Final Reflection Video

Blog Post #11

My PLN

I started working on my PLN several years ago when I was in EDM310. Now that I have several years of learning behind me and I have had the opportunity to meet and make friends with many teachers - my PLN has increased substantially.

Although - in the beginning - my PLN encompassed people I had met through blogs and Twitter. Now, my PLN circle has grown. I have many more Twitter friends and I have added mentors that I have met in classes. I have teachers that have just started teaching and teachers that have been teaching for 20 years. I have also added professors to my PLN.

Although I created my PLN when I was a sophomore in college - I am still using the same network now that I am in grad school. I depend on others ideas and their support. They aren't afraid to tell me I screwed up; however they are just as quick to offer praise! I rely on this network to gather information and share ideas. They are amazing! They are incredible! One day - I hope - I will be a part of someone else's PLN!

If you want to see just one of my amazing network members check out Shannon Miller.

Final C4T Rotating

Post #1 

This week I have been given the privilege of reading Mr. Chamberlain's blog. I was really thrilled because Mr. Chamberlain is part of my PLN. I follow him on Twitter too! 

So - his class is a history class and the question he is addressing is "Why do we have to learn history?" Mr. Chamberlain Googled the question because he thought that surely there was a great answer to be found online. There wasn't! So he asks --"Why do we have to learn history?". I say -- because we are creatures of habit. We do the same things over and over again. Don't believe me? Look at our history. Look at the the history of humans, of our country, and of our own lives. We continually make the same mistakes over and over again. Except - each time we make changes. So - by studying our history - we learn from our own and others mistakes. Hopefully - we will not make the exact same mistake twice! 

Loved this blog! Read ALL of it! 

Post #2

This week I am looking at Dare to Care by Denise Krebs. She has recently posted a questionnaire that had some excellent insight! She has recently moved to the Island of Bahrain. I can't imagine living in any other country than this one! Not to mention teaching in another country. Although I think it is a great dream! One I just might try to fulfill once my daughter is out of college (she graduates from high school in May 2014)! I really enjoyed the answers she gave. She also encouraged others to incorporate the questions in their student's blog. I think it is a grand idea! 

In answer to the question about her favorite quote this is what she said: 

Final C4T by Me

Post #1

How Engaged are Students and Teachers in American Schools?

This blog post discusses a Gallup Poll that measures student's engagement in school. This interests me because engaged students learn and retain more than non-engaged students. I want to make sure my students are engaged! So, I found this interesting. What was very tragic was that 70% of teachers believe their students are not engaged in learning!! SEVENTY PERCENT!!!! What the heck?! This makes me very sad. It also reiterates why our professors continually tell us that we need to actively engage our students in learning. It is imperative that our students are interested in what we are teaching them. 

"Surveys and polls aren’t perfect, of course. But overall, the message of this research is a powerful indicator that we need to do a better job at looking at the full range of factors that affect school performance. Gallup is promoting its student poll to districts as another means of making decisions about what really counts in school." 

I hope that you will take a look at this blog post. It was interesting and very thought provoking!

Post #2 

Are Existing Tech Tools Effective for Teachers and Students?

Teachers seem to be looking for tech tools that align with Common Core Standards. There seem to be many tools out there - but students and teachers alike are saying that the tools are ineffective. It seems that many of the ineffective tools are the Math and English tools. The blog states that the Social Studies tools seem to be the most effective. 

I also found this to be helpful. 

Post #3

This last post is amazing... I am so glad that it is the last post that I read. I think it sums up what we want for our students. Although this may not be feasible in Mobile County classrooms - I think some of the ideas are well worth the time it would take to implement. I can not do justice to this blog post. So I encourage you to go and read it!

No Courses, No Classrooms, No Grades — Just Learning

This blog focuses on NuVu Studios which is a PBL program that pairs students with real world problems. NuVu is the brainchild of Saeed Arida, a former PhD student from MIT who believes that young people should be taught to solve real-world problems, like using new materials to design higher-quality prosthetics. 

Here’s How NuVu describes the program:

NuVu is a full-time magnet innovation center for middle and high school students. NuVu’s pedagogy is based on the architectural Studio model and geared around multi-disciplinary, collaborative projects. We basically teach students how to navigate the messiness of the creative process, from inception to completion.

No Courses: Instead, we have studios. Around 12 kids work closely with their 2 coaches on solving big (and small) open-ended problems.

No Subjects: Instead, everything is fused together. Students find themselves moving between a studio that requires them to design a telepresence robot to another that requires them to re-imagine Boston with a cable car system.

No Classrooms: Instead, we have an open space that changes all the time to adapt to the needs of every studio.

No One-Hour Schedule: Instead, students spend two weeks from 9-3 solving one problem.

No Grades: Instead, we have portfolios that document students’ design decisions and show their final products.

I definitely enjoyed this blog! I hope you will too! 

