Blog Post #10

Randy Pausch was a Carnegie Mellon computer science professor. He was asked to give a final lecture at the university due to a terminal pancreatic cancer diagnosis. His moving presentation was entitled,  "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams ." He offered the audience lessons learned and advice on how to achieve your career and personal goals. Dr. Pausch died of pancreatic cancer at age 47 (Oct. 23, 1960 - July 25, 2008) leaving behind a wife and three young children. (NY Times, July 26, 2008)

This lecture by Dr Pausch was the most captivating and inspiring video I have been assigned all semester. His attitude resonates that ‘anything is possible’ with adequate effort, dreaming and patience. As future educators, we must embrace the mentality that Dr. Pausch is promoting.

One aspect Dr. Paush promoted was that both teaching and learning should be fun to be most effective. Educators should be leaders who promote positive communication with their students. Specifically, what vibe you put out, will be the same vibe your students push back. By being positive and open to trying new ideas, we can provide the proper knowledge and education for our future generation. The idea of letting a child paint his own room whatever color they prefer instills an open exchange of ideas between the adult and child. This exchange should also be present in a classroom, to some extent, in order to inspire new ideas in both students and educators.

In addition, Dr. Pausch reminded me that it is important to create a teaching atmosphere in which my students can become self-reflectant. By working on projects that are collaborative, my students will be able to discuss and revise their approaches to a task or project. Encountering conflict throughout a group lesson will force the student to either adjust their incorrect method or better understand why their tactic is correct. Expressing one’s individuality is important, but experiencing a discussion of new ideas while working together will better strengthen their educational journey and create a healthy sense of community.

Finally, this lecture reinstated that basic fundamentals cannot be forgotten in the future of education philosophies. Obviously, teaching philosophies are evolving as we learn more information and gain access to new technologies. However, Dr. Pausch reminds us that the fundamentals of education must be in place for education to be effective, but, in addition, there should be enough flexibility in our teaching strategies to allow for new ideas and opportunities to be integrated. So many educational advantages await for our use. These advantages hope to lift students into a world of imagination and reality all at once, thereby creating a more effective learning process.

I only discuss three inspiring aspects of Dr. Pausch’s lecture in this blog: teaching with openness and enthusiasm, promoting group reflection in the learning process, and allowing flexibility in our fundamental strategies. However, I carried many more education and life lessons with me after viewing his last lecture to Carnegie Mellon. Its always disappointing to know we’ve lost this kind of an individual with such a pioneering educational mentality that he has clearly applied to both his classroom and his life.

Project #14: Lesson Plan #2

Blog Post #9

by Brantley Spillman, Haley Smith, Hilary Thames

Video 1 – “Back to the Future” by Brian Crosby (educator 4-6) 

Video 2 – “Blended Learning Cycle” by Paul Anderson (high school biology)

Video 3 – “Making Thinking Visible” by Mark Church (Grade 6)

What can we learn about teaching and learning from these teachers?

As future educators, we are continuously learning new methods and techniques that can improve our classrooms.  The following video summaries introduce three important features of an effective classroom: technology learning tools, application based teaching, and project based learning. Each of these new approaches attempts to provide opportunities that will equalize the learning experience for all types of children and their various circumstances. Specifically, all children should have the capability and opportunity to use, understand and excel in all areas of education by using these learning strategies.

“Back to the Future” by Brian Crosby

In the first video, Brian Crosby explains a project that he constructed using technology in his fourth grade class.  This video taught us that learning is more than reading from a textbook, reviewing notes, and assessing students. The steps that Mr. Crosby used were not reading a book, although it did involve reading...

His students read the book, did small experiments, posted videos to a blog, learned the history of 'ballooning', made a Wiki page, uploaded pictures to Flickr, wrote “High Hopes,”  turned them into trading cards, asked others to send “High Hopes”, brought in visitors, released the balloon into space, tracked it, and then shared the experiments with classes around the world through Skype. 

This project was all about active learning by using technology. He used several 21st century tools, such as Skype, blogs, Wikipedia, Flickr, etc.  The best part about these tools is that they were all free.

The final thing that we learned through this video is that learning includes everyone, no matter the circumstances. For example, Celeste was a little girl that had leukemia. She wasn't allowed to come to school very often, due to her condition. However, Mr. Crosby made it possible for her to be a part of the classroom via her computer. It was in this way that she was given the opportunity to learn with students regardless of her circumstances.

Mr. Crosby indicated that learning does not have to be boring.  He suggested that teaching with technology brought a sense of eagerness to his students. We hope, by embracing and implementing this kind of student eagerness into our own styles of teaching, we can also maintain student interest during the discussion of a learning topic. As educators, if we are unwilling to embrace such learning tools, then we are not only hurting ourselves but our students as well.

