthony addresses using technology in the classroom. He explains the importance of allowing children time to become familiar with the computer and programs. It is imperative for the teacher to understand how to use a computer and have familiarity with the instructional website. Don't be surprised if a child is better at creating a powerpoint presentation than you, but make sure you can help assist them if they do have questions.

There are four segments to lesson plans. Your yearly goal, your monthly goal, your weekly goal, and your daily goal. You must adhere to your schedule so that you can accomplish all the required lesson plans on time. This is especially necessary to prepare the children for standardized testing.

Project #3 Presentation

C4T

I read Allanah King's post " Ask Before You Post". Basically it was about how she made a presentation. She used some pictures that she had borrowed from other people without asking and without really thinking twice about it. After doing a lesson at a school she visited, one teacher stayed after to talk to her. The teacher asked her about one of the presentations she did a long time ago. At the end of the conversation, the teacher told Allanah that her nephew was in one the pictures that was in her presentation. "She was OK with it and didn’t mind but I was still embarrassed that it was there". In my comment, I mentioned how crazy it was that out of all the people in this world, someone related to the person in the picture saw it. I said that it is very important to get permission from people to use their pictures. Like the story Allanah said, you never know who is going to see it.

The next post by Allanah king that I read was "Spell Write". This post was about how Allanah loved the idea of testing each student on their "Spell Write" spelling list. The only problem was that to test each individual student, it would take forever. So Allanah decided to record herself giving the test. She also provided each student with a template so that they could write their answers. This way the students could fast forward/rewind when they needed to, and could go at their own pace. Ms. King also provided some links to show exactly what she was talking about. In response, I said how wonderful I thought this idea was. I talked about how nice it is to be able to go at the pace that the student wants to go on. This is something I definitely would like to use when I become a teacher.

I have included the picture that Allanah King uses in her blog of the template for her Spell Write tests.

Blog Post #4

What do we need to know about asking questions to be an effective teacher?

The reason why teachers ask questions in class is to engage the student in the discussion and try to determine if the children understand the topic. I learned from the article "The right way to ask questions in the classroom" that It is critical that we structure the questions in such a way that requires a response from each student, not just a select group of 'smart kids'. One effective approach is to ask a question…. pause for 3 seconds and then call on a student to answer. Because you are calling on random students, each student will be thinking of an answer in case you call their name. If you ask a question and want a 'show of hand's', you typically get the same students that answer the questions and the ones that don't raise their hands disengage from the discussion. It is important that you ask questions that will stimulate a response and active participation. when you prepare for class, write down a list of questions that you can ask the students. The students may ask you questions too, so be prepared for that. Include in your notes when you will pause from the discussion and ask the questions. Asking questions throughout the class will keep the children engaged.

In the article, "Asking questions to improve learning", the writer shared some 'Strategies for asking questions'. First think of the subject matter and communicate facts, ideas, and ways of thinking that will help them learn. Try not to ask 'leading questions' that are phrased where it suggests its own answer Instead, you want the child to think on their own and come up with a unique response. If you ask a 'yes' / 'no' question, follow up with asking them to provide an example of why they chose that response. Make sure your questions are direct, specific and clearly stated. During classroom discussions, you should only ask one question at a time. Children will be confused if too much is asked at one time. You want to keep them focused.

Blog Post #3

After watching the videos "What is Peer Editing?", "Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes", and the slideshow "Peer Edit with Perfection Tutorial", I learned the following guidelines for peer editing: Always start your critique with compliments. Your feedback should be positive. It is much easier to accept correction when it is presented the right way.

When making suggestions on how your peer can improve their writing, be specific. Areas to review are word choice,details used, organization, and topics. This covers the structure of their writing.

The last step in peer editing is corrections. This would include punctuation errors, grammatical mistakes, spelling errors and problems with sentence structure. Be sure to clearly mark the problem areas so the reader will know what needs to be corrected.

Peer editing is a useful process for both you and your peers. You will benefit from reviewing their work and it will create an awareness so you can improve your own writing skills.