Bitter Sweet Endings....

My view of instructional technology has changed dramatically over the course of this semester. When I first came into this technology class, I assumed that most of the technology we were going to learn was about SMART-BOARDS and the use of those in a classroom. I had no idea of this new generation of technological pieces that we could use in our classrooms. Wikis, Blogs, Google Docs, and many more are site and resources I had never really heard of or thought to use in a classroom. But after seeing the amount of collaboration and teamwork that was used for these pieces, I found it is a great way for students to reflect and respond to many different topics throughout a year that I think are beneficial. We live in a technology savvy world and to keep up with those demands in the classroom is amazing. I think that students will really appreciate the use of non-paper and pencil or chalkboard teaching methods that i have learned this semester. Each new site or resource I found is just another way to reach my students at many different angles. 

The quality and appropriateness of what I have learned and created this semester  is on key. I have learned very appropriate and fundamental resources that can help make my classroom a more user-friendly and interactive classroom. There are now so many ways to do an "About me" ice-breaker introduction in a classroom or new forums for group discussions that I never thought were possible. The work I did is just a reflection of how easy it is to pick up on these new technology tools and use them to help further your educational expertise in an area.    I feel that all students can add new dimensions to their learning from trying some of the technology items we learned in class this semester. 

Moving forward with technology, I find myself feeling solid. When I first started this class 6 weeks ago, I thought I knew a decent amount about technology and I still do. I just have added so many new items to go forward with and use and improve myself. I think it will only help me become a better teacher by continuing to push myself with new technology tools and incorporate them into my future classrooms. They will not always be easy and fun to try out, and sometimes not work the way I want them to, but I feel that with time and patience that I can make it work for my students. Technology is the future, and to actually be able to use it effectively in class is something I will truly strive for in my future. 

Group 1 Rocks :)

Google reader has been a LIFESAVER this year with catching up on everyone's blogs. I have been able to go to one site and scroll my way through a weeks worth of data entries on 15 different peoples different websites. I have found that there are so many little things on the internet that work to the benefit of students and educators alike. The Blog and the Wiki have also been very interesting forms of communcation I never expected to use for a classroom setting. It is an easy way to find a lot of information in one area.

Within our cohort, we started this semester with a lot of different technology information but have now come on the other side with a lot of new knowledge. It is funny to see the similarities between my classmates on the same questions even though we have different subject matters. Everybody makes valid points of how to use different technology aspects in different context.

Lots of people had ideas about brining technology into the classroom but one that I did not see or remember well is on Megan's blog about the site Scribd that allows a classroom to be mainly paperless by being a site that is an avenue for students to submit papers. For someone in science, it is awesome to hear of other students in my class that are looking out for the environment in their own fields. I know English teachers have a lot of papers to grade so having them be able to use less can help our carbon footprint a lot. Other then it helping with a carbon footprint, it allows easily for collaboration on the work that a student submits. There are more opportunities for people other then the teacher to comment on a students work, just like we do on blogs and wikis. It seems to come full circle. 

Another idea that I found very interesting and unique was on Sarah's blog about the use of more mainstream technology aspects in the classroom. She explains how iPads/iPods/iPhones can be used for assistance in classrooms, especially for students with hearing impairments. I would never have thought of something that now seems so common for most of our students to have access too or use at times to be beneficial to their learning styles. It shows how educators are ever changing to the new demands of their students.

Students need to be comfortable with the technology that is around them but understand how to use it well and appropriate where needed. Students are interacting with more then just themselves on the internet and there are plenty of people that will be out there reading what students write about or express on the internet. All of my classmates have appropriate ways to incorporate these newfound glories to their class, but the main feelings I think as a group we think are that these tools need to appropriate for the audience, collaborative with others to learn from not just yourself, and enjoyable since no one wants to participate in something they don't enjoy. I feel ready to start my student teaching with a a full amount of toolbox items that continue to help me be a more effective teacher.

References:

Lacey, M. (2011). Finding the words: Literacy in the classroom. Retrieved from http://mlacey.blogspot.com/

Pierz, S. (2011). Language Arts in Action: Putting assistive technology to use.  Retrieved from http://mrspierz.blogspot.com

Week 5 T2P

If... then... because...