“Blended Learning Cycle” by Paul Anderson

The "Blended Learning Cycle" uses the acronym QUIVERS. Everything begins with Questions. If you have a question that grabs a student's attention, then they will learn more because they want to know more. Next, the I stands for Investigation. In this step, students are told to experiment using labs set up in the classroom. The next step is Video. A student views a video to further explain the concept. Elaboration involves a lot of reading in order to understand the concept clearer. Finally, Review is the part where the teacher gets really involved with the students. The teacher will go over the concept one-on-one with the student so that the educator knows how much the student finally understands. 

Mr. Anderson steps away from technology as the focus of this teaching strategy and relies on the application of material.  His approach is a hands-on "student as a scholar" strategy that forces the student to think outside the box. He stresses the need for his students to not just memorize facts but also try to investigate and apply them.  Specifically, we learned that we should begin with a good question.  Following the question, we should begin to explore, explain and expand on the learning topic.  During this process, students have the opportunity to reflect and edit other student’s work. Further indicating understanding of the topic. We believe that if we take Mr. Anderson’s approach combined with Mr. Crosby’s use of technology, then our kids should have opportunities that students, in the past, have missed.

“Making Thinking Visible” by Mark Church

Mr. Church emphasized the importance of project-based learning.  He explains that working together in teams can provide students with skills that are useful in real world settings. Additionally, by having certain topics discussed in groups, students are more engaged and more willing to dig deeper into a subject matter. This video was about making students think. For example, one girl asked,  “How can we summarize everything we have been talking about into one phrase?” This headline project allowed students to think bigger. It is easy to summarize a lesson in one paragraph, but it becomes more difficult when a student must only use one sentence? The student must truly understand the information in order to narrow the summary in one phrase. Everyone has a different way of interpreting things. Thus, by allowing students to work in collaborative groups, everyone's opinions can come together to form a bigger product.  Using Mr. Church’s strategy with Mr. Anderson and Mr. Crosby’s could allow for the ideal learning environment that will level the field for all types of students to learn and use new educational topics.

In summary, by combining all three teachers approaches: technology learning tools, application based teaching, and project based learning; we will create a successful and modern classroom.  Technology will not let us fail.  If used appropriately, technology will help us teach and learn together with our students. Furthermore, educators must initiate application- and project-based learning along with technology for the most effective learning environment.

Blog Post #8

by Brantley Spillman 

My Teaching Tools.

While researching technology-based tools for the elementary classroom, I was able to find a lot of new information.  The sky is the limit when dealing with technology and its potential for the modern day classroom. Constantly, new tools and programs are being invented and implemented into our schools. These tools/programs are allowing educators easier application of the hands-on approach. The tools that were notable to me were Pixie, Frames5, Share4, Wixie, Image Blender, and PollEverywhere.

 

However, the program I will discuss in this post is Epals.  Epals seems to be easy to integrate into the classroom.  They have several options that are specific to grades K-12.  One example is the “Global Community” that allows students and educators to collaborate with different cultures and communities (over 200 countries).  Additionally, this technology offers a safe way for students to communicate worldwide. Both educators and students now have the opportunity to search and learn from many different styles/cultures of education. 

Another example of options that Epals offers to an educator and their students is “CRICKET.” CRICKET includes several different magazines and reading materials for a variety of ages.  “The mission of CRICKET is to inspire children to a lifelong love of reading and learning.”(Epals: CRICKET) In addition to magazines, CRICKET offers several learning products such as books, crafts, toys, and gifts. First and foremost, these products should bring a sense of fun to the learning process.

In2Books e-Mentoring Service is a more specific program Epals has to offer.  This service is grade-specific.  The In2Books tool is for students in grades 3 through 5.  It provides a student with a pre-approved adult pen pal to discuss certain reading topics they both have read. “The program provides standards-based professional development and professional learning communities and is facilitated by three resource-filled websites - one for students, another for pen pals, and a third for teachers.” (Epals: In2Books) Historically, pen pals have been very useful in a classroom. (Setting up Pen Pals) Pen pal relationships offer several important inter-disciplinary benefits for your students: good practice at writing in the proper format, increasing your student’s awareness of other interpretations of the reading material, increasing chances that your student will continue to be a writer, and increasing your student’s ability to communicate clearly in written form. 

 

The notable aspect of Epals is that it is building on traditional learning tools; reading, writing, and pen pals.  However, making it more successful by using new technological methods such as video chats and email we are modernizing the classroom.

by Haley Smith

My Teaching Tools.