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Post 1

Jabiz has not been posting lately - but I ran across this gem. It was short and to the point. A lesson that I think we all need to learn. It was a language lesson. This is what happened - Jabiz overheard one of his students say, ”Stop being such a homo. That is so lame and gay.” I think Jabiz handled it very well. He immediately went and talked to the student. He explained why he didn't like those types of words to be used in a  derogatory fashion. I thought he did a very nice job of explaining how these words can hurt and cause pain to people that hear them. I really appreciated the way that he handled the situation. It was cool! 

Post 2

"You can either think of yourself as thirteen year olds writing for a teacher in English class, or you can think of yourselves as writers who demand to tell a story. There is a difference." Jabiz 

So - in this post Jabiz's class is working on a research project. He is really thrilled with his students being super engaged! He says,  "The formula for engagement is simple - students need high expectations and challenges, but they also need every ounce of energy we have to maintain enthusiasm and love for what we teach." Students need to see the value in what we have to teach them. They need to know they have a choice and that they can take ownership of what they do. As teachers we also have to support their choices with constant feedback. 

Post #3

This week I read a post from Jabiz that hit a little close to home. It really made me wonder how we - as English teachers - choose "appropriate" reading material for our students.  Jabiz was approached by a student that wanted to know if he had every read a book titled, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Apparently this a popular book that some people have thought to be inappropriate for young adults. Jabiz laments over how we do not want students reading books about sex, drugs or other inappropriate content. In essence - though - a lot of "classic" novels are full of the same ideas. Aren't students that are 12-13 years old interested in this exact topic? They enjoy reading these things. As teachers we are being foolish to believe that our students haven't engaged in any of these activities. We hope - but we are unsure. I really enjoyed this post. So much that I am going to read the book! Jabiz compares it to Catcher in the Rye!!

Video Book Review

This week I received permission to read a different book. I am reviewing a book entitled UNSCHOOLING RULES: 55 WAYS TO UNLEARN WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT SCHOOLS AND REDISCOVER EDUCATION by Clark Aldrich. 

Blog Post #10 - What Was Left Out?

I struggled with this -- I am not sure what could have been added. The only thing that I could think of would be a Voice Thread or a Prezi.

I think Voice Thread would have been an excellent option, especially for group work. It would have worked well for the presentations on the books that we read. In Voice Thread the user can use the program to share a Power Point presentation. The user then uses a microphone to control the voice over on the presentation. There is a way for viewers to comment on each thread too. I have used this before in a group of Honors English students and it worked really well.

Here is a Voice Thread that will explain it.




Like I said before - this would be an excellent way to do a book review. It would be easy to work on this with a web-based class too. Although the You Tube and Vimeo videos are great - this would be an additional way to review/explain a book or an assignment.

Book Review

I really struggled with this book review. I recorded it 6 times. I thought I had recorded it at home on Sunday. I had not. I have traveled to the beach to be with my daughter this week and when I went to upload it - it was NO WHERE to be found. I immediately started recording again. Only to realize that I didn't have my "script" with me. So -- I had to write another one. This time without the book to remind me. But wait -- there's more! I also did not have a printer to print out my script. Therefore I had to read from my screen while recording. ARGH! To top it all off -- there is a room full of partying teenagers in the other room! So -- I am apologizing in advance for any background noise and I am wishing that I could locate the video from Sunday!

So -- here goes my video!

C4K

My first kid that I commented on was Penny. Penny's blog post was about swimming. Apparently they went swimming during school hours because she said that they went swimming two at a time and then when they were done they went back to school. She also stated that they went swimming at the "GI" pool. I am unsure of what it is so I asked her.

Next was Nate. I am embedding Nate's sentence. His sentence included both a dependent and independent clause.

listen to ‘Nates swmming Independent and dependent writing’ on Audioboo

Here is his sentence: As I jumped , I could feel the water going up my spine.

I really enjoyed seeing Nate's work in language and I told him so!

Rowana is publishing a lot of presentations on her blog. It makes things very interesting. I learned quiet a bit about New Zealand's animals.

Next up is Germaine. Germaine was a part of a group that did the "haka". I think he did a great job. Check it out!

My next kid is T.A. - I like his initials. It is cool like Cher or Madonna! T.A. did a vimeo on the life cycle of a butterfly. I liked it too - I think I just like vimeo. So I am sharing his video too!




I love butterflys so much I have one tattooed on my ankle!

Efa-Lata went to Mission Bay and wrote a little take about it! So I am once again embedding it! I love this!

Here is Efa-Lata's photo and her story.

Blog Assignment #9

I love the talks at TED conferences. I especially enjoyed Brian Crosby's talk. Feel free to click the link and go view the video. The video is a little over 17 minutes long - but I can promise you the time flies really quick! There were several other videos that I watched too -- but I really enjoyed Mr. Crosby's the most.

Mr. Crosby teaches a different type of class. He starts with the students in the 4th grade and he retains these same students until they are in the 6th grade. Most of his students are "at risk" students so I think this works well. I really like the set up and I think it would be a useful tool. Especially in middle school years. Being able to teach the same set of students would give the teacher invaluable insight into the students abilities and their life. The teacher would be able to see the student grow in knowledge and socially. The teacher would truly know the student. 