     If a your approach to teaching is based upon solely theory then some students might not be able to be optimal learners in the classroom because the mind of an adolescent is a complex web that is hard to traverse into when they are not motivated or interested in the topics being covered.


     As this summer session nears its end, I find myself understanding that everything in class is great advice and reasons behind doing things one way or the other but it is all going to come down the relationship and communication that is developed between your students and yourself. Teachers want to call themselves Good often because they feel that they can be successful teachers based on their past, whether it is test scores, reviews, etc. but I think that good teachers comes from more then just the outcome the teacher has as a classroom and what the students walk away from classrooms with. 

Good  teachers are structured and selfless, they are there for their students and the gains that they hope they receive from the classroom. They are not only passionate about their subject material but the learning challenges and enthusiasm that can come out of optimal learning for all.

     It is good theory to use theorists like Skinner, Noddings, Pink, and others to help explain why teachers approach the classroom differently and why their students react to interactions in the classroom the way they do. I know that I will come to use their ideas as I further my education as a future educator myself, but I am hesitant to say that one way is the right way and that everyone has to do one theory to even be a good teacher. 

Teachers are the best on the fly thinkers, and I feel that all teachers want to approach their classroom in certain ways , but many things can interfere with things going as planned. As an educator, we cannot get frustrated with challenges and let them lead us off of the path of emotion and motivation but use that failure to push ourselves further to understand the reasons that things happen the way they do in the classroom setting.  Teachers are more then just teachers, they are students too and as I have said before we are students of our students and students of ourselves as teachers.

     Adolescents have complex minds as we have seen today, and we might not always know why they do the things they do but we need to understand that they are learning now only what we are teaching in a classroom but learning about themselves and discovering themselves everyday. 

The classroom is a scary place for all, teachers and learners the same. I hope as a future educator I can help bridge the gap for students and not only help them further themselves in education but as a member of society. I will use all of the theories we have learned about to help my teachings in different situations, but ultimately our teaching persona and how we want to approach education for our students is something that is every changing and growing as we ourselves discover more about ourselves. 

A Good Teacher

A good teacher.......

     A good teacher to me is someone who is enthusiastic about class but at the same time structured enough to know when work needs to get done and when there is some more lenience with work. Good teachers are active and engaged in their classroom. They do not care to sit behind a desk and lecture but interact with their students so that each of them knows that they are an important part of the classroom. Good teachers are also able to balance the delicate line of structure and relaxation. Classrooms are not always about pen to paper activities but more ways to engage students in real-world relevance. These teachers know when is a good time to "play" and a good time to work, and can equally balance the two so there is harmony in the classroom.
     A good teacher is not just about being fluent in their subject of expertise, but making all their students feel like they have the capability of being experts in the subject. These teachers are able to make sure their classroom is motivated intrinsically and not always externally. If these teachers can foster that motivation from within for their students, then their job is more complete and easy to get information for learning across then a student who has to be motivated for external factors.



Old Week 2 T2P Statement:
If students feel comfortable and emotionally safe in the learning environment, then they are able to fully explore learning in all aspects they are interested in because they are able to feel completely supported and encouraged in this type of environment.
Students will not be comfortable to learn in any situation that is not safe for them, no matter what they are asked to do. When a student is in a learning environment that they do not feel comfortable with, they are contemplating the factors that are causing their safety needs to not be met, as Maslow described. This will diminish the students learning qualities quickly, but with a simple change as going to a school or classroom that they feel heard and safe in they can become a completely different student. When students are safe, it is easier to become happy and enthusiastic about things, which can ultimately lead to a more optimal learning experience for educator and student. Noddings believes that learning is accomplished for caring decision making, and if teachers can build a caring environment between their students and themselves to provide a means for optimal learning. Motivation is a key factor in helping these needs as well, as teachers we want to push our students to realize there is more then what is currently around them and that they can get to better places if desired. We, as educators, cannot make everything safe for these children, but allowing them the opportunity to explore leaning avenues in a safe environment at school is crucial for their development not only as a student but as a human being.


