Sunday, December 7, 2014
Sunday, November 30, 2014
November C4T
First C4T for November
Two weeks ago I committed on a blog written by Henrietta Miller from Sydney, Australia. She recently traveled to New Zealand to explore technology in the primary school system. Ms. Miller wanted to find out if the technology was helping the students with language and literacy. She found that the students take their test online, giving the teachers instant results. She found all the schools in New Zealand were using Ipads, laptops, chrome books, and using a BYOD model. The students and teachers are expected to already know how to use technology in the classroom. Almost all the teachers are using blogs weekly to communicate with the parents. According to Ms. Miller technology in the right hands is a great learning tool. I feel like this is a great idea to use technology in the classroom. By using technology students become engulfed in learning, by hearing, seeing, and interacting through technology.
Second C4T for November
For my second C4T I choose Edna Sackson, who teaches at an International Baccalaureate PYP school in Melbourne, Australia. One question that Ms. Sackson brought up was, "Why don't we abandon report cards altogether?" Since we are using technology in the classroom, why do we still need to send report cards out twice a year. By using facebook, twitter, and blogger teachers are already communicating with the parents on their child's progress. Ms. Edna calls people who communicate through technology "Cloud Grannies", who are people of all ages. I think using blogs, twitter, and facebook would encourage more communication between the teachers and parents. With my ten year old I have to contact the teacher to find out her progress or wait until the report cards. It would be nice to see how she is doing daily or weekly.
Two weeks ago I committed on a blog written by Henrietta Miller from Sydney, Australia. She recently traveled to New Zealand to explore technology in the primary school system. Ms. Miller wanted to find out if the technology was helping the students with language and literacy. She found that the students take their test online, giving the teachers instant results. She found all the schools in New Zealand were using Ipads, laptops, chrome books, and using a BYOD model. The students and teachers are expected to already know how to use technology in the classroom. Almost all the teachers are using blogs weekly to communicate with the parents. According to Ms. Miller technology in the right hands is a great learning tool. I feel like this is a great idea to use technology in the classroom. By using technology students become engulfed in learning, by hearing, seeing, and interacting through technology.
Second C4T for November
For my second C4T I choose Edna Sackson, who teaches at an International Baccalaureate PYP school in Melbourne, Australia. One question that Ms. Sackson brought up was, "Why don't we abandon report cards altogether?" Since we are using technology in the classroom, why do we still need to send report cards out twice a year. By using facebook, twitter, and blogger teachers are already communicating with the parents on their child's progress. Ms. Edna calls people who communicate through technology "Cloud Grannies", who are people of all ages. I think using blogs, twitter, and facebook would encourage more communication between the teachers and parents. With my ten year old I have to contact the teacher to find out her progress or wait until the report cards. It would be nice to see how she is doing daily or weekly.
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Blog 5 Part 2
I have learned a lot about Personal Learning Networks. I now use Twitter, Symbaloo, Pinterest, and Padlet for my Personal Learning Network. I hope in the future these sites will help me along my path to becoming a teacher. Symbaloo helps me organize my projects and materials; Pinterest helps me to gather important information together; Padlet lets me work on projects with other people and with Twitter I learn new viewpoints and information. I may not be using Twitter as much as I would like right now, but I am planning on expanding my social network. At the beginning of the semester I knew nothing of Personal Learning Network, now it all makes sense and I hope that it keeps growing. I believe different sites will appear along the way and I will explore them to gain greater knowledge to benefit my students. Learning is a part of life, it is exciting and refreshing, so I will never stop learning. I will use my knowledge that I gained from this class to help improve my teaching and learning style.
Sunday, November 23, 2014
C4K November Summary
My First C4K for November
I read a post by Jacob in Mrs. Myers 8th grade class. Jacob wrote a blog post about product design, where he shows two videos on how to make a small container out of juice bottle caps. In the first video How to Make a Soda Cap Container, a person could make a container to store stuff in for survival. In the second video Make a "Matchless" Survival Fire Kit showed us how to make a matchless fire starter stored in the Soda Cap Container. I feel these are two really good videos for when you go camping.
Second C4K for November
For my second C4K I read a post by Danielle, who is in Mrs. DeBuhr's 8th grade language class at Kingsland High School. Danielle wrote about blogging for the first time and how she carefully proof reads her blogs before she post them. When she first found out she had to write a blog she felt "stupefied" now she feels "tranquil". Reading her blog I feel the same way.
I read a post by Jacob in Mrs. Myers 8th grade class. Jacob wrote a blog post about product design, where he shows two videos on how to make a small container out of juice bottle caps. In the first video How to Make a Soda Cap Container, a person could make a container to store stuff in for survival. In the second video Make a "Matchless" Survival Fire Kit showed us how to make a matchless fire starter stored in the Soda Cap Container. I feel these are two really good videos for when you go camping.
Second C4K for November
For my second C4K I read a post by Danielle, who is in Mrs. DeBuhr's 8th grade language class at Kingsland High School. Danielle wrote about blogging for the first time and how she carefully proof reads her blogs before she post them. When she first found out she had to write a blog she felt "stupefied" now she feels "tranquil". Reading her blog I feel the same way.
