Sunday, October 27, 2013
Project #14
Blog Post #10
Randy Pausch's last lecture is an inspirational video where Mr. Paush talks about his childhood dreams, how he achieved his dreams and how to enable your dreams and the dreams of others. He describes a "last lecture" as a lecture you would give if you could only give one more before you died (which applied to him because he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer). This was, in fact, a one of a kind lecture that became an internet sensation which was watched by millions.
Randy tells us about his childhood dreams of being in zero gravity, playing in the National Football League, being an author in the World Book Encyclopedia, being Captain Kirk, working for Disney—and what it takes to achieve them. Something you can learn from Mr. Pausch's Lecture is to never give up. 
Through all the road-blocks that came into his life, he still managed to succeed. This is important for us, as educators, to fully grasp. We should never give up; When you give up, you're giving up on your student. Another thing you can learn from this man is to be optimistic, look on the bright side. Whenever one of his "dreams" did not come true, he still took something out of it. This just gives you an all around better attitude, which is necessary for an educator. I found this video to be my favorite of all the ones we've watched in EDM310 so far. I love inspiration, motivation, i just eat it up. Some words of wisdom I learned from Mr. Pausch are: Don't complain, just work harder(great motto for EDM310), Show gratitude, Loyalty is a two-way street, and find the best in everybody. I believe it would truly make a difference if everyone were to grasp these motto's, and they are especially relevant to to "education world".
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Blog Post #9
By: Miriah Grantham, Michelle Detar, and Demetrius Hamner
Back to the Future
Back to the Future is an educational video in which Brian Crosby, a fourth to sixth grade teacher at Agnes Risley Elementary School in Sparks, Nevada, discusses the ways he improves student learning in his classroom. When this video first started It confused us a little. Why? Well Mr. Crosby informed us on the background on his students and just how little they were exposed to. The majority of his class came from low income homes and had very little knowledge of their surroundings.
Less than half of his class knew which city, state and country they lived in. This video shows the difference in the knowledge of students from middle-income and low-income schools. He has students use technology to connect with the outside world and learn from it. The students have their own blogs that they use to post their classwork on to meet state standards. Mr. Crosby reinforced the fact that every teacher should be creative, passionate, and imaginative. We learned that you shouldn't judge students on where they come from because with the right methods of teaching every student will be able to become an A+ student. They are more than capable of learning the advantages of technology and utilizing it.
Blended Learning Cycle
Blended Learning Cycle is a video in which Paul Anderson, a high school AP Biology teacher in Bozeman, Montana, teaches us what a blended learning cycle is. A blended learning cycle is a combination of the blended cycle and the learning cycle. The blended cycle consists of three parts: mobile, online and classroom. The learning cycle consists of five parts: engage, explore, explain, expand, and evaluate. An easy way to remember the steps in this cycle is the acronym QUIVERS; Question, Investigate, Video, Elaboration, Review, Summary quiz.
Mr. Anderson uses this in his classroom to help his students learn. Each step of this method was to confirm the understanding of the students answer to a driving question. If the student was not able to complete one step of this method, then they were not able to move on to the next step. What can we learn from Mr. Anderson? We learned a new method of teaching. Every good teacher knows to ask a good question. Mr. Anderson’s steps make it easy to make sure students understand your questions. QUIVERS is a method we would use in our classrooms to keep our students engaged and check their understanding
Making Thinking Visible
Making Thinking Visible is a video by Mark Church. He starts by putting his class into small groups. He wants them to think about the topic of human origins. He lets them interpret the topic on their own and create a headline, or question, that helps them start their thinking process. After further discussion of that unit, the students will go back to their headlines and see if their view on the topic has changed.
This is a very good method of learning to help students become critical thinkers. What can we learn from Mr. Church? We learned to let students think for themselves. If you pose a question, the students will find a way to answer it. This is a method of learning that we all could use in our classrooms to encourage our students to think critically and learn to combine their thoughts with others as well.
Back to the Future
Back to the Future is an educational video in which Brian Crosby, a fourth to sixth grade teacher at Agnes Risley Elementary School in Sparks, Nevada, discusses the ways he improves student learning in his classroom. When this video first started It confused us a little. Why? Well Mr. Crosby informed us on the background on his students and just how little they were exposed to. The majority of his class came from low income homes and had very little knowledge of their surroundings.
