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Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Sunday, October 2, 2016
Week 6
The web based tool that I chose to use on creating my product on Web 2.0 and 3.0 is PowToon. This tool was easy to work with and had many great options to make any presentation catchy. PowToon offers many different movie or slideshow templates for users to choose from. These templates included music, easy drag and drop features, characters, and many different props that can be included in to any presentation. PowToon is a great option for teachers to use to keep their students interested on the topic by using the animated presentations.
The presentation I created on Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 is located in the link below:
POWTOON
The process of making one of these presentations is really quick and simple. The only problem I had on making this presentation was learning how to add text that would appear on a single slide at different times but even then it was an easy fix. Powtoon gives you many options to share and export to many different sites such as YouTube. PowToon is an excellent tool that can be used at any classroom and I would highly recommend every teacher to try it out.
The presentation I created on Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 is located in the link below:
POWTOON
The process of making one of these presentations is really quick and simple. The only problem I had on making this presentation was learning how to add text that would appear on a single slide at different times but even then it was an easy fix. Powtoon gives you many options to share and export to many different sites such as YouTube. PowToon is an excellent tool that can be used at any classroom and I would highly recommend every teacher to try it out.
Week 5
This lis the hyperlink to my PDF file
The software that I
chose to download on to my computer was Libre Office. To download
this software it was very simple to do and took only a couple
minutes. The only confusing part on downloading Libre Office is that
it kept bringing me to page where it asked the users to donate money
to their software company. The first difference that I noticed
immediately between Libre Office and Microsoft Word is that Libre is
free to download and Microsoft Office you have to pay for. These two
software's are very similar but are very different at the same time.
Libre lacks the accuracy on spell check that Microsoft Word contains
in their software. Libre offers a third party plug ins such as
Language Tool that can be use as a correct auto spell checker. There
are many features that Libre comes with such as their bundle package
which includes math, writer, base, calc, and even office all for
free. Microsoft does offer a package deal but it cost anywhere from
$70 to $100. A feature that I like about Libre is that it has a quick
push button on its home screen to export documents to PDF where
Microsoft does not have that quick push button on its home screen.
Libre Writer and
Microsoft Word to the users that do not use Word or Writer much look
very similar on overall presentation and format. These two software's
practically work the same as each other and have majority all of the
same features as each other. Since these two programs are so similar
there many features that I use on both such as highlighter, image
insert, auto save, page alignment, plus many more. Libre Office and
Microsoft Office are both great programs but since Libre is free it
has more of an impact on my decision of using it over Microsoft if I
had choose one.
Monday, September 12, 2016
EDM 510 WEEK 2
This my first blog post to since 2013 from when I was in EDM 310. I'm truly excited about attending EDM 510 and getting back to blogging. The activity for week 2 was to create and post a blog about the four learning perspectives plus create a matrix which I created a link below. The four learning perspectives that we learned about are Behaviorist Perspective, Constructivist Perspective, and Social – Psychological Perspective.
The toughest part about this assignment was refreshing myself on using blogger. I used Microsoft word to create to create the matrix. The four learning perspectives that I provided in matrix will provide as an excellent tool for me as I enter the teaching field. These perspectives definitely given me a better understanding on how to handle certain situations and what tools I should use as well. These perspectives have shown me how important it is to always to be observant of my future students and their actions. These perspectives have also showed me how powerful that technology can be in the classroom.
MATRIX
MATRIX
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Blog Post #16
My Reflection on Blog Post #1: If You Built A School, What Would It Be Like?
On the first blog post of this semester I summarized two videos called If I Built A School and Sugata Mitra TED 2013 Talk. On this post I wrote about different things that I would include into my future classroom such as the tools the students would use, the tools that I would use as a teacher, how students would participate in the learning process, and the different techniques of teaching these students in the classroom. At the time of writing this post I had a general idea of the tools that a teacher and students should use to incorporate technology in the curriculum but I did not know how to use these tools properly. I explained many different tools that should be included in a classroom such as iPad’s, MacBook’s, access to the internet, Blogger, and many other sorts of social media but did not explain how they should be used. With the information that I have learned from this class I can now correctly inform my future students on what tools to use and how to properly use them.