Edit: Whole-Person Optimal Learning- Done in Green

The Wonderful Interactive Web World

      There are many different web resources that can be used in an ever growing technological school world that we live in. Each of them have some aspects that are good for a variety of different classes and grades. Some of them spoke to me, as a future educator, more then others did based on my philosophy of education and teaching persona. Two of them are described below

     Quest Atlantis is an international learning and teaching project that used a 3D multi-user environment to immense children in educational tasks (Quest Atlantis, 2010). What a crazy new type of technology to get students interacting not only with people in different classrooms at their school or district but students from all over the world. Learning is so much social in a lot of these students, so having a new way to socially interact with new people is an added bonus of doing these type of tasks in a formal classroom setting. I am a very competitive person and I know that I am someone who builds confidence and other self aspect of life from these situations. Helping my students build confidence in themselves is a key part of my philosophy of education. I want my students to not be getting an education but getting an insight to themselves as part of this society. Quest Atlantis brings both worlds together. It allows my students to be engaged in class but also to learn different cultures from students they might interact with in different areas of the world. This is a two for one learning process that is not just educational items, but life goal items to be possessed. Last, Quest Atlantis brings things that these students do in school to a real world relevance. Students are always looking to see how the things discussed in class relate to what they might use them for in real life. If these simulations provide proof that there is education in everything, then these students have gained knowledge that is sometimes hard to display.

     Another completely different tool I would use in my classroom stems from my philosophy of education portion I mentioned above about making students prepared for society, it is a website entitled Netiquette. Netiquette is the online version of the book Netiquette by Virginia Shea addressing the proper way to act and interact in a web environment (Albion, 2004).  Shea brings up many valuable items about behavior on the internet including proper ways to send e-mails, proper discussion behavior, and even the proper way to use search engines. All of these aspects of her book are items students of this technology generation should know but probably are not being told. Most of the students in classroom today know more about the internet and what it can and cannot be used for then their parents. They are more likely to teach their parents how to do things, but at the same time are probably not using the internet correctly. If they are already not using it correctly when they are younger that could be detrimental to them as adults in the job field. I want my students to not only get educational smart, but society smart in my classroom. I want them to know how to properly address their boss in an e-mail or how to find an item on the internet a little better. If they are able to gain these learning items young, they can help teach others the important tools to successful web mastery. I could easily spend the end of class on Fridays going over a new chapter so that it is not taking away from the information I "have to cover" but is almost a reward for a good week. The students I think will be able to relate to it because they are on the internet all the time and it might even make things easier for them that they thought never could be.

     There are many different types of web resources that are helpful for future educators, but some speak to certain types of teachers then others. In my future classroom, it is all about engaged students finding relevance in their learning and at the same time learning about real life society lessons that everyone should know. Everything is not always about pen and pencil, and in this day in age, that is becoming more and more clear everyday.

References:
Quest Atlantis (2010) Retrieved from: http://atlantis.crlt.indiana.edu/#58
Albion books (2004) Netiquette. Retrieved from: http://www.albion.com/netiquette/book/TOC0963702513.html

Week 4 T2P

My old Week 3 T2P:
If.. then... because...

     If teachers are assessing students based solely on comprehension and not evaluation then students will have trouble motivating themselves to pursue higher learning achievement because the teacher themselves is having trouble with their own motivation in continuing education and learning from their students. 
     Learning is not just about how students learn and their preferences for styles, but how learning is assessed in the taxonomy of learning. Gaging student's learning on knowledge and comprehension does not tap into their deeper yearning and drive to further their education. They are able to regurgitate information and pass a unit test. As educators, we strive for more synthesis and evaluation from our students. Bloom's levels of taxonomy for learning domains states that there are levels of understanding that as teachers we can use in assessing our students. Assessing students in high learning domains allows students to critically think about the learning they are achieving in the classroom. B.F Skinner's behavioral theory shows that the focus of learning is on observable behaviors, which is why teachers might have trouble assessing on higher levels of understanding when they themselves are having trouble with higher motivation. As educators, we ourselves must motivate ourselves to foster motivation in our students. We are learners of our students, as they are learners of us. 


