Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Reflection # 10

In this course I learned different ways of using technology in the classroom. The main subject learned in this class was making lesson plans. At this point I am still trying to understand and become an expert at making lesson plans, but I have a lot of practicing to do. I feel that I learned how much work a teacher has. There are deadlines a teacher must meet, just as we have assignments with deadlines. I am still working on becoming a better student with trying to make these deadlines. This class is showing me how important it is to meet the deadlines at the date it is due. I also learned how hard it is to make an interesting power point. I also learned how important it is to make a very good study sheet/ handout. The most important is how difficult it is to make a very good lesson plan.
A power point looks better when it is not a power point that I created. I now understand when trying to do an assignment, any assignment you should have nothing else on your mind but that assignment. Creating a power point takes a lot of attention from the individual trying to create the power point. At the end of the day while trying to create a power point we should always have an outline or an idea of how many slides you will include in the power points and what these slides will include. The most important is meeting the deadline for when the power point will and should be completed and turned in.
I also learned different ways of creating a handout. It is also very difficult to create a handout that would keep a child in elementary very interested. It’s not all about putting a whole bunch of color on the handout, it’s about using the appropriate type of wording for the grade that you will be presenting the hand out to. The grade level would play a very huge role on how elaborate and colorful your handout will be.
The last but really important assignment that was introduced to me during this course was lesson plans. Lesson plans is basically showing what is being done in the classroom and how it is being done. Lesson plans shows how everything is being done in the classroom. A very good lesson plan will show how effective the teacher is. The lesson plan will also show how experienced the teacher is. After learning everything that was being taught in this course I will look more experienced then I really am.

Reflection #9

Technology is really important throughout today’s world. I never thought it would be as important in school teaching. It goes as far as grade books being recorded by using the computer and clocking in to work using different computer technology. Whatever happened to the old traditional way of technology use? I have learned that power points are a really important way of delivering lessons today. After taking this course I was able to take a step back and see how technology is at work in the courses that I am currently taking compared to how little they were used as early as when I first started attending college. I also was able to get an idea of how much I will be using technology in my classroom when I become a teacher. I understand that we have to accommodate ourselves to the changes that take place daily, but I really don’t like the idea of too much technology in class. This technology class does not take that route of using technology obsessively, this I do like. In classes that I am currently taking today I was able to see that technology is the teacher now. I feel that we are taking this technology in the classroom to an unnecessary point.
Power points are a great way to show students vivid pictures of the lesson that is being taught. Too much power points can be very boring at times. A mix of technology and traditional teaching should be used in class. Using videos every now and then will do a lot for students who are visual learning. Today many students learn this way because of the technology that they have at home. Something that is very new to me, Digital Stories are great teaching for students today.
Should we try to accommodate to these students in class today? I think this is very important. Many tests are still being used in the normal traditional way. While doing this, this may affect students in a very bad way. When I become a teacher I will not use too much technology. I would like to use the more traditional teaching. I will however do whatever it takes to get my students attention. This class introduced me to the different types of technologies that can be used in class.

Reflection #8

Education can be very frustrating, easy, simple, difficult, and believe it or not fun. The most importance of education is the demands and benefits of education. To be a part of the most important part of success is amazing. Lisa’s philosophy of education is to allow students to explore the world. Her philosophy of education is to show the exciting interesting part of education. Allowing students to become engaged in learning is part of her philosophy of education. Students have knowledge that they can build every day. Building that knowledge is up to the student and the end of the day. The educator is also a tool of building that student’s knowledge. Providing the student with different ways of solving problems allow the student to explore more and to think outside of the box way more. The parents which is the tool we all cannot do without, plays the major role in building knowledge. When we have all three parties doing their very best we have a stable structure that will always need fixing to be the strongest building. Depending on the child’s comfortable level that building will be as strong or as weak as the tools can allow it to be.
Education cannot be education without a strong foundation of educators collaborating to make a difference. Education is almost destroyed with this FCAT gibberish going on. Education should include different topics every day. Education should allow students to do more than just sit around and study materials that will be on a test. Getting a little personal; I have spent almost two years on trying to master how to take the FCAT. I mastered it and came to college with no knowledge at all. Education should allow students to be proficient in all areas, such as writing, math, poetry (not just reading it to understand questions about it) The FCAT is all about throwing all subjects at students. The students understand enough to pass the test. The long term affect is not there. This educator is here to make a difference. She has her mind set on making changes in the education system and not to be in the system, but a part of the system. Making changes is her intentions.
Education is very frustrating, stressful. The main point is that it is also fun. No matter what, whether you see the changes or not it will make a positive effect. I love education and will attend school for the rest of my life. This is because I will be an educator; I’m not planning on attending school my whole life as a student of course.