In this semester of EDM 310 I have learned to use many different forms of technology that can be incorporated into any teacher’s classroom. Tools such as SmartBoards, iPad’s, Gmail, Google Drive, YouTube, podcast, Blogger, MacBook’s, Google Docs, iMovie, and Twitter can be used in a curriculum to better their learning experience. In my first blog post I included some of these tools but did not have an understanding of how to apply them to the curriculum. This past semesters experience had an amazing outcome that changed my entire outlook and drive to be an all-around better individual. Blogger is a great asset that I will carry into my future classroom. Using Blogger in the classroom has many benefits that will help a student in his/her learning such as improving the quality of writing of an individual, opens the possibility for a broader audience, to evaluate fellow peers in the proper way, and allows the students to show their own creativity. Blogger opens the door to use other resources within the blog such as podcast, YouTube videos, pictures, iMovie’s, Google Slides, and many other resources that can be included. This class has taught me that even teachers need to be constant learners as long with being an educator. Twitter is another great asset that can help teachers on their learning experience. Teachers can use this resource to converse with other professors to exchange different ideas to use in their class. These tools and techniques of learning will allow students to be able to express their own creativeness and learn how to solve problems independently.
As a future high school History teacher (9th-12th) I plan to use the technique of Project Based Learning into my classroom. This method of teaching has shown me how I can effectively change the outcome of the learning experience of my future students. This procedure has personally made me strive to perform and produce on a higher level knowing that I will have a countless number of people evaluating my production of work. PBL has also allowed me to express my own ideas which have made me take pride in my effort of work. My experience in this class has defiantly shown me how to become a better learner as well as a better educator to the students in my future classroom.
Final Reflection
The video below is my final reflection on how EDM 310 has made me a better student and prepared me to become an excellent teacher in the future.
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
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.
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
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.
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!
-Dr. Strange
Assistive Technologies for Vision and Hearing Impaired Children
Author: Brylyn Cowling
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.
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
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.
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
Project # 2 Final Summary
Personal Learning Network
In week 7 of this EDM 310 class I chose Symbaloo as my Personal Learning Network. This decision has turned out to be a excellent choice for me. This PLN has allowed me to have direct access to my choice of links on my desk top. I was able to include my personal class blogger page, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Gmail, and many other links also. This PLN makes life easier by having all of your important links in one spot. This tool also allows to organize your links in any order you choose. Symbaloo is a great asset for teachers or basically anyone using a computer!
In week 7 of this EDM 310 class I chose Symbaloo as my Personal Learning Network. This decision has turned out to be a excellent choice for me. This PLN has allowed me to have direct access to my choice of links on my desk top. I was able to include my personal class blogger page, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Gmail, and many other links also. This PLN makes life easier by having all of your important links in one spot. This tool also allows to organize your links in any order you choose. Symbaloo is a great asset for teachers or basically anyone using a computer!
Blog Post # 14
Instructions: Technology in your Future Classroom
As future educators it is important to think about how to use technology in your future classroom. There are many different types of technology that you have already learned about in EDM 310. Choose three different tools of technology that correlates with your major that you will use in your future classroom. Make sure to add a picture or video of this tool and a description of how you will use it in your classroom.
As a Secondary Education/History major there are many tools of technology that I can use in my future classroom. As a student in EDM 310 I have learned to use many different types of technology tools that will be helpful to me in my future. The three tools that I will use in my future classroom are listed below.
Google Docs are a great asset that a teacher can use in their classrom. Docs can be used in many different ways. A great way that Docs can be used is as a storage option to keep files organized. It is also an amazing asset for teachers and students to communicate or work on assignments collaboratively.
As a future educator I plan on using Project Based Learning. YouTube is going to play a major role into my future classroom. I will assign students a variety of assignments that they will have to record and upload to Youtube. This will allow a broader audience to view the students work. This will allow students to enjoy learning on a different level.
Smart Boards is great tool for any teacher and can be used in so many different ways in the classroom. I will use this tool to show videos, pictures, demonstrations, and class notes. For a teacher to have access to a Smart Board will only make the job easier and provide a better education for the students.