I was extraordinarily impressed with Mr. Crosby's ability to incorporate a lot of other disciplines in his science experiments. I am an English teacher. I struggle with getting the students to understand the importance of reading and writing. I could easily collaborate with a science teacher to make this project very engaging for the students. The student learns so much more by doing and searching for himself than by me telling him what to do. Teachers today need to learn how to make learning fun for kids. We need to learn how to make it exciting and entertaining. They still have to be focused and on task. They still have to meet the standards - but they will never know they are learning. They think they are having fun. 

I am sure that teaching in this fashion is not easy. I am sure that it takes a whole lot of planning and preparation. In the end what we would have is a whole lot of students that know how to be - that know who they are - that know where they are - that know they are important. It makes me emotional just wanting that for my students. Wanting them to know they are important. I want for my students. I wish my students would want for themselves... 

Blog Post # 8 Anthony Capps Q&A

Considering that I know exactly who Anthony is I didn't feel that the video was needed. I really enjoyed the audio because I was able to listen while I was working out!

I found Anthony's discussion of PBLs (Project Based Learning) very interesting. I also loved his incorporation of Rosetta Stone. Maybe the language aspect interested me more because I want to be an ESOL teacher. I do not speak another language - so having students use Rosetta Stone that are not English speakers seems to be a fantastic idea. I wonder if Mobile County uses any form of this. It would seem to be a no-brainer; however Mobile doesn't always do the most logical thing.

Maybe the PBL discussion wasn't as interesting to me because it is something that I was already taught to incorporate in my lessons. Most of your schools will now require at least one presentation or research item every semester. This is the perfect opportunity to include a PBL. As an English teacher we have a digital project that is due each semester (or at least it is in middle school).

Anthony's look at "How I can be a better instructor" was very informative. I liked that he said that his kids love PBL. I think most kids would love PBL. It is a hands on learning experience. He notices a difference in his students when they are not doing or working on a PBL.

All I can say is WOW! Really WOW!

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Jenny She 

I follow Jenny on Twitter. So I was really surprised at her lack of posts on her blog. Her latest blog is from July of last year. Her post is about a student of hers taking a photo. A photo that she didn't request that the student take. Initiative. Her student used some of the things that Jenny had taught and added what she wanted. This is exactly what we want for our students. We want them to take what we have taught them and expand upon it!

Manaiakalani

In this post there is a link to some very innovative teachers. You can see here what the teachers have done and why they are considered to be innovative. Looking over the list I realized that these are just everyday ordinary teachers that have taken the idea of teaching to a whole new level. They are indeed exemplary in their fields and deserving of recognition. 

Thumann Resources

I am a bit confused by this post. She hasn't posted in a very, very long time. I am also not sure what this has to do with teaching. We might want to reconsider this blog. Apparently this blogger had a hard time setting up a conference. Apparently only half of the people that registered for the event actually showed up. She was a tad bit upset about it and wanted ideas about how this could be improved. I felt really out of  my league. I had nothing great to say. I read further down to over a year ago to find some relevant information. While this blogger seems very intelligent - I wish it was up to date. 

C4K

Post #1 

This week I had another opportunity to visit with Mrs. Geldes's Class! So I took another look at Alex's blog. This week he created a Tellagami on birthstones. His birthstone is a sapphire because he was born in September. I let him know that my birthstone is a Peridot because I was born in August! It was a nice post. 

I also got to visit Will's blog again. Will also told about the history of his birthstone. He was born in January and his birthstone is a garnet. I also let Will know that my birthday is in August so my birthstone is green - a light green! Such a cute thing that tellagami. 

Will's, Alex's and my birthstones...

Post #2 

Little Voices, Little Scholars is a great kids blog. This week I have 3 kids to post on. So I am going to begin with Leilani. In this post Leilani explains what she did over the weekend at her cousin's home. I was really surprised at how fearless she was - but then again children are innately fearless! 

Next up is Alamoni. He wrote a descriptive story about Harold the Giraffe! I am going to add it here! So cute. I forgot how adorable these little ones can be! 

The next student I have is Esther. Esther wrote a story about a Monster Truck! It was very cute. Go and watch it. Here is the illustration she drew for her story.

Post #3

PT England School 

My first student is Helen. The post I commented on was  a wonderfully done story board. She did a fantastic job and it was neat to see this in an application. I really enjoyed reading it. The storyboard was about empathy - something we all need to learn! 

Next comes Esrah. I decided to keep with the the empathy theme. Esrah did an amazing job defining and describing empathy. He explained empathy and gave examples of empathy - a job well done! 

Finally we had Jonathon. Jonathon's post was a diagram of a bike. He did an awesome job of labeling the bike. He also made sure that everyone would know bike safety rules. 