Blended Learning Cycle
Blended Learning Cycle is a video in which Paul Anderson, a high school AP Biology teacher in Bozeman, Montana, teaches us what a blended learning cycle is. A blended learning cycle is a combination of the blended cycle and the learning cycle. The blended cycle consists of three parts: mobile, online and classroom. The learning cycle consists of five parts: engage, explore, explain, expand, and evaluate. An easy way to remember the steps in this cycle is the acronym QUIVERS; Question, Investigate, Video, Elaboration, Review, Summary quiz.
Making Thinking Visible
Making Thinking Visible is a video by Mark Church. He starts by putting his class into small groups. He wants them to think about the topic of human origins. He lets them interpret the topic on their own and create a headline, or question, that helps them start their thinking process. After further discussion of that unit, the students will go back to their headlines and see if their view on the topic has changed.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Blog Post #8
21st Century Learning and Communicating Tools
My Post
One of the great sites that I stumbled upon was called Tech4Learning. This is a great place that encourages what we are learning in EDM310. It can be accessed by Parents, Teachers, and Administrators. It gives you all sorts of interesting information including “How to create a 21st Century Classroom”. It offers guides of common core standards that must be followed and “award winning” programs to
download and use in your classroom. There is also a “connect” tab on the homepage that allows you to connect with other teachers, see lessons, and the work of other students. Another interesting site that I found was called The 21st Century Teacher. Here you can find articles, blogs, and videos that offer tips for 21st century learning. I would use both of these websites as an educator. Not only do they offer you great advice, but they also allow you to connect with other educators from all over and share ideas, which is very helpful for creating your own “21st Century Classroom”.
Michelle's Post
I am currently observing in a third grade classroom for three of my other classes. My mentor teacher, Ms. Williams, told me about some great sites that she uses to get worksheets and activities from. One that she told me about was Teachers Pay Teachers. I created an account with Teachers Pay Teachers so that I could access the tools that it provides. Teachers from all over can sell their original works to other teachers. You can sort your options by grade level, subject, or price. This is a great tool to use when you need extra help on certain subjects.
My mentor teacher uses it in reading, because many of the students have a hard time grasping how to find the main idea of a passage. I would use this tool whenever I wanted my students to have a little extra practice on what we have already learned. The prices are cheap, and its quality work that you are buying. Some other great tools that it provides are: bulletin board ideas, classroom decorations, PowerPoints, rubrics, and so much more! Teachers Pay Teachers is an excellent site for teachers in all aspects.
Demetrius' Post
As I searched the internet I came across two very good learning websites. One is called Eduplace and the other one is called Jump Start. Eduplace is a basic site, specifically for second grade, that gives tools to help plan your lesson. It consists of a glossary, manipulative, graphic organizers, and of course games. All these tools are specific for second grade learning. This learning tool could be used often in my classroom mostly for the games and manipulatives. Jump Start has educational resources for pre-K through sixth grade. Some of the resources are games, worksheets, lesson plans, and much more. The movie Madagascar and How to Train Your Dragon are some of the themes used for the different games.
Each game is available not only online but on a number of sources like the iPad, Nintendo Wii, Mobile Device, and Nintendo DS. As you can see Jump Start stays up to date on 21st century learning and that is why it grabbed my attention. This is something that I will use in my classroom on a daily basis to reinforce what we have learned or even introduces something new. The many worksheets, lesson plans, and activities will be of great help in my classroom. Each curriculum is based on national and state standards so my students will always be learning efficiently. Jump Start is also a great way to keep my class interactive in learning. This site will help make the boring or more difficult topic fun.
My Post
One of the great sites that I stumbled upon was called Tech4Learning. This is a great place that encourages what we are learning in EDM310. It can be accessed by Parents, Teachers, and Administrators. It gives you all sorts of interesting information including “How to create a 21st Century Classroom”. It offers guides of common core standards that must be followed and “award winning” programs to
Michelle's Post
I am currently observing in a third grade classroom for three of my other classes. My mentor teacher, Ms. Williams, told me about some great sites that she uses to get worksheets and activities from. One that she told me about was Teachers Pay Teachers. I created an account with Teachers Pay Teachers so that I could access the tools that it provides. Teachers from all over can sell their original works to other teachers. You can sort your options by grade level, subject, or price. This is a great tool to use when you need extra help on certain subjects.