As future educators it is important to think about how to use technology in your future classroom. There are many different types of technology that you have already learned about in EDM 310. Choose three different tools of technology that correlates with your major that you will use in your future classroom. Make sure to add a picture or video of this tool and a description of how you will use it in your classroom.
As a Secondary Education/History major there are many tools of technology that I can use in my future classroom. As a student in EDM 310 I have learned to use many different types of technology tools that will be helpful to me in my future. The three tools that I will use in my future classroom are listed below.
Google Docs are a great asset that a teacher can use in their classrom. Docs can be used in many different ways. A great way that Docs can be used is as a storage option to keep files organized. It is also an amazing asset for teachers and students to communicate or work on assignments collaboratively.
As a future educator I plan on using Project Based Learning. YouTube is going to play a major role into my future classroom. I will assign students a variety of assignments that they will have to record and upload to Youtube. This will allow a broader audience to view the students work. This will allow students to enjoy learning on a different level.
Smart Boards is great tool for any teacher and can be used in so many different ways in the classroom. I will use this tool to show videos, pictures, demonstrations, and class notes. For a teacher to have access to a Smart Board will only make the job easier and provide a better education for the students.
C4T # 4
Sportplan Trial
The C4K teacher that I was assigned to was Physical Education teacher Dylan Blain. Blain explains that he has been working on a software called Sports Plan. This software allows educators to create drill sketches and sessions plans for a wide variety of sports. This software also has many animated drills that teachers can choose to browse as well. Blaine states this software worked well with Macbook's and iPad's and is a great tool to use if you need to plan sessions on the move. The comment I left is below.
Hello, my name is Duane Nelson and I am student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. This site is an amazing tool that is great for all coaches. Plus the one thing that stood out to me is that you can use it on a computer, iPad, or even the telephone if you are on the go. This can be helpful to educators and coaches ass well! Thank you!
iPad Workflow’s in PE – Edmodo & Google Drive
Dylan Blain on this blog post explains how important it is to have a tool that can export work from various apps to a central resource that can be shared with multiple individuals. Blain suggested using Edmodo and Google Drive. He explained that he used Edmodo for a way of students to export their work from an iPad so that other students could accessed the work as well. He also describes that he uses Google Drive as a storage option to keep multiple files organised. These tips that Dylan Blain gave can be useful for all teachers. The comment I left is below.
Hello, my name is Duane Nelson and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I have really enjoyed reading your blog post and I agree that these tools Google Drive and Edmodo are great assets that all educators can use in their field of teaching. Thank you for your advice and this something I will use in my future teachings.
The C4K teacher that I was assigned to was Physical Education teacher Dylan Blain. Blain explains that he has been working on a software called Sports Plan. This software allows educators to create drill sketches and sessions plans for a wide variety of sports. This software also has many animated drills that teachers can choose to browse as well. Blaine states this software worked well with Macbook's and iPad's and is a great tool to use if you need to plan sessions on the move. The comment I left is below.
Hello, my name is Duane Nelson and I am student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. This site is an amazing tool that is great for all coaches. Plus the one thing that stood out to me is that you can use it on a computer, iPad, or even the telephone if you are on the go. This can be helpful to educators and coaches ass well! Thank you!
iPad Workflow’s in PE – Edmodo & Google Drive
Dylan Blain on this blog post explains how important it is to have a tool that can export work from various apps to a central resource that can be shared with multiple individuals. Blain suggested using Edmodo and Google Drive. He explained that he used Edmodo for a way of students to export their work from an iPad so that other students could accessed the work as well. He also describes that he uses Google Drive as a storage option to keep multiple files organised. These tips that Dylan Blain gave can be useful for all teachers. The comment I left is below.
Hello, my name is Duane Nelson and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I have really enjoyed reading your blog post and I agree that these tools Google Drive and Edmodo are great assets that all educators can use in their field of teaching. Thank you for your advice and this something I will use in my future teachings.