Post #4 

I am still with PT England! This week I have 3 more students to view. I will begin with Levi. Apparently Levi hasn't blogged in a while so we are still on empathy. In Levi's post he encourages us all to show empathy to others. He says that his teacher gave him many examples of ways to show empathy - so we should all be empathetic to each other. 

Maysun is next. He has posted something I know nothing about -- MATH! He is using something called trackers to "track" his progress in math. The tracker is color coded so that he knows what he has already learned, what he is in the process of learning and what he still needs to learn. Kind of cool! 

Finally we have Faauiga. Faauiga has not posted since early February. So her post is about her holiday. (Just so you know - holiday in New Zealand is equal to vacation in the U.S.!)  Apparently they went to the beach over the holiday. This made me realize that the climate is so different than here. Swimming in February is unheard of in this area - but in her area it must be normal! 

C4T by ME

Post #1 

This week Mindshift is looking at Apps that Build Math and English Skills. This was very exciting for me. I am an English teacher so I was looking forward to some great resources. The first app that applied to English was a reading app called The Sports Network 2. You should really check it out! So cool and interesting! Students are the "show's producers" and they have to go over the scripts and make sure everything is done well! Really awesome! The other game that applied to me is Word Raider. It is really a vocabulary builder and isn't truly innovative; yet it was really great. I would encourage all of you to check  out this post on Mindshift. You will enjoy it!

Post #2

I ran across the post How to Reinvent Project Based Learning to be more Meaningful. I thought this post was a great overview of PBL and how it should be comprehensive. Although I am not sure that PBL need to be "reinvented". I think if PBL is done correctly there is no need to reinvent it! I did like that the author included the idea that PBL is not meant to be done alone. It is not just a single subject project. A good PBL will be collaborative across multiple disciplines. I was really pleased to see the information in a short but concise manner. If you need a refresher on PBL  - go check out this blog post! 

Post #3

This week I read a post called To Advance Education, We Must First Re-imagine Society. I felt like this was something that we all should be reading. Especially those of us in any EDM class! This is what Dr. Strange has been telling us for years! We can't keep allowing students to regurgitate information that we - as teachers - have feed them. Students today deserve more. They deserve to be guided through the learning process not just lectured to! That is why so many students "zone out" in class. They just don't care. Some of that not caring is the fault of the parents - but the remainder in the educators fault. We must learn how to lead students to the knowledge. They must be allowed to think for themselves. As teachers we must find what interests them and then turn it into something that pertains to our curriculum. 

Post #4

I think there must be something going on! This time I am posting on Teacher's Most Powerful Role? Adding Context. This post looks at teachers as the director of an orchestra! Whoa! I had never looked at it in that way before. If you look at teaching as directing they you get the picture. As a teacher we have to show the why of the content. We have to provide context. If the students aren't able to connect what they are learning to real world experiences they are likely to forget anything you have just taught. If a teacher makes something meaningful to the student, the student will most likely retain the knowledge for a lifetime. Amazing post! 

C4T Continuous

I am continuing to follow Intrepid Teacher. He hasn't blogged since my last update - which is sad because he is so interesting. I am once again going back in time to find a post. 

Post #1

This post was about the fact that children today do not know how to explore the outdoors. (My child included!) Students today want to go to school - indoors - and then they go home to play video games, watch television or get on the computer (or phone). They no longer go outside to play. 

Student know all of the iconic logos for consumable items; yet they are unable to identify simplistic flowers! Watch this! 

It is almost frightening! I have read another post of his talking about getting students outside to work. This just reinforces my belief that I must get my students outside at least once a week!

Post #2

This week there is a poem. It is so moving - especially after the posts about plagiarism that I have decided to post it and nothing else... enjoy!

by Jabiz

take me
use me
share me
i’m licensed
to be
re
mix
ed.

those ideas
these words
the painted
scrawling blathering
ruse
moves us from
mine to ours.

i can feel it in you
just as you’re feeling
it in me:
nothing original
nothing new
nothing owned
everything free.

dancing derivatives
denizens of a developing
culture.
unattached and untethered
blurred and modified
(r)evolutionary
copied and copied and copied.

a commons
in which we give and take
remix and build and create
and share and evolve.

non-commercial
and not for profit
call me an idealist
and I will call you one too.

take me
use me
share me
i’m licensed
and ready to be
made into you,
as i take you into me
and carve a we.

no monsanto
no pfizer
no property

this is buddha
this is marx
this is freedom
this is sharing
this is free

give credit where credit is due
then take the thing and add to it
too.

this new thing,
the one that belongs to neither you or me
give it away and let a third voice sing it free.

i am creative commons licensed
everything i think
i feel and create
is there for you:
use it,
adapt it
share it.
give it away once you’re done with it,
tell people where you found it
don’t try to make money from it.

Post #3 

In this post Jabiz is re-thinking the way he teaches writing in his classroom. In the past he has published his students writing in blog form; yet he has decided to do something different this year. He is no longer going to look at writing the same way. He wants the students to understand the entire process of writing.  I think he might be on to something. We are so focused on the students writing but we do not focus on how the students start writing and we don't follow them through the process of writing. 