Demetrius' Post
As I searched the internet I came across two very good learning websites. One is called Eduplace and the other one is called Jump Start. Eduplace is a basic site, specifically for second grade, that gives tools to help plan your lesson. It consists of a glossary, manipulative, graphic organizers, and of course games. All these tools are specific for second grade learning. This learning tool could be used often in my classroom mostly for the games and manipulatives. Jump Start has educational resources for pre-K through sixth grade. Some of the resources are games, worksheets, lesson plans, and much more. The movie Madagascar and How to Train Your Dragon are some of the themes used for the different games.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
C4T #2 Summary
In Quilting our Way to International Dot Day at USA, Paige Vitulli tells us about a project she did with her students. Inspired by the book, The Dot, the students decided to express their creativity. This book, written by Peter H. Reynolds, is about a teacher who encourages a student to see where a dot on a piece of paper takes them. Paige's students decided to make a quilt celebrating this book out of paper. The each made their own colorful creation and crumbled and smoothed it out until it felt soft, like a quilt. She then posted pictures of their creation and i was very impressed. Here is my comment: Hello!
My name is Miriah Grantham and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. I really enjoyed your post! What a wonderful idea to make a quilt out f paper and allow the students to express their creativity! Very inspiring and interesting. Thank for sharing :) I will be summarizing your post on MY blog at http://granthammiriahedm310.blogspot.com/!
In I am Education: Kids Tell All, Paige expresses her concern about the lack of art programs in certain schools. She tell us that over 4 million schools do not have an art program. She shows us a student that is very creative, but is limited to expressing it at school. There is a video of this little boy, explaining why he thinks art is important. Here is my comment: Hello, My name is Miriah Grantham. I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Al. I just wanted to say that i think this is a very important issue and every school should have some sort of art program! I believe it is so important for a child to be able to use their creativity and see what makes them stand out from the rest, what makes them different compared to others! I know there are many other children out there just like this precious little boy. I love the sentence, "There are so many better things to do than watch TV and art is one of the best things to do. Maybe you should try art." Great Post, thanks for sharing! http://granthammiriahedm310.blogspot.com/
In I am Education: Kids Tell All, Paige expresses her concern about the lack of art programs in certain schools. She tell us that over 4 million schools do not have an art program. She shows us a student that is very creative, but is limited to expressing it at school. There is a video of this little boy, explaining why he thinks art is important. Here is my comment: Hello, My name is Miriah Grantham. I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Al. I just wanted to say that i think this is a very important issue and every school should have some sort of art program! I believe it is so important for a child to be able to use their creativity and see what makes them stand out from the rest, what makes them different compared to others! I know there are many other children out there just like this precious little boy. I love the sentence, "There are so many better things to do than watch TV and art is one of the best things to do. Maybe you should try art." Great Post, thanks for sharing! http://granthammiriahedm310.blogspot.com/
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Progress Report for PLN
C4K's for September
Canberra Mint by:Maggie This blog was about an exciting trip to Canberra Mint. When speaking of the topic she asks the question,"why on earth would it be called a mint?". She then explains the answer, and actually teaches me something, which I always enjoy. Here is my comment Maggie, Hello, my name is Miriah Grantham and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama, USA. I really enjoyed your post! I also found this information so interesting :) Thanks for teaching me something. Keep posting, your blog is great! http://granthammiriahedm310.blogspot.com/
Weekly Reflection by:Toma This blog contained a lot of sentences, and short statements. Naturally, I picked the one that stood out most to me. It read, "This week I have learned to be the best that i can be Next week I want to learn to do my maths faster".Here is my commentToma, My name is Miriah Grantham and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama, USA. I just wanted to say that there is nothing better than being the best that you can be; you should always be yourself! I smiled while reading that sentence, because it inspires me, so thank you. Also, I am impressed that you set goals for yourself. I am sure you will be doing your math faster next week! Great post, Toma!
How much does the sky weigh? by: Mckenzie This week, all of the students were asked to make a post answering the question, "How much does the sky weigh?". My student was short, but to the point. She answered the question and also threw in a few details, teaching me something in the process. Here is my commentMcKenzie, My name is Miriah Grantham. I am an EDM310 student at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Al, USA. I wanted you to know that I really like how you answered the question directly, as well as adding in some extra details about the topic. I am very thankful that you taught me something i did not know, that is always fun. Great Post!