C4K November
In Ms. Horst's 7th grade class I commented on Rachel's post. Her blog post topic was about a book they are reading in class called "Out of my mind" by Sharon M. Draper. Her focus question to this post was "Why is Melody the main character of the book ”Out of my mind ” by Sharon M. Draper?". Rachel gave couple of reasons why she is the main character in the book such as she is the one telling the story and that the story is based on Melody's disabilities. The comment that I left Rachel is below.
Hello Rachel, my name is Duane Nelson and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I have enjoyed reading your very interesting blog post. Many people do not understand individuals that have disabilities but I am glad to see that you have a great personality of not judging the character Melody. People with disabilities are no different than anyone else and it is impressive you comprehend that. Good job on your post and keep the hard work!
In the Pt England school I commented on Kane's blog post. The blog post that Kane wrote was about his first day of school. He describes his first day from the beginning when his mom woke him up and took him to school. Then Kane explains how nervous he was on making new friends and on meeting the teacher. He also explains that he enjoyed his playtime on the playground where he made four new friends. He ended his post with how he is no longer feeling shy because he now has new friends. Below is the comment I left Kane.
Hello, my name is Duane Nelson and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I have really enjoyed reading your blog post. First day of school is always an exciting day. Your day at school sounds like it turned out really good by making new friends and conquering your shyness. Keep up the hard work and enjoy the rest of your school year!
In Ms. Cassidy's class I commented on Ryder's blog post titled "Halloween". Ryder explains that he wants to be a Ninja Turtle for Halloween. Ryder drew a picture of the costume of the Ninja Turtle that she wanted to be and picture is above. The comment I left Ryder is below.
Hello, my name is Duane Nelson and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I really like your creative drawing. Ninja Turtles was one of my favorite cartoons when I was younger. I hope you got a lot of candy when you went trick or treating. Keep up the good work!
The second post I commented is also Ryder's in Ms. Cassidy's class. This blog post is about how the bow and arrow is one of the nation's first tools. He also explains how the bow and arrow has been one of his favorite toys that he has owned. The comment that I left is below
Hello, my name is Duane Nelson and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. The bow and arrow is an amazing tool that was used throughout our nations history and also all around the world. I remember I use to have a bow and arrow toy when I was younger. Keep up the hard work!
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
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
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 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
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)
Authors: Phillip Hall, Duane Nelson, and Victoria Williams
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
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 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.
(Collaborative)
Authors: Phillip Hall, Duane Nelson, and Victoria Williams
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
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 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.
Project # 15
Project Based Lesson Plan #3 "Past Wars"
This is a 9th grade history project based lesson plan. The name of the project is titled "Past Wars!" The object of this lesson plan is for students to learn the history and interesting facts of the assigned war. Students will be split into groups of four, and each group will discuss the knowledge they know on their war. Students then will collect research in their groups using iCurio. Last students will produce a presentation as a group using Google slides. Please view my lesson plan and rubric in the links posted below!
Project Based Lesson Plan
Rubric
This is a 9th grade history project based lesson plan. The name of the project is titled "Past Wars!" The object of this lesson plan is for students to learn the history and interesting facts of the assigned war. Students will be split into groups of four, and each group will discuss the knowledge they know on their war. Students then will collect research in their groups using iCurio. Last students will produce a presentation as a group using Google slides. Please view my lesson plan and rubric in the links posted below!
Project Based Lesson Plan
Rubric
Sunday, November 3, 2013
C4T # 3
PEPLC #1
The teacher that I commented on was Mrs. Hamada on PEPLC #1. PEPLC is a group that Mrs. Hamada put together with many other PE teachers involved. This group of educators allows an opportunity to share ideas and concepts that can be used in the PE curriculum. This group partook in their first Google Hangout and was able to share experiences in teaching that they had all over the world. On this post one of the members of the group Andy posted two main goals that PE teachers should focus on. The first goal he mentions is concept based learning focusing on life-long skills and not about sports progression skill. The second goal he discussed is the importance of interacting with parents and builds a concept of the PE curriculum with them. The comment I posted is below!