Overall I really enjoyed this post. It was short but great -- as always! 

Post #4 

In this post Jabiz talks about never not finishing a book. As soon as I read that I had to stop and think, "Have I ever not finished a book?" The answer is no. I have some weird sense of loyalty to an author. I feel like I must complete a book when I start reading. Sometimes the book is horrific, but I still finish it. Jabiz is the same way. He has only not finished reading 2 books. He says he doesn't really count it as not completing the books because he plans to complete the readings. 

I can relate, although I never stop reading a book, there have been books that I have wanted to throw out the window of a fast moving car! Sometimes it is difficult to read (like War and Peace!) a book that is overly long and extraordinarily descriptive. I still try to complete it! 

Project - Alex

I found this project to be less taxing but also time consuming. 

Please click on the link to be directed to my ALEX Course of Study and Technology Course of Study too. I also included a snap shot of my ALEX Workspace. 

Blog Post #7 Learning and Communication Tools

I am running a little behind from this last week.(YIKES!) This is new territory for me - being behind! I have taken some time off from work to complete the assignments and get caught up! So grateful for an understanding boss (myself!). 

This week we are supposed to research some tools that will assist us in learning and communicating.  I found this to be very time consuming and I really was unsure of what I was supposed to be doing; however I am jumping right in - full steam ahead.

The first website I ran across was Desire to Learn. Desire to Learn reminded me somewhat of Khan Academy. Here is a video to give a generalized overview.

I really think this could be a great tool. Some of the things that I struggled with looking into this program is the cost. I made several attempts over the course of several days to get in touch with someone in sales support. I left many voice-mails and none of my calls were returned. They do include a 30-day free trial. This is what leads me to believe there is a cost involved!

From what I learned this site could be a great tool for teachers and even school systems. Especially with the Mobile County's BYOD program. I hope that you will take a moment to look at this program. It is very interesting to me and I am enjoying searching through the site.

Another site that I noticed was Edublogs. I was actually looking for a way to get my students blogging in a more private manner so that parents and administrators would be more comfortable with the exposure. Edublogs is the answer - I believe. Check it out!

I absolutely love this next site -- Padlet! I guess I had not thought that there would be other tools than just the ones I had been exposed to in my classes. I was actually searching Prezi and came across a Prezi that included this site (Oh --- I should probably include Prezi in this but I am just going to link it!) I like Padlet a lot. It is an easy blog and it can be added to a webpage or a blog. It is also interactive. So fun!

Now -- GO! Check out all the new stuff and tell me what you think! I really enjoyed learning about these tools. I hope you do too!

Social Media Project

PBL#2

Can be found on my Google site!

Randy Pausch

When I realized that this week was the Pausch lesson I quickly looked at my EDM310 blog. I have to admit that I got sidetracked. My how I have grown in the past 2 years!

In Pausch's last lecture his ideas about dreams still jumped out at me. This time however, I was thinking more about my students and less about me. I can now see that I need to encourage my students to dream -- really dream. They can be anything and do anything they set their minds to.  All they have to do is dream BIG and know that they can achieve their dreams.

This time around, Pausch made me thing of -- let's call him "Jake". Jake is a student in my class that probably will quit school as soon as he is old enough. He reads on a 2nd grade level and sleeps in class --well, not my class! Jake has dreams of being a diesel mechanic. Dreams that he is told he will not be able to complete if he quits school. Does he listen? No! Does he care? No! He is going to quit - it is a matter of time. So, do I give up on his dream? No! Jake isn't smart - he probably will never be "smart" in the way that can be tested; however he is capable. I encourage Jake to read "Popular Mechanics".  Although he can't take an Accelerated Reader (AR) test on this magazine - he can write me a paragraph telling me what he learned in an article. Does he get AR credit? No. Does he get credit in my class? Yes! He has a dream - I want him to succeed. I love Jake. I am the only teacher that ever has anything good to say about Jake. No one understands why he likes me and works for me. I know -- I support his dreams. I encourage his desires and I believe in him.

Does this change the almost imminent fact that he will not graduate? No! Do I really care? No! I have talked to Jake about his options. I have found information about mechanics school. I showed him that I know he can make it. He may not graduate - but he knows that I think it is important that he graduates form high school. I have told him he can complete his education. I hope he will. More so, I hope that he goes to a Community College and learns how to work on diesel engines. He can do it... I know he can!

This is what Mr. Pausch was talking about. Teaching students to dream and them helping them achieve their dreams. Make the student believe in themselves. Show the student how they can achieve their goals. So -- teach yourself to dream and to see the dream in your students. Sometimes, you may be the only one that can...

Project PBL

I had some problems figuring out how to get the PBL onto my blog. I tried to link it through my Google webpage, but I couldn't get it to link.

However, I am hoping you can locate our PBL here.