Project #13
.JPG)
Lesson Plan #1 Created by: Miriah Grantham and Demetrius Hamner for Project #13
Above is a link to my Project Overview. This is a lesson plan on a Science Project called Insect Investigation. Students gather their information by identifying strange insects in a mini-investigation. They are to present their finding to the classmates and the rest of the school. This is targeted for 1st grade students and it takes about two – one hour sessions to complete. This plan covers many 21st-Century standards as well.
Link for my Project Calendar
Link for my Essential Elements Checklist
Friday, October 4, 2013
Blog Post #7
Project-Based Learning Part-1
Experiences of a Third Grade Teacher
In Project-Based Learning Part 1, Dr. Strange and Anthony Capps discuss the usage of project-based learning. Anthony Capps is a former student of EDM310 and is now a teacher in Baldwin County. Projects were once viewed as something you did at the end of a lesson to show what you had learned. Now, they are viewed as a way of teaching the material. Project-based learning is when you use actual projects to help students learn their objectives. Projects shouldn't just be used to reinforce what you have learned, but it should be a tool to learn. One example that Anthony gave us was a letter that his students wrote to Congressman Jo Bohner. He explained that each student wrote an individual letter and peer reviewed each one of their fellow classmates letters. They then picked the eight best letters and mailed them. This was a great way to show the importance of peer editing, collaboration, and project-based learning, which are very important tools to bring to the education system.
Project-Based Learning Part-2
This video gave great insight on all aspects of a classroom. As a teacher not every parent or student will agree with your choice of teaching, and we have to expect that. There are no limits to learning, so we should never limit our students. Always encourage them to go above and beyond. Project-based learning is a great tool for students of all levels. Simple projects such as writing a narrative script can be useful in retaining information about certain subjects. Students have fun while they learn, and they actually want to learn the material. I think that students will be more eager to learn if the learning process presented is engaging for them. Project-based learning is just that. Students are learning to think for themselves. It’s like you’re handing them a lemon, and they make amazing lemonade out of it.>
iCurio
In the video, iCurio, Anthony talks about what iCurio is. iCurio is a great tool for students to use and help them stay organized. Students can use iCurio to search websites that have been filtered for educational purposes. Students look up information on the internet all the time, but most of the time we forget where we got our information from. iCurio puts a stop to this, because it is a great way to retain information about the subjects we searched for. iCurio is a great program for students, because it will give them acceptable results when they search for information, and it is safe and secure. iCurio is also a great way to find course standard related topics.
Discovery Education
In Discovery Education, we learn what Discovery Education is and why it is useful. Discovery Education is used for student searches, and teachers can use it to find fascinating videos that correlate to their lesson. Anthony says that by giving a child a video that goes along with their text, they are retaining a lot more information. Visual demonstrations help students retain the information. One of us has actually seen this program being used by one of our mentor teachers. She used interactive models, songs, and stories to help explain her lesson. The kids responded very well to this. This is definitely something we could benefit from in the classroom setting.
The Anthony-Strange Tips for Teaching-Miriah G.
In this video, Dr. Strange talks to Anthony Capps, once again. He just finished his first year of teaching third grade at Gulf Shores Elementary School in Baldwin County.They both discuss the things that we as educators should prepare ourselves for when we become a teacher. They both give great tips such as: We must constantly learn and model that behavior, be flexible, and get your student engaged. The one that stands out to me most is, “It is hard work, but it can be fun if we let it be fun.” This is an statement I completely agree with.
While observing classrooms for my other classes, I have seen all the work that goes into being a teacher. I have heard a lot of people say that teachers just sit there and do nothing when their students are not there( for example, when they are in P.E. or at lunch), and I have personally seen that is not true. They are preparing for the student to come back, grading papers, rearranging the classroom, etc. This requires a lot of creativity, which is where the fun part comes in. Both Dr. Strange and Anthony Capps gave us some good tips to bring with us to the Teaching Field.
Additional Thoughts about Lessons-Demetrius H.
Anthony tells us about the components of a lesson. Looking at a plan, we
must break it down into yearly, monthly, weekly and daily. There are a few questions we should ask ourselves when constructing a project for our students. Is this project meaningful?Will it cover the material needed to be learned? Can this project get my students’ attention? Will I be able to meet all of my goals? What can I do to measure their progress? Creating projects for a lesson plan is hard work, and it is not to be rushed. As a teacher, we should take our time and do it the right way.