My name is Duane Nelson and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I have absolutely enjoyed reading this post and glad to find many other educators sharing their ideas. The goals that are mentioned in this post are great ideas that should be considered to be used in a teacher’s curriculum. Focusing on lifelong skills that we as teachers can give a student is a priceless contribution plus including parents can be a positive tribute to the students learning. This is an excellent post and I am glad that I found the PEPLC website. Thank you and keep up the great work!
In all the times commenting on C4T's I have never had a reply back. I will honestly say I was excited that Mrs. Hamada replied back to my comment and here is her reply below!
Hi Duane, thanks for the very positive comment. I checked out your blog and you have some great stuff on there and it is clear you are well on your way to being a great teacher! George Corous has written a new blog post this week on Connected Learning and Educators, I thought you might like it based on the nature of your blog and ideas you are covering (http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/4187). PEPLC is a great set up and has awesome ideas from educators all over the World. Enjoy your learning and I hope you’ll share again soon.
PE SPECIALIST TEACHERS, PE MINUTES AND MORE
This blog post by Mrs. Hamada really focused on the necessity of having a full time specialist PE teacher in a school. She also mentions that many schools do not have the capability of hiring a full time ES PE teacher and that many school districts have to share these teachers. On this post she proves her points with a study that Dick Telford and his team performed. Dick Telford and his team proved that having a specialist PE teacher instead of a regular classroom teacher over the PE course resulted in the students being better fit. The comment that I posted is below!
Hello, my name is Duane Nelson and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. This is also a very interesting blog post. It is defiantly a sad thing that many schools cannot afford a full time specialist PE teacher. There are many great points in this post that prove why a school should have a full time PE teacher. The study clearly proves that the class that had the specialist PE teacher and not the regular classroom teacher were in better fitness. Hopefully one day every school will have at least one full time PE teacher. Also I wanted to say Thank You for the reply on PEPLC #1.
The teacher that I commented on was Mrs. Hamada on PEPLC #1. PEPLC is a group that Mrs. Hamada put together with many other PE teachers involved. This group of educators allows an opportunity to share ideas and concepts that can be used in the PE curriculum. This group partook in their first Google Hangout and was able to share experiences in teaching that they had all over the world. On this post one of the members of the group Andy posted two main goals that PE teachers should focus on. The first goal he mentions is concept based learning focusing on life-long skills and not about sports progression skill. The second goal he discussed is the importance of interacting with parents and builds a concept of the PE curriculum with them. The comment I posted is below!
My name is Duane Nelson and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I have absolutely enjoyed reading this post and glad to find many other educators sharing their ideas. The goals that are mentioned in this post are great ideas that should be considered to be used in a teacher’s curriculum. Focusing on lifelong skills that we as teachers can give a student is a priceless contribution plus including parents can be a positive tribute to the students learning. This is an excellent post and I am glad that I found the PEPLC website. Thank you and keep up the great work!
In all the times commenting on C4T's I have never had a reply back. I will honestly say I was excited that Mrs. Hamada replied back to my comment and here is her reply below!
Hi Duane, thanks for the very positive comment. I checked out your blog and you have some great stuff on there and it is clear you are well on your way to being a great teacher! George Corous has written a new blog post this week on Connected Learning and Educators, I thought you might like it based on the nature of your blog and ideas you are covering (http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/4187). PEPLC is a great set up and has awesome ideas from educators all over the World. Enjoy your learning and I hope you’ll share again soon.
PE SPECIALIST TEACHERS, PE MINUTES AND MORE
This blog post by Mrs. Hamada really focused on the necessity of having a full time specialist PE teacher in a school. She also mentions that many schools do not have the capability of hiring a full time ES PE teacher and that many school districts have to share these teachers. On this post she proves her points with a study that Dick Telford and his team performed. Dick Telford and his team proved that having a specialist PE teacher instead of a regular classroom teacher over the PE course resulted in the students being better fit. The comment that I posted is below!
Hello, my name is Duane Nelson and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. This is also a very interesting blog post. It is defiantly a sad thing that many schools cannot afford a full time specialist PE teacher. There are many great points in this post that prove why a school should have a full time PE teacher. The study clearly proves that the class that had the specialist PE teacher and not the regular classroom teacher were in better fitness. Hopefully one day every school will have at least one full time PE teacher. Also I wanted to say Thank You for the reply on PEPLC #1.