Okay -- that link doesn't work! Dang it! I am going to try to embed it. I don't like how this looks. I am going to continue to try to publish it on my website and link to the site.


Ahhh.... I think I have figured it all out! Here is the link to my Google Site. It is a work in progress, but you will find my presentation and my projects. YAY!

Asking Questions

I have found that questions are very important. I am not talking about the questions my students ask me but the questions that I ask my students. Just asking a student, "Did you like that story?" is not acceptable. You have to ask pointed questions that will initiate and drive discussion.

I am remembering a moment last year when I was teaching Diary of Anne Frank. I asked students to name something about each character. I proceeded to pull characters out of a bucket. I would ask for volunteers to tell me something about the character. I had some IEP students in the class and I really wanted them to participate. So I told them there is no "wrong" answer. Just tell me what they think. Many students told me things from the storyline about the characters. What was really great was when one of my IEP students said, "I think she likes apple pie". When I asked why. He told me that she seemed to be interested in baking so she has to like apple pie. No one laughed and I acknowledged that she very well may have liked apple pie - we just don't know. This was the beginning for this student. He then felt comfortable answering questions.

We talked about WWII and the impact it had on our country. This same IEP student proceeded to tell us all about WWII planes. I had asked the class to tell me one thing they knew about WWII. He was so full of knowledge. It was amazing.

I say all of this to make one thing very clear - it is not always about what you ask. It can be about your reaction to their answer. I want my class to feel "safe" in my room. I want them to know that I value their thoughts. Now this doesn't mean that they will not go on a tangent discussing some obscure point that normally included food or football! I can always redirect their thoughts.

Questions are very important - just be prepared for answers. Any answer. Know how to redirect and re-ask a question. Know your class and what they like. That way you can ask questions that you know they can answer and then lead them into the way you wish them to be thinking. Good questions will insure that you are not lecturing your students, but that you are guiding them or coaching them to learn. I do not want my students to regurgitate my knowledge. I like to know what they know and think.

Once you get a student to analyze their thoughts, then they are invested in what they are learning. Once they invest themselves then they will not only learn - they will retain!

Project 3 - Google Presentations

Project Based Learning

So, I have researched this so many times. I have watched the videos and read the material. I have implemented ideas too. Students enjoy PBL. Teachers struggle with it. There is a huge difference between Project Based Learning and doing a project. I have seen teachers struggle with this concept. They feel they are doing a PBL. When it is only a project.

I have had my students do "batabualary" for Dracula. The students draw and color a bat. Then they were given a vocabulary word from the play that they had to illustrate and define. THAT was a project! I have done project based learning where we were doing a WWII unit. We read poems, short stories and The Diary of Anne Frank. At the beginning of the unit the student pulled a topic from a hat that related to WWII. They had to create a digital project on that topic. It ranged from WWII fighter jets and pilots to the Holocaust. It was a dual project with their history teacher too. It took 6 weeks. We worked in the classroom, at home and in the library. In between I made sure that every topic that was pulled out of the hat was discussed and they were told the relevance to the material we were reading.

That is the main importance of PBL. You have to make it relevant to whatever you are teaching at the moment. Luckily I had tons of guidance from another teacher and the history teacher. We encouraged and assisted the students right through the projects. Some were excellent, others mediocre and some were practically non-existent. The grades were given and we had 100s to 25s. It was awful. I hated that students just didn't do the work. There has to be a way to connect to every student. There is -- you will connect with every student, just not every time.

I think that is the point of PBL. Students do not learn the same way. Not all students are capable of doing amazing art PBLs, digital PBLs or even writing PBLs. You have to find a way to help a student find the information they need to learn. It takes trial and error. Do I know everything about PBL? Heck no! I enjoyed trying though. As much success as I had with the WWII project, I had a huge failure. It was awful -- really awful and very public! Yet, I learned what the students were not able to do. Not because they can't, but because they needed to be shown what to do. I just didn't prepare them for the project. I am not sure what the students learned from the failure - but I sure learned a lot. Preparation is the key. A lot of preparation.

When PBL works -- it is amazing and when it fails... well, that can be amazing too! Those students will always remember my failure. We laughed and did our best. We had fun and we learned. And to me that is what PBL is all about.

C4K

Post #1

This week I had the unique opportunity to view Dane's Blog at Mrs. Toal's Class Blog. Dane is a smart guy and I commented on some words of wisdom he had for his classmates on the subject of cyber-bullying. You can view his great advice here.

I complemented Dane on his sage advice and asked him if he or any of his friends had ever been cyber-bullied. I am hoping his answer is a resounding no!

Post #2 

This week I was given the delightful opportunity to post in Mrs. Geldes's  classroom. I was given the honor of commenting on Alex R.'s blog and Will K.'s blog. Alex's blog was about the Sochi Olympics and the sport of Snowboarding. Alex seems to really like snowboarding and ice skating. I asked him if he has ever done either of these sports and I complimented him on his blog. 