KEY:


"If" 
"Then"
"Because"
"Pedagogical Terms"
"Context"
"Evidence"
"Moral"
"Events"




Week 4 T2P: Edutopia
     If students are given the opportunity to have optimal learning on their own then the teacher is able to be learners as well as teachers because intrinsic motivation in the students will allow them to not only teach themselves but their teacher and peers. Students are always striving for personal achievements and given the opportunity to shine, most students will step up to the plate and respond. Teachers who practice unconventional ways of teaching, by using more then just pencils and paper, bring relevance to their students by using technology that is a part of their generation. Vicki Davis' allows her students to not only practice learning on their own, but to practice the learning they have gained by teaching classmates and their own teacher what they have discovered. These type of opportunities will satisfy the three big principles of self-determination theory of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Deci and Ryan state that if these three principles are present then students will develop and function effectively and experience overall wellness. As future educators, we should all strive for this type of confidence and rewarding avenue of learning. In doing so, the student will be able to take-on challenges in any classroom in the future based on their successful experience with intrinsic motivation to further their education in all realms of learning. 


Last but not least Week 4 T2P:


If... then... because....
     If an educator is flexible with their lesson planning then learning is more likely to be optimal for all because there is an ability for the educator to work through situations they find themselves in that are unfamiliar.
  As we move forward in this first six weeks of pre-service teacher education, I find myself realizing that there is more beyond the chalkboard, the desks, the powerpoint presentations, and the textbooks. Teaching is about reaching out to your students and motivating them to reach beyond their own personal goals to extraordinary goals they never thought was possible. It is using your own knowledge and motivation about education to build relationships within your classroom to your students and help them achieve the same level of evaluation and passion for a subject area. There are many types of learning theories and intelligence styles which each have their own positive contributions that can be brought into the classroom. As an educator, you must find the certain styles and preferences that work for you and incorporate them into a meaningful lesson everyday. The big picture is not the information, the teacher, the students, the assessments, it is the self enhancement that education and knowledge bring to all human beings.
     As I sit here thinking about what I will bring to the mix as a teacher, each and everyday I discover something new about myself that will add another dimension to my toolbox of education events. Using different styles and activities will allow optimal learning growth for all. I can take Skinners ideas with Behavioral learning and Lave's idea of apprenticeship model learning, and even Siemen's connectivism theory to almost make a hybrid model of learning that works for me and caters to all students evenly. There is always room for improvement and the students are students of us as we are students of them. 
     






Link to Week 4 Content: https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AkAibXJ3G655dC14WjFLNDl2ai1oV0E1aFhOUlhnbFE&hl=en_US&authkey=CLioku0O

Technology for Students with Disabilities

     Students with ailments in schools such as hearing-impairment, low-vision, a broken right arm, or autism seem to naturally have a harder time with certain aspects in the classroom. There is new technology and tools in this day in age that help provide these students with disabilities a chance to close the gap between them and other students. Numerous tools have come onto the market in an effort to improve the learning process for each of the groups listed above.
     A student with a hearing-impairament often has trouble listening along in class to what their fellow students and teacher are saying. This increased the amount of time it takes a student to get the information in a way that is easier and reliable for them. A type of software that guides learning for students with this impairment is speech recognition software. These devices allow for a microphone that is spoken into to convert the speech that is spoken into a text that can easily be read (Wikibooks, 2011). Having a text in-front of students with hearing impairments allows them to not worry so much about listening to what has been said but reading it. This speech recognition software is helpful for all subject areas, but in science a student can now listen to discussions and input their own ideas that allow them to critically think instead of just trying to keep up. Without this technology, these students would just fall deeper and deeper behind in the growing learning experience they have through social learning in the school setting.
     A student with low-vision often has trouble reading the words on the front of the classroom on the board or projector. Struggling to see what is being written by the teacher or other students can hinder the students ability to correctly identify what is exactly being taught in class. A new technology item known as E-readers are allowing texts to be written in a book that they can hold and see easier. This technology also has the capability to perform text-to-speech which allows the words on the E-reader to be read aloud to the pupil using it (Wikibooks, 2010). There is another type of book that allows the book to talk to its students. The Daisy book is the new era of talking books that can even allow video playbook to be read to the students. In classrooms, a talking book helps students tremendously that have vision problems. Being able to hear what is going on in a lecture out of a text instead of reading it can create a balance that these students find hard with their impairments. In my classroom in the future, I hope that talking books can help all students use their strongest learning style (either visual or verbal) to help relate a textbooks information into their own minds.
     A student with a broke right arm often does not know how to write anymore if they were only right handed. Keeping up in school during this time without learning to write with your other hand can bog a student's learning down tremendously. Technology like the speech recognition technology can allow these type of students to communicate with their teacher for assignments by saying what they want to write or do and the software will then take it into a form that can be turned into a teacher. Also E-readers can allow these students to read from their textbook and other required books easier. Since E-readers are more compact and smaller, they usually can be operated by one hand, allowing the student to use their non-dominant hand for functions. Each of these tools can keep a student with a broken arm caught up in all of their assignments for class while the bone heals.
     A student with autism has a challenge in most every field they learn in school. Having some specialized attention given to them to help with their reading and writing can be monumental in their aspirations of keeping up in school. A talking book, like the Daisy, in an easy way to share in the digital society (Wikibooks, 2009) but also to aid in reading of books at a pace that is easier for the student to comprehend. Also speech recognition software allows a student with autism who is having trouble writing for an assignment speak what they want to write and express their opinions in that manner. For an English class, instead of a student having trouble reading the book and writing the paper down. These two tools can help the student read the book, or have the book read to them plus speak exactly what they want to write for their paper in a timely manner.
     Technology has come a long way in helping the needs of those with disabilities. There are numerous ways in this day in age to make sure students of all capabilities have tools to help further their education and keep up with an ever demanding field of learning. In my classroom, I will hope to balance the challenges students with disabilities bring to a main-stream classroom with having the advantage of technology and tools that can help give them one step up in the effort to have complete understanding in their education.



