Blog Post #6

PBL And Asking "Good' Questions

Project based learning is a teaching technique based off of the students learning the material through hands-on activities, such as projects. A major concept of PBL is the students becoming more independent in the learning process. Part of this includes teachers asking their students the right questions to get their brains ticking. One of our mottos in EDM310 is "Questions Are More Important Than Answers," this statement holds true in that the question is what starts the whole process. When asked a good question, students begin to think. Some may know the answer, while others may go straight to researching to find out the answer. In this process, they may learn something new they did not originally intend. Maryellen Weimer's blog, Three Ways To Ask Better Questions In The Classroom she recommended three actions for teachers to take that she believed could improve questioning in the classroom. These three actions were, Prepare Questions, Play with Questions, and Preserve Good Questions.

The Three Actions: Prepare, Play, and Preserve

As described in Maryellen Weimer's blog, preparing your questions ahead of time will reduce the chance of asking an unclear question, which will in return increase class participation. Students are more likely to take part in a class discussion or answer a question that they understand, or at least that is presented to them clearly. Leaving a question unanswered and allowing it to linger on the minds of the students for a while will leave open the opportunity to collect a variety of answers from the students. This also allows the students to keep thinking and researching the topic, instead of just stopping after their first answer. Preserving a question, or saving it for the right time can be useful and effective in questioning your students. Waiting to ask a really good question until the time is right and can better fit with the goals of the lesson. Also, writing down, or keeping record of good questions asked by students can be considered a form of preserving your questions. One job of teachers is to inspire their students, but sometimes they inspire us instead, and that is something you want to write down and to remember.

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

In order to be effective teachers, we need to know the goals we want to accomplish with our students first. Not just for the year as a whole, but also in our individual lesson plans. Knowing these goals, gives teachers a chance to pre write questions to ask the class. We also need to know how to properly ask the questions where they are perceived clearly by the students. It is important for us as teachers to know the techniques associated with PBL and asking good questions, because the two work hand in hand in my opinion. The most important thing to know is how to ask a good question; one that will get the students thinking and keep them thinking. Possibly one that is left unanswered, so the students can draw their own conclusions from it.

Project #7

"My Sentence"



"My Passion"

Blog Post #5

Project #3 Presentation

Blog Post #4

Why Podcasts? How do we do a podcasts?

Judy Scharf Podcast Collection
I frequently listen to music on Itunes and have many times came across a category labeled podcasts. Until now, I was not familiar with what a podcast was, much less how to make one. The blog post, Judy Scharf Podcast Collection, by Judy Scharf, gives a very good explanation of podcast along with tip on how to use them successfully in your classroom. She states that a podcast is, "a “radio-style” talk show. It may include music as well. It may be listened to on the computer or an MP3 player, and may be downloaded from iTunes or a podcast hosting service." This blog post can be very useful to teachers and student who, like me, are not necessarily savvy in the podcast area. The detailed instructions in the post are a tool I will definitely reference back to when creating my own podcast. I found it interesting that she included the list of possible topics to assign to your students for their first podcast. Overall, a very useful, well-organized, detailed tool for teachers and students interested in incorporating podcasts into their classroom. I believe this would be a fun way to get the students excited about a project, while still learning the necessary information. Also, podcasts will enable the students to broadcast over the entire internet and share what they have learned.

Flat Stanley Podcast
This post,Flat Stanley, I thought, was very fun and definitely creative! I think this was a fun way to get the students interested in podcast and also teaching them about it all at the same time. Allowing the children to create their own storyline, while also getting them to read and learn about a new place was very clever I thought. I also love the fact that the recording they created is included in the blog for everyone to listen to. I know seeing their final product and what they came up with is one of my favorite parts. Kudos to these six year olds for being creative and using technology in the classroom.

Listening-Comprehension-Podcasting
From the research I have read on other blogs, I have learned that podcasting can be very beneficial to use in the classroom for the students, as well as for the teachers. This blog post,Listening-Comprehension-Podcasting, made it clear to me however, that it is not just about the podcast, but also about the assembling, content, and delivery of the presentation. It is emphasized in this blog post that it is important to speak with feeling in order to accurately convey the message you are trying to get across. A podcast is a broadcast, therefore, your voice IS the presentation and your tool for telling the story you want to tell to the audience. Also, the blog discusses how editing the podcast can be a helpful tool to use to break the podcast down and see what is said, where, and how it is said. In this particular post, the students were learning the story of, PURIM. They each had a section they were to be recorded reading in Hebrew, and the sections were then mixed up, so that the students could put them back in the right order. This not only taught the language to the students, but was also a good way of learning the story. Also, it was fun for them to be able to listen to their audio recordings of themselves. So, why podcast? I think podcasting is a fun, and useful to get information you have learned, or are teaching out there for others to see it.