For my tool, I chose Scholastic Books. Growing up, I remember reading Scholastic books and engaging with the characters such as Clifford the Big Red Dog and the Magic School Bus. Every year, I always went to my school’s book fair put on by Scholastic. Today, as a future educator, I had NO idea that Scholastic would provide the tools that it does. From lesson plans to classroom management ideas to student activities, Scholastic offers an unlimited amount of resources that can be used to further learning in the classroom.

Resources and Tools

On the front page of this link, Scholastic offers daily starters, the freebie corner, and printouts that can be used inside the classroom. Daily starters are anything from fun facts to teachable moments and small lessons in math and language. In addition, you can look up information by Common Core Standards. There is even a link that takes you directly to the Alabama Department of Education website where you can see the Core Standards. Scholastic is a partner with Common Core and they want to provide instructional materials and programs for you, the teacher, to use. Scholastic also provides teachers with lesson plans separated by holidays, months, and subjects. The amount of lesson plans that Scholastic offers is extraordinary and can be incorporated in the classroom in various ways. The best part of this website is that the lesson plans are free! Another resource that can be used is called the New Teacher Support. The best part about this tool is that the lesson plans are free! There is also a tab that is titled "Everything You Need". In this section of scholastic.com, there is anything you could need by theme such as bullying, elections, and holidays. It has teaching ideas for the month and there is also a search bar that you can use to look for something specific that you need.  

Some tools that are available through scholastic.com are the graphic organizer, the flash card maker, the spelling wizard, and the class set-up tool.  

Follow the links to explore other tools Scholastic offers for yourself!  

Graphic Organizer

Flash Card Maker

Spelling Wizard

Class Set-Up Tool

Strategies & Ideas

Another tab that you can find on Scholastic’s website is one where you can find different strategies and ideas. One resource found in this section that I find very helpful is Teacher to Teacher Blogs. In this section, you can find teaching tips, classroom management tips, lesson plans, and great things that are happening in the classroom. It gives you a list of teachers all over America giving their resources and tips for a better classroom. While exploring Scholastic’s Common Core section, I found links that explain what Common Core is and how to understand. This gives links to Skill Assessment, Math Material, English Material, and the Content Library. I really like the section called the New Teacher Support as well. This link offers tips for how to start your classroom, ways to deal with parents, how to teach lessons, and resources that helps new teachers get in the swing of school.

Student Activities

Inside Scholastic there are a lot of resources for teachers, parents, and students. The student resources vary from computer lab activities, SmartBoard activities, and “StudyJams!”. These are all resources that are extremely helpful and will allow students to grasp the concepts needed. 

Here are the links to the student activities!

Interactive Whiteboard Activities

StudyJams!

Computer Lab Favorites

Family Playground (Ages 3-7)

Kid Stacks (Ages 8-12)

The final resources I am going to discuss are the Book Fair and the tab for Books and Authors. With the Book Fair resource, you can find book fairs near you, see what books are being featured, and you could sign your students up for contests such as Kids Are Authors.

I would use these tools in my classroom as often as I could. This would allow students to stay learning with technology as well as work collaboratively. This takes learning home, and it allows parents to join in on the fun of learning!

by Hilary Thames

My Teaching Tools.

In my sixth grade classroom, I plan to use technology in numerous ways, but the number one thing I want my kids to be engaged in weekly is keypals. Through these keypals, my kids will be involved in learning communities. Each students will be paired with another student from a classroom in another city or, possibly, even another country. My students will be in contact with the paired student through email. When working on projects, they will be using collaborative writing tools such as google docs. Once a month, as a whole, we will have contact with the class via webcam and have an activity planned for this allotted day for the students to engage with each other.  This will allow the students to see their partner and their partner’s culture with their own eyes.

In order to find a whole classroom available for keypals, I would use The Teacher's Corner. Through teacher’s corner, I would be in contact with the teacher about various things such as setting up the keypals, activities that will be used throughout the year, and potenital problems that may evolve over that period of time.

I hope, through this experience, my students will gain a working knowledge of teamwork. They will have to learn how to depend on others as they will not be able to take full control over their projects. This quality will not only help them in the keypals activity, but it will also help them when they are in the workplace. My students, through the use of keypals, will also be introduced to different cultures and to students with different backgrounds.

Another way I plan to engage my student in technology is by the use of ThingLink. There are many great tools that ThingLink offers; such as new ways to create an interactive report. By creating this interactive report, students will be able to learn more because it is a fun alternative to traditional and boring reports. Through the use of ThingLink, my students will create a report of themselves on their own culture that they can share with the students they have been paired with via keypals. When their paired student has shared the report on their culture, we will have a class discussion about what was shared.

