So far my Personal Learning Network ( PLN) consist of my blog from this class and I am connected with a website called TeachersPayTeachers and Pinterest
TeachersPayTeachers
Personal I absolutely love TeachersPayTeacher! It is a website where teacher post and sell their ideas to other teachers. Some of the material is free and some of it you have to pay. However, the material only cost a few dollars and it is well worth the price. It was a great way to share ideas with teachers!
Pinterest
Pinterest is a great way of looking up ideas in teaching and other fields. I have even used Pinterest when making lesson plan because there is so much material you can use. Pinterest can even has ideas for arts and craft for decorating your classroom.
During the course of this class I have learnt about many ways in which to make a PLN and how to connect with other who have a PLN!
Weet-bix-tryathlon-2015 by Ashton was a very detail blog post. I really liked how he gave a clear picture of what he described it was like i could visual see what is day was like
I commented :
" Hi Ashton, I am a student at the University of South Alabama. You did a great job on your blog post. it was very detailed and gave me a clear picture of what you did. Great Post! "
Lauren decided that if she was to own her own business it would be a flower business which i think is pretty cool! She even would make it into an apartment so that she could live there. I commented
" Hi Lauren, I am a student at the University of South Alabama and every week we comment on different student blogs. I think opening a flower shop would be a great business to have. I love flowers and nature as well. I think this would be a successful business! Great Post! "
Grades by Kenneth
In his blog post Kenneth talks about how he has all good grade above a B in all his class expect in band. I was in my high school band and loved it but something band is not for everyone. I commented:
" Hi Kenneth, my name is Shernell and I attend the University of South Alabama. Like yourself for my class I post blogs and we comment on different blogs every week. I am also very happy with my grades. In high school I was in the band, I played the flute. I think that if you work a little harder you will soon have an A or B in the class. "
Technology in the classroom makes it easier for the teacher to impart knowledge to students. Technology also make the learning process enjoyable for students. Two Pros are: (1) Technology as a teaching Aid (2) Easier Accessibility of Information.
Technology as a teaching Aid:
Computer capablilities invite great interest from students. Studies show that teaching aids increase concentration in students and can led to improvement in class attendance. Having technology in the classroom allows the teach to do more in the classroom. With smart bound the student are able to interact and not just sit in their sets.
Easier Accessibility of Information: The internet provides numerous information for students to find all type of knowledge. The internet has gave learning a new dimension. Students can create blogs and talk to students around the world, Skype, make movies, and many more.
Cons
Besides the positives of technology in the classroom it can also Hinder education. One ways education can be hindered are: distraction to students
Distraction:
When I did my observation I noticed how students would lie and say that they were done with their work so that they could use the devises. Mobile devises such as iPads or tablets can be misuse greatly in the classroom for games, texting, or surfing the web. All of these distract students in the classroom.
Overall I think technology can be very useful in the classroom only if it is use in the proper manner along with teacher supervision
For the post I commented on Quantum Progress, I still find this blog post hard to understand what exactly the writing is discussing. this blog post is about a guest post by Moses Rifkin. Rifkin is a physics teach at the University of Prep in Seattle. He is discussing a unit he is teaching to his senior physics students about privilege , social justice, and institutional racism in physics. I commented:
" As I read your blog post every week I learn more and more about physic. However physic falls under a topic that is not my favorite, but reading your blog post has become very interesting to me. I can actually understand what all is going. "
The second post is The Frozen Code by Dan Meyers. Dan Meyers likes to teach. He posted a blog to help solve the bad business Gelato Fiasco doing the cold temperatures. I commented:
" Hi, I am a student at the University of South Alabama and each week are comment on different blogs. I think it is interesting to do research like you have done. I think the Frozen code would be very helpful. "
What can we learn about teaching and learning from these teachers?
In Brian Crosby Back to the Future, he stated, " Without imagination and creativity, there will be no passion". I very much agree with the statement he made. Children need to have passion. When a student has passion he or she is more willing to learn. Mr. Crosby let student set their own goals, this way the students would be more willing to reach their goal. He believe in active learning. Crosby wants to empower kids to learn on their own by: collaborate, motivate, active, include, and connect.
Mr. Paul Andersen describes a Blended Learning Cycle is the power of learning which blends online, mobile, and the classroom together. The learning cycle includes the 5 E's
There are six parts to a Blended learning cycle
Question
Investigation/ Inquiry
Video
Elaboration
Review
Summary Quiz
Sam Pane 4th Grade is one of my favorite video. I love how the teacher Mr. Sam Pane use comics to teach his class about using the internet safely. He describes a good digital citizen as a person who chooses to act safely, respectfully, and with responsibility when you are online. He uses visual presentation as learning. He let his student create a super hero who could stop you when you are not being safe, respectful, or responsible when online.
Project Based Learning helps to increase student engagement and enhance student learning. In the video the teacher talks about how there is always room for improvement. Some students only do enough work just to be by, instead of giving their all. The teacher in this high school choose to combine three subject. By doing this it allows more time, deeper learning, and quick feed back. Students claim ownership to their work and by doing this their work will only improve.
Roosevelt Elementary's PBL Program has the parents invoked which is always help. Project Based Learning is a different style of learning. PBL's are based on real world problems and are research based projects. Students who use project based learning learn 21st century skills, become self- motivated, learn how to communicate which teaches them social skills, and more. Project based learning can also involve the community.