Take Another Look Around from Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano

C4T Project #5

C4T #1
I am a new member to the blogging club, however I am finding it to be quite an interesting way for teachers and students, among many others to share, their thoughts and ideas. I have recently started to explore other blogs and finding the ideas different teachers come up with to be so interesting and creative. One teacher in particular is a woman by the name of Elvira Deyamport. Recently, I have read some posts on her blog, Language Journeys, and I have been inspired by the experience she has shared from her classroom. I thought the way she had her students do their "about me" assignment at the beginning of the school year was very creative. Instead of having the students answer questions on paper, she had them make a puzzle piece, or their own puzzle with their interests, goals for the class, etc on them so they could see how all of them are connected. This is such a creative way to engage the students while gathering necessary information, and of course having fun. Kudos to this blogger for keeping things creative! I have included the video shared on Elvira's blog that shared some samples of their puzzle pieces.





C4T #2
The post on Elvira Deyamport's blog titled, "Research Meets Podcasts," caught my attention in more ways than one. I found it interesting to read about the project she did with her students on creating podcasts. She mentioned that she has been assigned as the Activity teacher for their program, and she chose to focus on introducing one tool to the students and how to use it effectively. She makes the point in her posts that she likes to try out tools herself before presenting them to her students. This was an important point to make, because it important that we, as the teachers, are fully familiarized with something before we can teach it to our students. The posts even included some of the final products form the students projects, which were interesting to see and listen to. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the steps the students took in creating their podcasts and how much they enjoyed being able to insert their ow music and voices into them. Again, this blog is a very good read and has lots of good creative ideas about how to get the students involved in the classroom. Please take the time to enjoy the example of one of the podcasts from Elvira's blog done by her students I have included ("Questions and Cola With Ahmad"), you will not be disappointed. Again kudos for Elvira Deyamport!

Blog Post #3

What is Peer Editing? What method Will I Use?

Peer editing is working with a classmate (peer) to offer advise to help his/ her improve their work. It is important in the education process, for students as well as teachers. Being able to accept and give constructive criticism is an ever increasing necessary skill to have in today's world. However, it can also be very nerve racking for those who are not as familiar with the process as others. Personally, I like to offer my opinion or "second eye" if you will to my peers when I can, but tend to get a bit anxious when it comes to making corrections, etc. It is important to know what peer editing is for starters before trying to engage in the process. According to the video, What Is Peer Editing, it consists of three main aspects: Compliments, Suggestions, and Corrections. I plan to use the rubric created with my group as a helpful to in evaluating someone's writing. I plan to choose my method for offering my suggestions based off of the amount of errors in the writing I am reading. I prefer to do so through comments (C4C), but if a post has a numerous amount of grammatical errors, etc I will also communicate through email. This will make it more accessible for that person to communicate with me in case they have any questions.

What Have I Learned About Peer Editing?

After reading Paige Ellis's Blog, I have realized I do not need to stress so much about peer editing. She made some very valid points that if done correctly, it is a very useful and much appreciated tool to use. I have come to realize that offering constructive criticism does not need to be a difficult task to complete as long as I follow the three guidelines laid out in the What Is Peer Editing and the Peer Edit With Perfection tutorials. First, it is always important to make sure and point out the positive in someone's writing before making corrections or offering suggestions. This will prevent you from coming across as what was described as a "Picky Patty" or "Mean Margaret," in the video "Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes." People enjoy hearing what they did well on and I believe it is important to give credit where credit is due. This video also made it clear to me just how important it is to give specific suggestions when offering advice. Just telling someone they need to add a comma is not much help, unless you tell them where in the writing the comma was needed. Making corrections is the last step in the process. When correcting a peer's writing, it is important to remember to use the symbols. Grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes are all things to look out for in the corrections portion of peer editing along with run-on sentences.

Peer editing does not have to be uncomfortable or a pain to do. It is like any other skill, the more you practice, the better you get at it. The C4C's we participate in, I believe are a valuable way for everyone to get comfortable critiquing others work. It also demonstrates that most of the time your peers want to hear your feedback. Most individuals will take it in as useful knowledge and feedback, which they will find very handy. As long as we take advice from the Peer Edit With Perfection Tutorial and offer suggestion and corrections in a positive way, I believe this is going to be a valuable skill for all students to have this semester.

