Blog Post #11

Collaborative Blog Post #11
Blog Post #11 What can we learn from these teachers?? The video by Brian Crosby called Back to the Future is very interesting. Mr. Crosby teaches students that are secondary learners from fourth grade until sixth grade. On the second day of class, Mr. Crosby asked the students general questions that they should know the answers to like: What city do you live in? What state? What country? Over half of the students did not know the correct answers. Since theses students are secondary learners they have been taught a narrow curriculum since they were born. They do not have the same experiences as others. If the students are limited, it is hard for the students to imagine and if they can not do that where does your creativity spark from. All the students have their own blogs. The students do an activity where they are sending a balloon up in the air over 1000 feet. They students first have to do an experiment with a can to see how the air pressure changes and upload it to their blogs explaining what happened and why. The students then have to write a story about them being the balloon and taking the trip. They are telling about the trip from the beginning to the end. The students are starting to set goals for themselves and are building learning networks with blogging and skyping with people from all over the world. So then the students then write a high hope for their school, community, and the world and post it to their blogs. People from around the world were commenting on their blogs and the students came up with what if we let everyone send their own high hopes. The kids went out and started leaving comments on the people they usually blog with and the people they blog with. Many different people from around the world started sending high hopes. They burnt all of the world high hopes onto a cd and sent them up with theirs. A grad student came in the classroom and talked to the students about engineering and they learned how to build their own payload camera. All of the students contributed to making it. As the balloon rises the air pressure is going down, the balloon is expanding, and eventually the balloon bust. Since the students are still writing their stories about the trip as them being the balloon they had to imagine the balloon was them. The students now had all this schema to add to their stories. When it was over the students had to come in and write about what just happened but it did not stop just there. The students are now in a learning network. Another classroom wanted to know how to do the experience so the both of the classrooms skpyed each other. The students explained to one another how to do it. Throughout the whole activity the students accomplished: Language intense Read/write to learn-content Writing to clarify and share Feedback Articulate orally Connect globally/aware globally Authentic audience Remember the science, high hopes art? The students have to have active learning. The teachers need to empower students to be learners. They need to empower students to want to learn on their own, connect themselves to the worlds, and learning to collaborate in and out of the classroom. Mr. Crosby was told that he had a new student in his class but will probably never see her because she has cancer and will not be able to make it with her condition. Mr. Crosby sets up the computer so she can skype throughout the day and she can have a regular day in school like a normal kid. He says you can not keep racing kids through school. You have to make sure that we give the students the opportunities to build schema for the world. Mr. Paul Andersen teaches us about the blended learning cycle. Blended Learning is taking the components of online, mobile and classroom learning and blending them together in a classroom. The Learning Cycle starts with the five “E’s.” Start with an Engaging question, student then Explore that question, you then Explain the phenomenon, Expand upon that, and then you Evaluate. This a great way to present material and learn the material. When we put these two things together, we get the Blended Learning Cycle. His cycle in his science class for this year, which seemed to work great, was QUIVERS. First he started out with a really good driving QUestion; you have to have a good question to get the kids interested in the topic. The students will then Investigate on what you have presented to them. They then have a Video that has a lot of the direct instruction so that he doesn’t have to do all of the explaining; the students can watch this independently. Next they have Elaboration, this is where the teacher can give them reading on your subject and talk about what they have learned. The Review portion of this is where the teacher can meet with the students individually or in small groups to discuss and ask them questions to test their understanding; if they do not understand then they need to start over from the beginning. The students cannot move on to the Summary quiz until the teacher is sure they know what they are talking about. The summary quiz is made to test them on what they have learned from the IV and E portions of the QUIVERS cycle. I think this is a great way to get students more involved into classroom assignments because they won’t feel like this process of learning is basic like reading from the books and answering questions from what they have read. Mark Church demonstrates the “Headlines” routine. This is where the students work in small groups and discuss a video from which they watched about the early human beginnings and the origins of human society. In their small groups, they come up with a headline to capture what the video is all about in one phrase. This causes the students to open up their minds and to really think about what they have watched and also to interpret what they think it is all about. Mr. Church said he would hang the phases up onto a board and come back to them a couple weeks later when they have learned more about the story. The students will be challenged to think if that is still their perspective of the story or not. I like this idea a lot, it opens up the students minds to think outside of the box and to discuss what they feel about something that they have read or watched. Sam Pane did a great job on teaching his students how to be a super digital citizen. He explained in the video how students are going to be exposed to all kinds of situations online and the students are incharge of knowing how to use the internet safely. Using the internet safely if very important for students to learn about since technology is such a big part of our world today. In his lesson about becoming a super digital citizen, the students created a comic hero online and they used dialogue to give safety tips. After the superheroes were created the students went around to their classmates computers to view their superheros and the safety tips they gave. The students were learning how to be smart and safe online when reading all the comicals. I loved the little girls example of being offered a free ipad online and all you have to do is submit your address. This is something that I have seen multiple times while using the internet. Young children may not realize that it is a scam so I think that it is extremely important to inform and direct them in the right direction when using the internet. Sam Pane taught a great lesson that really got the students involved and informed them how to become a super digital citizen. I would love to do a lesson similar to his in my future classroom so I could teach my students how to use the internet safely. In the video by Dean Shareski, Project Based Learning, the teachers have combined 3 subjects together and incorporated project based learning. In the video he explained how research shows that integrated studies using projects increases students engagement and provides an opportunity for deeper understanding. I think that project based learning is a great way for students of all ages to learn because it makes them engaged and want to learn. In the video, he explained that incorporating technology into project based learning enhances and shares students learning in richer ways. I think technology is great because it will allow the students to have access to so many resources while doing their projects. When preparing and presenting projects it makes the students proud of their work because of the time and effort they have put into it. The students feel like they have ownership of their projects and appreciate them. When integrating subjects and using project based learning it allows you to provide your students with so many opportunities and teach them beyond the everyday curriculum. Project based learning is a great way for students to learn and push themselves to become better and better with each project they produce. In Roosevelt’s Elementary PBL Program, Roosevelt School introduces project based learning and they explain that this when the learning is different in the classroom. This school describes PBL as in depth learning that has integrated thematic instruction. The lessons are based on real world problems and require students to research their topic. After a project based learning lesson is taught, it is then evaluated with a project and/or a presentation. Project based learning allows for the students to really think for themselves. Teachers collaborate on differents things to do PBL’s about. They like to teach PBL lessons that will have an impact on their students and really make them be engaged in learning. Project based learning gives the chance for students to use cooperative learning while they work in groups. Another thing that PBL’s bring to the table is public speaking. Since the student’s are being evaluated with a presentation it allows them to become comfortable in front of a classroom of their peers, presenting their work. Project based learning gives the students a sense of empowerment and they learn skills that they call apply in the real world. For example, how to conduct a presentation. Students can use this their whole lifetime. In my opinion, PBL is one of the most beneficial things to use in a classroom. It can offer so much for your students and really give them the guidance for a great education. Project based learning is a must in the classroom and I recommend every teacher at least try it!