References:
Wikibooks, (2009). Assistive technology in education/Daisy. Retrieved from: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/DAISY

Wikibooks, (2010). Assistive technology in education/E-books. Retrieved from: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/eBook

Wikibooks, (2011). Assistive technology in education/Speech recognition software. Retrieved from: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/Speech_Recognition_Software

Meet Adventure Alice

Successful Collaboration

Creating authentic and collaborative projects in my future classroom is something that will help my students engage in learning not only by themselves but together, as a cohort. Science classrooms are not always the best way to have collaborative projects since someone might always get away with not doing as much as others in the group, but in certain situations it is beneficial. 

Authentic projects in a middle school science class can be incorporated in many different units during the year. In a physics lesson, group members can work together on a thermodynamics project about how warming and cooling an egg give it capabilities to do things one would not assume an egg could do, like get forced through a soda bottle opening without breaking. The group would be able to work together to hypothesis what they expected to happen in the experiment during all phases. Then each member of the group would have specific tasks to do during the lab, scribe, egg handler, egg cooler, etc. Each person feels important and not left out, but also having their voice heard about what they assume will happen. These group projects allow the shy kids to have their voice heard or ideas considered when only a small number of their classmates are the ones interacting with them. The louder students will also be able to be a leader and organizer who can help get everyone involved. Students benefit from getting some freedom but at the same time some structure with only being able to work as fast as your group works together. 

There are also ways that a lab can incorporate all students on the same field instead of smaller groups. This type of project allows for full classroom interaction with all students and requires them to work cohesively to solve the problem in front of them. In science, we work with lens/mirrors with refraction and reflection. In my class, I could make a maze through the class of mirrors and obstacles with a laser pointer at the front of the class. All students would be assigned a specific mirror around the class or be "guides" along the barriers. The students must work together to have the laser reflect of all mirrors correctly and around obstacles to have shine on the final outcome at the back on the classroom. If one person is not helping or not responding well to the group dynamics, then the whole project is off. Kids like a sense of gratification and success and if one student keeps that from everyone then the project can be a failure. 

Kids learn more then just curriculum in school and being involved in teamwork is a key item that should be learned and practiced in schools these days. Teamwork is a part of everyday like: working life, social life, family life, everything involves working in some sort of group for a common goal (Larson, 2010). Technology can help bring these teamworks together. We learned last week about internet workshops and internet projects that enable student learning in groups that strive to finish a project together. These types of technology and projects we learned about are good stepping stones to bring technology into the classroom to help bring group projects to the forefront. There are many different types of internet projects, workshops, and webquests that will get the ball rolling on a world of possibility for my life as a science teacher.