Blog Post #2

Mr. Dancealot
-Carla Young, Nathalie McCarty, Danya Croft

Subject matter is a very important concept to consider when thinking of how to construct classroom time and energy. Your teaching methods have to be customized to fit your expectations and goals for the class. The lesson plans and activities should be designed and executed in a way that is going to efficiently help the student grasp what you are trying to teach them. For example, a dance class should contain instruction as well as practice. Mr. Dancealot has presented a dance class where the students are to take notes of proper dance steps and techniques without ever getting a feel for what it is like to do it. It is extremely important for the students to know the fundamentals of each dance and maybe a brief history of the origin of the dance. However, the teachers main problem was reinforcing the knowledge moreover the practice needed to perform those steps. It would have been a good idea for him to have had a certain amount of time set aside for discussion and the rest of the time set aside for practice and application. Teachers sometimes seem to forget that students learn more through participation rather than lecture alone. We are not only meant to teach the facts, but we are meant to teach the skills as well. Skills cannot be learned unless hands on experience is allowed, encouraged, and rewarded. Dancing can be easily compared to riding a bicycle. Our parents can tell us what is needed to stay upright on the bicycle, but until we know what it feels like to do it then we will never really learn how to do it.

The Networked Student
-Carla Young

After watching the video The Networked Student, the question “Why does the networked student even need a teacher?” has been raised. Personally, considering this is the field I am going into, I have thought long and hard about this. I honestly do believe the future of schools and learning is going to be a collaboration of technology coupled with the aid of a teacher. Times are changing, children have phones in their pockets that can do almost everything their computer at home can do. The way children learn is also changing and students are becoming more independent learners than they were in the past. Technology is a big part of today’s world and it is quickly making its way into the classroom. Students need to learn different skills now than they did in earlier years. Being technologically savvy is a must to keep up with the advancing times, and it is important for students to be exposed to this as early as possible to be successful in today’s society. The term “Connectivism” has recently been introduced to me and I believe that it is going to be a valuable method of learning not only for future students, but also a valuable tool for me as a future educator. I have been intrigued by the idea of students building a network with other students from all over each contributing ideas and things they have found about a certain subject they are researching to help each other learn. The thought that teachers may be unneeded or not as essential as they are in present day did cross my mind. So, why does the networked student need teachers? After giving it much thought and going back to what I heard in the video I asked myself another question, “Who is going to teach the students to build this network?” The idea that students will be learning through connectivism is based off of the students building a network to learn from. Knowing how to build this network is a skill the students will have to have. Like most skills, they have to be taught. Things are much more clear to me now, the teaching methods and tools may be different and teaching in general may not be anything like what it is now. Teacher may be considered as more of a guide or an aid, but the concept is still the same; providing students with the necessary knowledge and tools needed to be successful members of society.

Teaching in the 21st Century
- Danya Croft

I have never thought of teachers as mere filters rather than relayers of facts, but that is exactly what we are. We are not the ones who came up with the information and we are certainly not the only avenues that students can take to get to that information. So often we forget that we need to teach our students how to find the answers they seek for themselves. We need to teach them subject matter as well as incorporate the skills to find additional information. Let’s face it, no matter how little or much that I know and can teach there will always be information for which I am unfamiliar. Students need to understand that they can depend on themselves to find the information as much if not more than they depend on us to teach them. As teachers, we need to remember that true education comes from the engagement of a child. If you can engage a child in a project that you have assigned, you can be sure he/she will invest themselves in it and learn from it. I really loved the part of the video that stated misuse of class materials can come from pencil and paper just as it can come from iPads and computers. However, if you assign projects that are interesting to children and make them want to research then misuse of technology should be a non-issue.

Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts
-Nathalie McCarty

In this video the viewer learns how one can introduce technology to not only teach a class but to allow the class to teach themselves. Teacher Vickie Davis not only allows the kids to learn modern technology using any form of technology, but she shows them how they can learn basic skills that have only been taught with pen and paper. She has taken the advancement of technology to make sure that no child is left behind. This ability is by her learning each and every student and knowing what will help them as an individual best As you watch the video she actually shows you how the students connect with the world through a blog and with each other in the class through aviators allowing them to connect while studying as well. Basically, if one (teacher) is open to different teaching methods not only can they reach more of their students but the students can learn from each other.