Blog Post 14
According to Teaching Can Be a Profession by Joel Klein we need to change the way we recruit teachers. He states that we need to hire only the top third of our students, and improve academic training for teachers. He also states that teachers are paid the same and it is hard to get rid of incompetent teachers. Depending how long you have been teaching depends on your pay raise. Mr. Klein states that the best teachers are often hired into middle class communities while the poor communities suffer. In the article he states that the late Albert Shanker suggested we make teaching into a profession.
I agree with Joel Klein that we need to change the way teachers are recruited. We should start training them in college to be effective teachers. Teaching should be a profession that offers better initiatives. I do not agree with accepting only the top third of our students, I think we should offer higher quality test instead. Some students may be poor in certain areas but strong in other areas. Offering workshops will help keep the instructors in touch with the newest teaching methods. Training the teachers in project based learning will help to improve their teaching methods. As stated in the above sentence about hiring only the top third of the students, not all people are geared to teach.
In today's world technology is taking over, teachers and students are always learning and will continue to do so. Teachers are there to instruct and guide students through the learning process, it is up to the students to learn. A teacher can graduate at the top of their class and still be incompetent. By training teachers early on, we will improve the quality of teaching and learning.
I agree with Joel Klein that we need to change the way teachers are recruited. We should start training them in college to be effective teachers. Teaching should be a profession that offers better initiatives. I do not agree with accepting only the top third of our students, I think we should offer higher quality test instead. Some students may be poor in certain areas but strong in other areas. Offering workshops will help keep the instructors in touch with the newest teaching methods. Training the teachers in project based learning will help to improve their teaching methods. As stated in the above sentence about hiring only the top third of the students, not all people are geared to teach.
In today's world technology is taking over, teachers and students are always learning and will continue to do so. Teachers are there to instruct and guide students through the learning process, it is up to the students to learn. A teacher can graduate at the top of their class and still be incompetent. By training teachers early on, we will improve the quality of teaching and learning.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Blog Post 13
Answer these questions after reading Pros and Cons of Allowing Digital Devices in the Classroom and Tablets vs. Textbooks. Watch the video Mobile Devices in the Classroom. You can also use other websites to support your answers.
1. What are the pros and cons of smartphones in the classroom?
2. What are your thought on tablets vs. textbooks.
3. After reading these articles will you still use technology in the classroom? Why?
Smartphones in the Classroom
Pros
1. In case of an emergency students can call their parents.
2. Students can look up information on their smartphones for a class project.
3. Students can find new and exciting ideas and projects.
4. Students can excess instant videos, music and images.
5. Social information - students can share information with each other.
Cons
1. The EPA discourages too much exposure to video screens, which could harm people.
2. Students can excess material that is not monitored by the school.
3. Child predators and cyber bullying can hurt students and it can get worse.
4. Some people are concerned that students will stop interacting with their peers and rely on electronic devices instead.
Tablets vs. Textbooks
Pros
1. Tablets help students learn faster.
2. Tablets can hold up to a 1000 books on 1 gigabyte, which reduces storage space.
3. E-books are cheaper than a textbook.
4. Tablets can excess information that is not in a textbook.
5. Textbooks are heavier than tablets and has been known to cause back-pack injury.
Cons
1. Tablets are more expensive than textbooks.
2. Some homes do not have sufficient broadband usage for tablets.
3. Tablets are expensive to fix.
4. Tablets can freeze, crash, or get hacked.
5. Tablets have too many distractions for classroom use.
Using tablets in the classroom will give the students a wide range of information than from a textbook. By using their smartphones, students can talk with people from different countries to get an idea of what the world around them is like. In an earlier video, Anthony Capp mentioned that you should always have a backup plan just in case an emergency occurs. You never know when the electricity will go off or the tablet quits working, so you should always be prepared with something non-digital. Having lectures with open-ended questions, project based, and technology is a great way in directing our students for the future.
1. What are the pros and cons of smartphones in the classroom?
2. What are your thought on tablets vs. textbooks.
3. After reading these articles will you still use technology in the classroom? Why?
Smartphones in the Classroom
Pros
1. In case of an emergency students can call their parents.
2. Students can look up information on their smartphones for a class project.
3. Students can find new and exciting ideas and projects.
4. Students can excess instant videos, music and images.
5. Social information - students can share information with each other.
Cons
1. The EPA discourages too much exposure to video screens, which could harm people.
2. Students can excess material that is not monitored by the school.
3. Child predators and cyber bullying can hurt students and it can get worse.
4. Some people are concerned that students will stop interacting with their peers and rely on electronic devices instead.
Tablets vs. Textbooks
Pros
1. Tablets help students learn faster.
2. Tablets can hold up to a 1000 books on 1 gigabyte, which reduces storage space.
3. E-books are cheaper than a textbook.
4. Tablets can excess information that is not in a textbook.
5. Textbooks are heavier than tablets and has been known to cause back-pack injury.
Cons
1. Tablets are more expensive than textbooks.
2. Some homes do not have sufficient broadband usage for tablets.
3. Tablets are expensive to fix.
4. Tablets can freeze, crash, or get hacked.
5. Tablets have too many distractions for classroom use.
Using tablets in the classroom will give the students a wide range of information than from a textbook. By using their smartphones, students can talk with people from different countries to get an idea of what the world around them is like. In an earlier video, Anthony Capp mentioned that you should always have a backup plan just in case an emergency occurs. You never know when the electricity will go off or the tablet quits working, so you should always be prepared with something non-digital. Having lectures with open-ended questions, project based, and technology is a great way in directing our students for the future.
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