C4K October
The first student that I commented on in Octobers C4K was Michael in Mrs. Ripp's class. His blog post was titled "Silence". In his post he talked about a book that the class is reading about a young girl named Melany. In the story Melany is a girl that will never be able to speak and is in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Mrs. Ripp partnered the students together and made them try to solve a problem without speaking to one another. This showed the students of her class what Melany from the story has to go through every day of her life. The comment that I left on Michael’s blog is below.
Hey Michael, my name is Duane Nelson and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I have really enjoyed reading your well written blog post. The problem that you and your partner were faced with is a great example of what Melany has to go through in her everyday life. Sounds like you are reading a very interesting book in class with a great meaning behind it. Keep up the good work!
The second student that I commented on in October was Sadie Pickle. Sadie opens her blog with a suggestion giving a link to learn more about Service Dogs. She was presented with two questions that she had to answer and below I have posted the questions with her answer.
◦ How do you think Melody will react to having a new sibling in the house?
◦What themes or big ideas do you think that Sharon Draper is trying to get us to think about as we read these chapters?
Sadie Pickles reply to these questions are "I think she will love Penny, but be a little jelsous. I think that she trying to show kids about seeing dogs." Below is the comment that I left Sadie Pickle.
Hello Sadie Pickle, my name is Duane Nelson and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I have really enjoyed reading your post on service dogs. It’s amazing how an animal can provide such a great amount of service to help a person with their special needs or any other problems they may have. Good job and keep up the great work!
The third student that I commented on in October was Addison. Her post was a description of her school schedule from Monday through Thursday. Monday she explains how her class schedule was switched from media to math. Tuesday the class switched from math to reading and included music. Wednesday she joined a group called OOMM. Thursday the class had a states test with an early dismissal. Below is the comment that I left Addison.
Hey Addison, my name is Duane Nelson and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I have enjoyed reading your post on the activities of your previous school week. I hope you made a good grade on your first states test. I actually remember taking my states test when I was in grade school. Keep up the hard work and make good grades in school. Good job and I look forward to reading more post from you in the future. I have left you a link to my blog below that I use for my class.
The fourth student that I commented on in the C4K October was Cezer. He wrote a story about a guy named Michael trying to rob Trevor's garden. Cezer described Michael as a poor guy that did not have anything to his name. The only thing that stood in Michael's way of robbing the garden was Trevor's dog Chop. The story says that Trevor was robbed but never directly said Michael did it. Cezer just made reference that Michael walked home happily with a bag full of fruit. The comment I left Cezer is below.
Hello Cezer, my name is Duane Nelson and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I have enjoyed reading your story about Trevor and Michael. I hope Michael did not steal from Trevor's garden because it is a terrible thing to steal from another person. Good job on your story and keep up the hard work!
Blog Post # 11
First Graders in Ms. Cassidy's Class
Ms. Cassidy stresses how times are changing and technology is a necessity in the classroom. Cassidy explains the different ways of using technology in the classroom such as Skype, Videos, Blogs, Wiki, and even the gaming console the Nintendo DS. With the use of the internet in the classroom there are precautions that an educator must take to protect the children from what they are viewing and possible outside threats. The first thing she teaches her students is to never use their last name or a picture that correlates with their name. She also sends a permission slip home with the kids to get their parent consent to use the schools internet. With all of these precautions there are many benefits that come from using technology in the classroom. Students love the fact that their work is being viewed by multiple people online instead of the old fashion way of pen and paper where only the teacher can review it. With the students school work online parents are able to check the progress and progression through the students’ blogger. Blogger is defiantly an excellent source of technology that I would use in the classroom. This allows teachers to change from old styles of teaching such as lectures and note taking. As a parent it is an amazing source to be able to use to follow what their children are learning in school. Skype is another tool that I would like to incorporate into my classroom for multiple. Skype will allow me to communicate with other educators and to have other professors from all around the world talk to my students. Ms. Cassidy has defiantly influenced me to incorporate many different variables of technology in my future classroom.