My thinking may seem outside of the box, but one thing I believe would be great for involving technology into the classroom is the introduction of digital desks. Instead of the old, boring wooden desks, we would have desks that allow each student access to the internet. The top of the desk could be compared to an iPad. It would be a touch screen and even have a connection to the smartboard that is in the front of the classroom. My students' books would be accessed through these desks. No more excuses like,  “I left my book at home last night”! Of course, the students wouldn’t be able to take these desks home, so there would have to be a textbook available for homework activities and studying (maybe an iPad).  The students would even be able to take tests  on these digital desks and submit them wirelessly! WE ARE GOING GREEN LIKE EDM 310!  Alright, so maybe there is a reason I want to be a teacher instead of an inventor, but you can never dream too big, right?!?

C4T #2 Summary

 

C4T Summary: http://www.trailsoptional.com/

My assigned educator was Jen Deyenberg.  Ms. Deyeberg has been teaching for 10 years.  She has taught in both Alberta (Canada) and Scotland.  Ms. Deyenberg is currently the Learning Services Coordinator for Education Technology in Whitecourt, Alberta in Canada. She seems very knowledgeable in technology and the capabilities it can bring to the classroom. 

My first comment on Ms. Deyenberg’s blog was her post on video games in the classroom.  Her paper was very well written.  I enjoyed her idea on how video games can equalize learning for kids with disabilities and provide them the ability to achieve goals similar to the other students.  Additionally, this is the first educator that commented on my comment.  Below is the conversation:

Brantley Spillman says:

September 29, 2013 at 8:06 pm

My name is Brantley Spillman, and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. Your post on ‘video games in the classroom’ was an interesting read. Obviously, technology is changing the face of education worldwide including the popularity of video games. As an educator, we have many technological options to supplement our school year. I do believe integrating educational video games can bring a sense of excitement to our classroom that would attract many students that would otherwise be uninterested in learning. However, like anything, moderation should be a concern as video games have been well documented to have an addictive nature for many children. I would like to see my kids embrace these options to enhance learning, but simultaneously promote hands-on tasks. Students will encounter many difficult life challenges that will be hard to correlate to conquering level II of a video game. Thanks for sharing.

Reply

• jdeyenberg says:

September 29, 2013 at 8:38 pm

Moderation is definitely key, but I see passing level 2 as very much real life. How many times do we set a goal and then overcome challenges to get to a place where we earn a reward or pause to celebrate. Video games allow students to progress at a level that they are functioning in and scaffold with hints, clues, and assistance right when they need it. There are also more serious games that can help with life challenges. Super Better https://www.superbetter.com/ comes to mind as a game where you can set targets to help move forward in life.

Thanks for taking the time to comment!

Reply

 

It is clear that Ms. Deyenber is a passionate supporter of technology in the classroom.  We need more educators like her to defend the direction of modern day education.

Ms. Deyenberg’s more recent blog post is titled “Assistive Technology Toolkit – Read&Write For Google”.  I was a bit confused with this read. It was well written, but most of the terminology was unknown to me. Luckily, I am a “student scholar” and looked up the terminology for a better understanding of her post. Once I read up on these terms, I realized I was more familiar with them than I originally thought. I was just unaware of the technology language. This was a great learning experience for me.

Ms. Deyenberg began her post by introducing “GAFE” (Google Apps For Education).  Ms. Deyenberg defined GAFE as, “ a program that provides a delivery platform for cloud based tools.”  Terminology such as “cloud based tools” is new to me. After researching, I learned that she is referring to computer learning programs that are not limited to the computer they are installed. Meaning, these tools are downloadable from the internet.

As I continued to read, Ms. Deyenberg explains the benefits of yet another tool, Read&Write.  One of its beneficial qualities is that this tool offers students the ability to hear what they have written.  Not only will the students be able to listen for their mistakes, but this tool will pause for punctuation errors as well.  This feature will allow students to solve punctuation issues with a hands-on approach.  Read&Write will also help students to learn how to properly pronounce numbers as words.  Larger numbers are difficult for young students to pronounce.  This tool can provide a hands-on approach to learning how to pronounce these large complicated numbers.  Furthermore, Read&Write will help students with mathematic problems.  The numbers from a math problem will be read out loud.  This will allow students to not only see the problem, but hear it as well. By hearing the math problem, the student will gain a more in depth understanding. 

I enjoyed my C4T #2 assignment more than my C4T #1 assignment.  I gained a better understanding on what technology has to offer in the classroom for any level of education from Ms. Deyenberg’s blog.  Her knowledge of technology is what I am striving to achieve at some point in my career.  I enjoyed this assignment and will continue to check in on her blog for new ideas and learning opportunities.