Will K. asked a question. The question he was given was would you rather live in the mountains or on the beach. He chose the beach. Then he asked, "Would you rather have a pet pig or walrus?" I said I would rather have a pet pig. I told him the reason I would rather have a pig is because a pig could live in the house with you. If you had a pet walrus you would have to live near the water. 

Post #3

This week I have 3 blogs to report on! First is a somewhat local teacher - Mrs. Miller's  4th block. I was assigned to read freebird's blog. This student was asked to comment - apparently - on whether she liked the text or film version of a book. She stated that she enjoyed the text version better. This really surprises me. I would assume that she would like the film version - but she chose the text version for the same reasons that I would have stated. I enjoy imagining the characters "my way" and sometimes a movie ruins that for me... she feels the same. I enjoyed delving into her blog a little deeper and it gave me an idea to use in my own classroom. 

I was also given Gillian from Mrs. Long's 10th grade class. Gillian's post was on a trip to Walt Disney World. Actually Gillian's entire blog is a guide for a teenager in Disney. She does a really great job of telling her version of how great Disney is. Sometimes her writing is poor - especially for a 10th grader. But over all the blog is very cohesive - especially for a 10th grader. I am not a huge fan of Disney World - but she has been on 2 Disney Cruises and that fascinates me. I think I may have to look into a Disney Cruise. It sounds like fun. 

The last blog I was given for this period is from Bode Middle School in Missouri. I was given MacKenzie's blog . MacKenzie recently wrote an argumentative paper on which city she would have preferred to live in in Ancient Greece - Sparta or Athens. In the paper she chooses Athens. She includes a link to her paper in Google and also says that she followed a rubric that was created by the students... very, very interesting... 

C4T Rotating

Post #1 

For my first post I was assigned to this blog. There wasn't a lot to look at this week. Apparently Mr. Bennett is doing a conference this week on Flipped Learning. I wasn't real familiar with flipped learning so I decided to Google it! Yay for Google! This is the page that gave me the most information. So -- EDM is a flipped classroom! I should have known!

This blog was mostly about creating a logo for the bloggers conference this weekend. I did find his instruction interesting and I am going to go back and look at a few of his methods. I think the way he created the text was pretty incredible. So here it is!

Pretty cool! I love how the words have texture to them. Something I can't seem to master - which is why I plan on taking a closer look at his tutorial! 

Post #2

This week I was privileged to Beth Still's Budding Art Project. She recently posted about some art supplies through DonorsChoose. It seems that the students really enjoyed working on art projects along with their other work. Ms. Still points out that she learned  more about her students while they were working on their art than she had learned during their regular lessons. 

I had some difficulty posting to her page so I am not sure that my comments ever posted. But I commented that I had found that even high school students open up while doing art related projects. 

What a great week!

Post #3

Oh this weeks assignment made me long for days of yore. Well --- it did make me take a side trip down memory lane. I was assigned Primary Tech for my teacher blog this week. Mrs. Kathleen Morris is on maternity leave after giving birth to her child. I praised her for being willing to take on the challenge of staying at home with a child. I know that it is important for the parents to create a bond with their children. It reminded me of the hard choices we made when I gave birth to my first (and only) child. 

Ahh... but her post was about more than motherhood (but that is what I took my side the trip on!). Her post was about staying in touch with education changes while she is on hiatus. I believe that what she is doing is considered life-long-learning! This is what we - as teachers/educators - are supposed to be. We are not supposed to stop learning about our job just because we have finished our degree. We are supposed to build on our knowledge and grow in our knowledge so that  we can better teach others! 

Her post was great and I hope you take a  moment to read it. 

C4T By Me Post

 Tina Barseghian's Mindshift Blog is my choice in a C4T blog to follow. I really like this blog because it has a lot of different ideas. 

C4T My Choice Post #1

In this post I discussed the ways in which creativity assisted me in my education. I commented on the blog titled "Will Degrees in Creativity Be the Next New Hot Commodity?" It made me think about how we are supposed to think critically about our studies. We often expect our students to only think critically. Sometimes it is more important for them to FAIL at thinking and succeed at trying. We need our students to also be creative. This allows them to use their thinking critically in different ways. 

This one teacher used post it notes to get the students to think of different ways to solve a problem. The students were given a problem and then told to come up with creative ways to solve the problem. Pretty awesome. 

The other thing that this blog discusses is having a degree program that requires a minor in creative problem solving. It was very interesting and made me think of EDM 310. 

Post #2

This week is very appropriate for this class. I know we are all looking for ways to use technology in a way that will assist our students. This blog post gives some alternatives. It talks about the use of education software and interactive whiteboards and how the use - or lack of use - effects education. 

When educational software is discussed it states, "If you expect software to raise test scores, that rarely happens." If educational software could raise test scores alone, it would have replaced teachers a long time ago. The article continues to discredit the use of software alone by saying that students learn more in a creative and engaging activities. These activities can only be provided by a well trained "good" teacher. 