Ms. Cassidy stresses how times are changing and technology is a necessity in the classroom. Cassidy explains the different ways of using technology in the classroom such as Skype, Videos, Blogs, Wiki, and even the gaming console the Nintendo DS. With the use of the internet in the classroom there are precautions that an educator must take to protect the children from what they are viewing and possible outside threats. The first thing she teaches her students is to never use their last name or a picture that correlates with their name. She also sends a permission slip home with the kids to get their parent consent to use the schools internet. With all of these precautions there are many benefits that come from using technology in the classroom. Students love the fact that their work is being viewed by multiple people online instead of the old fashion way of pen and paper where only the teacher can review it. With the students school work online parents are able to check the progress and progression through the students’ blogger. Blogger is defiantly an excellent source of technology that I would use in the classroom. This allows teachers to change from old styles of teaching such as lectures and note taking. As a parent it is an amazing source to be able to use to follow what their children are learning in school. Skype is another tool that I would like to incorporate into my classroom for multiple. Skype will allow me to communicate with other educators and to have other professors from all around the world talk to my students. Ms. Cassidy has defiantly influenced me to incorporate many different variables of technology in my future classroom.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Blog Post # 10
What Can We Learn About Teaching and Learning From Randy Pausch?
Randy Pausch's Last Lecture is an inspirational and motivational video that all future educators should take the time to watch. Pausch begins his speech by opening up with jokes and a slideshow of his fight with cancer. Through this slideshow he shows that he is a living example of everything he is speaking. One of the main points he makes is that people should follow their heart and childhood dreams. Dr. Pausch was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was told he only had a few months left to live in good health. He has defiantly given me a new outlook and perception on becoming a future teacher. Randy Pausch's passing in September 2008 is defiantly a tragedy and a lost for all.
"You cannot change the cards you were dealt, you can only change the way you play your hand" - Randy Pausch. As a future educator my goal is to make the most of every situation for the good of the students. As a teacher you cannot expect to have a perfect classroom, school, grades, or students eager to learn. This is why teachers should be constant learners along with being a educator. At the end, he tells us that this speech really isn't about how to achieve your dreams but about how to live your life. Randy Pausch's video has really made an impact on me and inspired me to become the best educator that I can be.
Randy Pausch's Last Lecture is an inspirational and motivational video that all future educators should take the time to watch. Pausch begins his speech by opening up with jokes and a slideshow of his fight with cancer. Through this slideshow he shows that he is a living example of everything he is speaking. One of the main points he makes is that people should follow their heart and childhood dreams. Dr. Pausch was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was told he only had a few months left to live in good health. He has defiantly given me a new outlook and perception on becoming a future teacher. Randy Pausch's passing in September 2008 is defiantly a tragedy and a lost for all.
"You cannot change the cards you were dealt, you can only change the way you play your hand" - Randy Pausch. As a future educator my goal is to make the most of every situation for the good of the students. As a teacher you cannot expect to have a perfect classroom, school, grades, or students eager to learn. This is why teachers should be constant learners along with being a educator. At the end, he tells us that this speech really isn't about how to achieve your dreams but about how to live your life. Randy Pausch's video has really made an impact on me and inspired me to become the best educator that I can be.
Project # 14
Project Based Learning Plan #2
U.S. Presidents
This is a 9th grade history project based lesson plan. The name of the projectis titled " U.S. Presidents!" The object of this lesson plan is for students to learn the history and interesting facts of the assigned presidents. Students will be split into groups of four, and each group will discuss the knowledge they know on their president. Students then will collect research in their groups using iCurio. Last students will produce a presentation as a group using Google slides. Please view my lesson plan and rubric in the links posted below!
Project Based Lesson Plan #2
Rubric
U.S. Presidents
This is a 9th grade history project based lesson plan. The name of the projectis titled " U.S. Presidents!" The object of this lesson plan is for students to learn the history and interesting facts of the assigned presidents. Students will be split into groups of four, and each group will discuss the knowledge they know on their president. Students then will collect research in their groups using iCurio. Last students will produce a presentation as a group using Google slides. Please view my lesson plan and rubric in the links posted below!