Use of Tech. Don't Teach it- Michelle D In Use Technology- Don’t Teach It, Dr. Strange and Anthony talk about how to use technology in the classroom. Anthony tells us not to teach technology but to use it for assignments. Students in this century have the ability to learn how to use technology on their own. We learned this in the beginning of the course when we watched Dr. Mitra give children in third world countries computers, and they quickly taught themselves how to properly use them. Technology is something that children now are very familiar with.
Most of them could probably teach adults a few tricks. As a teacher, I would much rather use technology than paper supplies. Technology is free. Students who may not be able to afford paper supplies can definitely benefit by the classroom technology. They have a vast variety of different tools to use. It’s beneficial because they are learning the course objectives and learning to use those tools. We can show them how to do it, but we should let them teach themselves with their assignments. Students will be proud of what they have accomplished, and we will be proud that they have learned a new skill!
In Project-Based Learning Part 1, Dr. Strange and Anthony Capps discuss the usage of project-based learning. Anthony Capps is a former student of EDM310 and is now a teacher in Baldwin County. Projects were once viewed as something you did at the end of a lesson to show what you had learned. Now, they are viewed as a way of teaching the material. Project-based learning is when you use actual projects to help students learn their objectives. Projects shouldn't just be used to reinforce what you have learned, but it should be a tool to learn. One example that Anthony gave us was a letter that his students wrote to Congressman Jo Bohner. He explained that each student wrote an individual letter and peer reviewed each one of their fellow classmates letters. They then picked the eight best letters and mailed them. This was a great way to show the importance of peer editing, collaboration, and project-based learning, which are very important tools to bring to the education system.
Project-Based Learning Part-2
This video gave great insight on all aspects of a classroom. As a teacher not every parent or student will agree with your choice of teaching, and we have to expect that. There are no limits to learning, so we should never limit our students. Always encourage them to go above and beyond. Project-based learning is a great tool for students of all levels. Simple projects such as writing a narrative script can be useful in retaining information about certain subjects. Students have fun while they learn, and they actually want to learn the material. I think that students will be more eager to learn if the learning process presented is engaging for them. Project-based learning is just that. Students are learning to think for themselves. It’s like you’re handing them a lemon, and they make amazing lemonade out of it.>
iCurio
In the video, iCurio, Anthony talks about what iCurio is. iCurio is a great tool for students to use and help them stay organized. Students can use iCurio to search websites that have been filtered for educational purposes. Students look up information on the internet all the time, but most of the time we forget where we got our information from. iCurio puts a stop to this, because it is a great way to retain information about the subjects we searched for. iCurio is a great program for students, because it will give them acceptable results when they search for information, and it is safe and secure. iCurio is also a great way to find course standard related topics.
Discovery Education
In Discovery Education, we learn what Discovery Education is and why it is useful. Discovery Education is used for student searches, and teachers can use it to find fascinating videos that correlate to their lesson. Anthony says that by giving a child a video that goes along with their text, they are retaining a lot more information. Visual demonstrations help students retain the information. One of us has actually seen this program being used by one of our mentor teachers. She used interactive models, songs, and stories to help explain her lesson. The kids responded very well to this. This is definitely something we could benefit from in the classroom setting.
The Anthony-Strange Tips for Teaching-Miriah G.
In this video, Dr. Strange talks to Anthony Capps, once again. He just finished his first year of teaching third grade at Gulf Shores Elementary School in Baldwin County.They both discuss the things that we as educators should prepare ourselves for when we become a teacher. They both give great tips such as: We must constantly learn and model that behavior, be flexible, and get your student engaged. The one that stands out to me most is, “It is hard work, but it can be fun if we let it be fun.” This is an statement I completely agree with.
Additional Thoughts about Lessons-Demetrius H.
Anthony tells us about the components of a lesson. Looking at a plan, we
Use of Tech. Don't Teach it- Michelle D In Use Technology- Don’t Teach It, Dr. Strange and Anthony talk about how to use technology in the classroom. Anthony tells us not to teach technology but to use it for assignments. Students in this century have the ability to learn how to use technology on their own. We learned this in the beginning of the course when we watched Dr. Mitra give children in third world countries computers, and they quickly taught themselves how to properly use them. Technology is something that children now are very familiar with.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)