The author has a more favorable opinion of whiteboards. Basically it is a use of technology that can be used by the teacher to engage students. 

The article continues talking about BYOD projects and the cost value of long-term versus short term investment. Very interesting. 

Post #3

Mindshift is certainly living up to its name. I have found that this blog is totally different from ANY blog I would have normally chosen. At this point I am wondering if I should have chosen "Teacher Tom" or some other simpler blog. But, I made a choice and I am sticking with it. This blog is NOT written by just one person sharing their thoughts. It is a compilation of many people. I find the diversity of the posts to be enlightening and sometimes difficult to comprehend.  I am stretching my thought processes and I am going to continue to "jump in!" 

This week I read a post by Elizabeth Blair. The post is titled "A Look into Teenagers Complicated Online Lives". I honestly thought that I would read things I had already read somewhere else. That was not the case. I thought I was going to see a rage against all things online. You know the thoughts, "they are stuck in a faceless world" ideas. No, that was not the case. Blair discusses a book and author. The book is titled It's Complicated by Danah Boyd. There are several quotes by teenagers that can give a teacher an insight into their students. I would encourage you to read it! 

Post #4

This blog post looks at the advancements being made by the Hidden Genius Project out of Oakland, California.  The author is discussing the advantages of having disenfranchised youth working on coding apps that apply to things that affect their daily lives. They are learning code that will give them better games and also will help them to make better choices. This video explains the post better than words ever could.

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C4T Continous

Post #1

My teacher has not blogged in while, but I am going to work backwards until he blogs again (hopefully soon!) 

I have been assigned to follow the blog "The Intrepid Teacher".  I must admit that the first post I read was -- well, inspiring. I would never have thought that 7th graders would go sit in the grass and discuss their experiences. I have taught 7th graders and I know that Jabiz Raisdana  has created this learning environment. His students must feel extraordinarily comfortable with him and trust him. My comment on his blog said as much. 

I feel that I could use his post and apply it to my classroom. Encouraging students to express themselves by changing their environment is something I have not thought of - yet! I hope to incorporate this into my classroom journal experience soon! 

Post #2

I went back into Jabiz's blog a bit and found this gem! This week I read his blog about parent teacher conferences. I do not like these conferences. Although I have only had to experience one - it wasn't pleasant. I think I am going to look at things a little differently now. Instead of this meeting being one of either gushing about how great the student is or how much the student needs to improve - I am going to look at it as a way of studying the student and his interactions with his parents.
It is really difficult to get a student to respect you if they do not respect their parents. It is also difficult to know if the student really doesn't have any respect for authority or if they just want to act like they don't care. Jabiz says in his blog, " I like to see my students with their parents to get a sense of what kinds of relationships they have with each other. Are they nervous, or timid, or funny, or courageous around their parents? A teacher can learn a lot about a kid by how they act around their parents. I like to watch moms and dads and the banter and tensions they bring to the table."He has a point. Watching your students interact with their parental figure and even in a social situation can give a teacher insights on why the student behaves the way he does. 

Post # 3

I am so excited! My teacher has started posting again. I love reading his blog. This week it was more than a little interesting. Jabiz Raisdana was discussing how he has never felt comfortable with his views, or the expression of his views. He states, "I was driven by an obstinate defiance. I was always pushing back against existing hypocrisies, instead of standing for anything on its own merits. There was little wisdom to my beliefs. Even less understanding."  I found myself being sad. Wondering how many of my students feel the same. Are my students so defiant because they are unsure of how they will be perceived? Have I started to disrespect my students individually? I took a moment to reflect. The answer is that I have become overwhelmed with teaching and underwhelmed with listening. Ahh -- but that is complete digression from Jabiz's post. But it was a bit of an "Ah Ha" moment for me. 

The post continues with a description of how his school began an honest discussion of religion/culture. The school gave a wide variety of religions and had the students discuss what they knew/learned. I really wish we could do something similar to this in our schools. Religion is a touchy subject with many, but if looked at in the context of culture instead of just religion - I think it would assist young people in becoming more tolerant of others and their cultural beliefs. 

I am so "into" my blogs that I am following. I find myself "whisked away" with ideas that flood into my brain while I read others experiences. I did not have this type of experience in EDM 310. So it is very pleasant. 

Post #4

Jabiz has really outdone himself this week. Once again he touches on a topic that I have been struggling with. I would encourage ALL of you to read it. He talks about being a "reading snob". A lot of times we "educators" become snobbish about what we read. In doing this we neglect to read what our students are reading. I am adamant that I will listen to their music (ARGH!) and watch their shows (PAIN!) and endure it with a smile just so I can have something to discuss with them on a daily basis. What I have neglected to do is read books that they enjoy reading. I guess I feel that reading such dribble is beneath me... I am not sure. But all that will change as of NOW! I am going to become well versed in YAL. I am going to read what they are reading. This is going to give me - yet another - way to connect with my students. 

Yet again, I have been motivated to push myself and demand more of myself.