References:

Larson, B. F., (2010) Education Resource Center Developed by the Collaboration for NBT Education,      Teamwork in the Classroom, Retrieved from: http://www.ndt-ed.org/TeachingResources/ClassroomTips/Teamwork.htm

Week 3 T2P

If.. Then.. Because....:
If teachers are assessing students based solely on knowledge and not evaluation then students will have trouble motivating themselves to pursue higher learning achievement because the teacher themselves is having trouble with their own motivation in continuing education and learning from their students.

T2P:
     Learning is not just about how students learn and their preferences for styles, but how learning is assessed in the taxonomy of learning. Gaging student's learning on knowledge and comprehension does not tap into their deeper yearning and drive to further their education. They are able to regurgitate information and pass a unit test. Educators should strive for more evaluation and synthesis learning that pushes the students to go beyond the facts and formulate ideas and relationships between terms and theories. Essay type questions and science hypothesis ask students to really relate everything they have learned and put it together in a way to share ideas and make speculations on those ideas.

     As educators, we strive to make our environment for student learning relevant, competent, and safe. We need to use motivation in ourself to foster motivation in our students. You can only motivate your students to the highest level they can reach if you yourself know the limits and benefits to your own motivation. We are learners of our students as they are learners of us, and we must find the balance of emotion and motivation in our classrooms. We strive for a sense of self-actualization in our students and ourselves, maybe not the way Maslow described, but in a personal sense of accomplishment and satisfaction for the truth of our higher learning.

Learning Theories Week 3- Post 1

Q1- Do you agree with Vygotsky in regards to his statement, "Every function in the child's cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first, between people (inter-psychological) and then inside the child (intra-psychological)," (Vgotsky, 1978).

    A) Level 6 Evaluation.  I believe it is level 6 because it is asking the student to choose a side and defend our thoughts on the theory posed by the theorists and apply it to our own views on development. 

     B) I agree with Vgotsky on the idea that every function in cultural development appears twice. To me it seems that all things that are happening in a child's development, no matter if it is cultural or other tend to fall first on a social interaction and then back to the individual. We are a culture of our environment and surroundings and most things we experience happen there before they actually happen to us individually. It is easy to see that once something happens in the environment that we would adapt and then experience it ourselves. We form to what is around is and that usually involves learning something in a group setting first and taking it back to ourselves and applying it on our own. 

Q2- Identify a More Knowledgeable Other (MKO) in your life? Why is this person an MKO?

     A) Level 4 Analysis. I believe this is a level 4 because it not only asks you to identify an MKO, which would be level 1, it asks you to explain why this person is an MKO. It makes you make the connection between a definition and an identification of why it is what it states.

    B) A More Knowledgeable Other in my life is my swim coach. My swim coach is an MKO to me as a swimmer because they have actually been swimming longer and gone to more clinics and meets that they have learned higher techniques and fundamentals to the sport. I have a knowledge of swimming and how to do it, but my coach has been able to take his higher knowledge of success in swimming and help make me a better swimmer. Passing his information on has been something that helps us both.

Q3- Design an experiment to test Piaget's theory of development. Include in your experiment material you will need, method, and the results you would expect to see. 

    A) Level 5 Synthesis. I believe this is a level 5 because the question is asking me to create and design something myself. I was able to actually take the knowledge from the theory and make my own. This asks me to dig deeper in my knowledge of the content area.

    B) I would design an experiment to test a students learning of words in a foreign language. I would need a classroom with items in that foreign language for the student to be surrounded by and take in through assimilation and being around the ideas and thoughts. I would also have flash cards to use that have the key words and phrases I am trying to get the student to learn. I will have assessments in the form of tests and worksheets to see their knowledge. I will use a method of teaching myself then having them to observe others speaking or interacting with the language after. This will allow them to try themselves and then observe. I would expect to see that the student does not learn much from me and them going over stuff together but when they get to observe and interact that way they will gain more knowledge. People have to feel and touch things to gain knowledge as well but they will need to be more in the field of the language then just a classroom. 