Project Based Lesson Plan #2
Rubric
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Blog Post # 9
Mr. Brian Crosby
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
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:
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.
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
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
C4T # 2
Blue Jay Bride
Why Aren’t More Teachers Using Twitter?
The first blog post I commented on explains how Twitter can be an asset in the classroom and why more teachers should use this technology tool for educational purposes. Twitter allows teachers to post endless capabilities that allow them to share articles, infographics, videos, and blog posts. This tool also gives teachers countless ways of learning new things everyday. He also stresses that PE majors especially should take advantage of this tool. PE teachers as well as other teachers can use Twitter to figure out ways of implementing technology in to the educational field. This article is great for any teacher considering using Twitter in the classroom. My comment that I posted is below.
My name is Duane Nelson and I’m a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I agree with you that Twitter is a great tool for professional development and it provides a countless amounts feed for educators. Twitter is defiantly a great asset that school systems should integrate into the classroom and should be used between teachers. Hopefully soon all educators will take apart of this great resource to better the education field. Thank you for the post and look forward to reading more from you in the future.
#PEGeeks Directory – There’s an app for that!
The second blog post that I commented on is about an app that keeps a directory of health and physical education specialist. This directory allows information to be accessed such as emails, twitter accounts, level of teaching, and locations. Through this app teachers will be able to chat with other educators and share ideas with one another. One of the best features of this app is that it is 100% free. I recommend to any physical or health education specialist to download this app! The comment I posted is below.
My name is Duane Nelson and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I have really enjoyed reading this post and looking forward to downloading this app. This is an amazing source to use as a directory of physical and health education specialists. This app is also a great source to see how other specialist are interacting in their fields. Thank you for this amazing technology tool that can be used in education departments.
Why Aren’t More Teachers Using Twitter?
The first blog post I commented on explains how Twitter can be an asset in the classroom and why more teachers should use this technology tool for educational purposes. Twitter allows teachers to post endless capabilities that allow them to share articles, infographics, videos, and blog posts. This tool also gives teachers countless ways of learning new things everyday. He also stresses that PE majors especially should take advantage of this tool. PE teachers as well as other teachers can use Twitter to figure out ways of implementing technology in to the educational field. This article is great for any teacher considering using Twitter in the classroom. My comment that I posted is below.
My name is Duane Nelson and I’m a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I agree with you that Twitter is a great tool for professional development and it provides a countless amounts feed for educators. Twitter is defiantly a great asset that school systems should integrate into the classroom and should be used between teachers. Hopefully soon all educators will take apart of this great resource to better the education field. Thank you for the post and look forward to reading more from you in the future.
#PEGeeks Directory – There’s an app for that!
The second blog post that I commented on is about an app that keeps a directory of health and physical education specialist. This directory allows information to be accessed such as emails, twitter accounts, level of teaching, and locations. Through this app teachers will be able to chat with other educators and share ideas with one another. One of the best features of this app is that it is 100% free. I recommend to any physical or health education specialist to download this app! The comment I posted is below.
My name is Duane Nelson and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I have really enjoyed reading this post and looking forward to downloading this app. This is an amazing source to use as a directory of physical and health education specialists. This app is also a great source to see how other specialist are interacting in their fields. Thank you for this amazing technology tool that can be used in education departments.
Blog Post # 8
Finding the Right Tool
Authors: Victoria Williams, Phillip Hall, and Duane Nelson (Collaborative)
![Physical Education]( "https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=thpMXy73QIWVNM&tbnid=3DrYqNBAZVqwiM:&ved=0CAQQjB0&url=http%3A%2F%2Fclassroom-assessment-theory-into-practice.wikispaces.com%2FAssessment%2Bof%2BPhysical%2BEducation%2Bin%2BElementary&ei=OZZZUumYGpTI4APHyYCoDg&bvm=bv.53899372,d.dmg&psig=AFQjCNGg79SC1y7Zg7Rgzs5gyIuS3GuU9w&ust=1381689212286781 border=")
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.
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.
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.
Authors: Victoria Williams, Phillip Hall, and Duane Nelson (Collaborative)
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.
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.
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.
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