Internet Models

The four instructional models of Internet use have their similarities and their differences. All of them obviously use the Internet. They all are about going onto the Internet and looking up information about a question.  The student is on the Internet to gain knowledge and understanding about the concept being presented in class. They are able to learn how to share and collaborate with these methods as well. Webquests stands out because it is actually a learning unit for students that is solely to learn from one website. The other models all use many different websites. Half of them use collaborative ideas and half of them are independent (Leu, 2004). There is a common theme of the information being for an activity. This is not always in the same context though. There are some that have individual questions and some that are more collaborative with ideas and findings. Webquest is the most solo activity of them all while Internet workshop and project are the most collaborative and group oriented. Internet workshop leads almost to a Webquest since you go on to actually make an activity or simulation to be done, pretty much what a Webquest is. In the end, all of these models want the end result of understanding of a concept presented by the educator and a presentation piece that allows for an opportunity to share and reflect from all classmates (Leu, 2004). 

All of these models are good ways to incorporate activities into the classroom. I think Webquests work well for Science classes especially due to it being a supplement to actual labs that could happen in classrooms. Some districts do not have the funds to make some of these explicit labs possible for students to experience in person. These Webquest activities can allow these students to visualize a lot of what is going on in class and have some fun doing it for them.  This type of activity is also good for learners who are more visual or physical so that they can see the concept and maybe even be a part of the process. All of them are something teachers should try to bring into the classroom. Technology and the Internet have its flaws but can provide another level of learning for the students that not all classrooms can provide.

Donald Leu, who directs the New Literacies Research Lab in the Neag School of Education at UCONN guides new educators about how to bring these models into classrooms and the benefits of them. All of these types of models are helpful in the ever changing dynamic of the classroom in this day in age ( Leu, 2002). Leu states that when these models are used correctly, that they will give a new dimension of collaboration that classroom activities of the past cannot do (2002). I think this is truly correct because the internet provides so much more information then students had in the past to use that there is just a world of endless possibilities for their research. 

My student teaching is at Slade Middle School in New Britain and my cooperating teacher says that some classrooms have SMART boards but not all do. She uses a good amount of YouTube videos and credited websites for science lessons that get the students involved. She hopes to be able to use a SMARTboard one say soon but not sure exactly when. I know for sure I could use technology for lessons with Physics. There are a lot of Webquest type of sites that allow students to do interactive labs with mirrors, lasers, and reflections that sometimes can be tricky for students to figure out on their own. Many different other units can have Internet workshops or projects so that students can collaborate and bring ideas back to the class as a whole.

References:
Leu, D.J., Jr. (2002). Internet Workshop: Making time for literacy [Exploring Literacy on the Internet department]. The Reading Teacher, 55(5). Available: http://www.readingonline.org/electronic/elec_index.asp?HREF=/electronic/RT/2-02_Column/index.html


Leu, D.J., Jr. (2004) Introduction to Models of Internet Use. Available: http://ctell.uconn.edu/canter/canter_video.cfm?movie=234_introduction.mov

T2P Week 2

Learning is not just about what we, as educators, bring to the mix but what our students bring to the mix as well. Learning is such a huge concept that has evolved from many different forms to encompassing a vast variety of styles, influences, and persona. We cannot control everything that goes into learning except for ourselves, as educators. Each day, class, student is different and we must learn to adapt and have a stance on how we want to lead the classroom to further understanding for themselves. We cannot always do the same thing day in and out since every student develops differently which adds another ripple effect to the concept of learning. We can only strive to display the moral values we hope to lead our students with that encourage a positive learning environment to grow in.

If students feel comfortable and emotionally safe in the learning environment, then they are able to fully explore learning in all aspects they are interested in because they are able to feel completely supported and encouraged in this type of environment.
I think this is a valid assessment of learning because students do not feel comfortable in any situation that is not safe for them, no matter what they are asked to do. When a student is in a learning environment that they do not feel comfortable with, they are too busy thinking about all of the outside factors that could make learning hard for them. This will diminish the students learning qualities quickly, but with a simple change as going to a school or classroom that they feel heard and safe in they can become a completely different student. When students are safe, it is easier to become happy and enthusiastic about things, which can ultimately lead to a more successful learning experience for educator and student. We, as educators, cannot make everything safe for these children, but allowing them the opportunity to explore in a safe environment at school is crucial for their development not only as a student but as a human being.

T2P Week 1

The learning environment was largely social, which is a common theme in this group. A vast majority aligned with social learning which allowed for successful lessons in class for all. This day in age with a new amount of up-and-coming technology allows for even more ways to be assessed in class. From obvious ways of asking direct questions of us to giving us free terrain with lessons and seeing how we do all play critical roles in the relationship between student and educator. Each activity was another branch or theme in the learning concept map that make us more cognizant of all the variants we, as striving educators, have for our next stages in our careers. The learning and education never end, it is a continuous cycle of give and take that ultimately lead you to prosper as a teacher. Each of us will learn more and more from each other and what all of us can bring to the table to improve each other as future educators.

In a society that is very technology and communication savvy then there are more opportunities to have learning variables that are mainly social because there are so much in this lifestyle that enables this learning through these communications.

Learning some Science?!?

http://camillasenior.homestead.com/resources.html
This site is a resource for educators for hundreds on worksheets and ideas on tools to get different concepts of science across. Science is a very hard subject to just listen to text and repeat out answers. It does not give a student a good understanding of any of the concepts. Students must use physical and social learning types to really tap into what is going on in science around them to get a feel for the information. Good educators will provide them opportunity to apply what they have listened to in class and be able to reproduce it on an activity. This site has many different concepts that might be difficult for students to grasp and allows them the opportunity to show better understanding of it by applying it in a non-test fashion. The labs, like Hot air vs. Cold Air also get to the root of the content in the field of science, the scientific method.

http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspView&ResourceID=414#myself#cHelp.dspMactelDetect&plugin=sw
This is a demonstration/gizmo of Laser Reflection from the site ExploreLearning. This site has many amazing animation and gizmos of challenging science concepts that are a lot easier to understand when you see it in practice. In this demonstration, students are actually allowed to use their knowledge about how lasers work and try to work out the "puzzle" to get the laser to perform as asked. By doing this, they are getting to engage in concepts of science that are around them but they actually do not know about. It allows them to see the Big Picture of Science, that it is everywhere and involved in everything we do. It will help them understand more concepts in science like how lights work and how mirrors work. It allows you, as an Educator, to really think more essential question about an overall idea then just the individual unit you share this exercise in.

http://enature.com/home/
eNature is a site that has a vast amount of animals and nature that you can explore and research. This is a great site for young kids when they are learning about the animals and environment to be able to match photos and descriptions to them. They are able to research and provide a poster, project, or presentation on an animal that they want to explore, not something they were assigned to do. Having that responsibility makes them feel so empowered that they actually look forward to doing the assignment then. It really is a great tool for visual learners to actually look at all this information and compile it into a meaningful little subject themselves. They get to do participation in the form on a discussion and it is good since as the teacher you know it all came from a credible source. This really allows children to also see that there are things in science that they do truly love, even stuff they learn in school. :)

My "Summertime Girl" Video

Here is a quick video about me, my hobbies, my family, my education, and professional development to where I am today :)

Welcome to Kelly's World

Hi everyone! My name is Kelly! I am seeking a certification/master's degree in Secondary Education for General Science from the University of Connecticut through the TCPCG Program. I am 25 years old and I am originally from North Carolina. I have been out of school for 2.5 years and have been working for the Outpatient Laboratory for Hartford Hospital as a Medical Technician. I have never blogged before but have followed people's blogs when they are studying abroad.
I LOVE SPORTS! I did a ton of sports when I was little and I still swim on a Master's Swim Team through Wesleyan University and also have played Adult Co-Rec Soccer recently. I compete in Half-Marathon's and 5K's often, so if anyone needs a running buddy I am always here to help :) I am a huge football fan so if anyone wants to do Fantasy Football in the Fall, you know who to look at. In the winter you can find me at a mountain shedding up the snow on my skis too. I was on the Varsity Rowing Team at UConn as an Undergrad. I also enjoy cooking and listening to music when I have time. I am the person that token friend who always has the camera out ready to capture photos. I love animals, especially dogs. I love my parents Chocolate Lab Molly and can't wait to get a dog of my own.
I am really excited about this new chapter in my life and meeting all of my classmates. It is scary and overwhelming at times but I know that we are all going to be able to get through it together.
:)