Reflection #7

A digital story is when a story is told by using pictures, music, and using maybe your own voice to create a story. The purpose of a digital story is to show a story, not just telling a story. The digital story may show progress. The best part is that this story is told by the author. The illustration of this story will mainly show still images. The digital story will shows images of progression of such things like; strengths, weakness, and other ways that shows progression. There are three types of digital stories, there are digital stories for education, there are family digital stories, and there are International digital stories. They would all consists of the same form of layout, but of course has different has different information.
Educational digital stories of course would include topics about a lesson that is being taught. With the way the children are today I feel that digital stories would be the best way to go. Students today have so many different things going on as far as technology. It’s sad but this just might be the only way to get these students attention. Family digital stories would tell stories about a family. This can also include stories about how a generation changes compared to other generations within the family. There are also International digital stories that would provide stories about an international country.
Digital stories can be a way of telling a story in a more entertaining way. Digital stories can be created by anyone. This is a way as far as education goes to get students involved and interested. There is also a certain extent that we should all go to keep these students entertained. They should have their own self control. Digital stories and other forms of technology use of educational materials shouldn’t be the only way we get students involved in class. I feel that digital stories were created as another way of having students to remain focused in class. Students should be able to maintain their own composure and learn with or without technology.

Reflection#6

Telecollaborative projects are when a group is assigned to complete an assignment while being in different settings. They can be in different states, cities, or even rooms. These assignments will most likely be completed by email, or even on the phone. The basic concept is that the students are in separate rooms. Telecollaborative projects can also become a very positive way of grouping and working on assignments. The example on the article about the teacher that required her students to work on a telecollaborative project had a great experience and decided to reflect on the experience. Her students were from Canada and allowed her students to work with students from Israeli. Allowing students to work with students so far away and from such a diverse background can be very fun and exciting. The students would be able to learn a lot from each other and could possible development a fun or serious relationship.

The assignment that was done by this Canadian teacher showed how the students were so alike, although there was terror going on in Israeli, the students in Israeli did not mention anything about their experience at their home town. The reflections that were written by the students then showed how different and showed reality of what the Israeli students were going through.

Reflection # 5

Collaborative learning is where students are working together in a team to come up with either questions or they create projects for an assignment designed by the teacher of course. Cooperative learning is a type of collaborative learning. Cooperative learning is when students work together in a team, but is accountable for their own part of the assignment. The students present their assignment as a whole together. They receive credit for the assignment individually. Collaborating would include everyone doing their part for a project and the end result looking like an assignment that was done by one person.
When the students are in groups they are able to share their knowledge about a specific subject, and work on their weak skills or knowledge. The students will most likely become involved in researching; creating an environment for cooperative learning can be done many ways. There are also several factors teachers should consider to make sure a affected environment is created for cooperative learning. If students are not in a setting where they are able to work together in teams and become comfortable, then there may not be a lot of effort placed in the assignment by the students. Students should be placed in a table that is set up in a circle like shape where it is informal of the traditional classroom setting.
There are many benefits with cooperative and collaborative learning. Diversity is growing, especially here in south Florida; students will be able to learn new things not only about the topic they are working on but about each other. Students learning about one another will always be beneficial. Students should be able to have the time to get together with team members and just chat for ten to fifteen minutes. This type of learning also raises variety of questions students have, Students tend to be more confident and open when they are in a team. Teaching students in a traditional setting may cause students to ask fewer questions. Putting students in groups will allow students to become more comfortable
Cooperative learning can also develop an intrapersonal relationship for the students. The students will be able to relate to their peers more. We should try to take this approach we probably would be able to get more out of these students.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Relcetion#4 "What is Inquiry based learning?"

Inquiry based learning is where students are more engaged by asking questions. This type of learning is very affective but is not practiced in classes today. Students today are too used to asking fewer questions. Inquiry based learning may be practiced the least because of its complexity. Students alone practice inquiry based learning starting at birth. There are many benefits to learning based on questions; students are able to relate subjects to each other, this is very important for students and can be very difficult. Students are able to correct and analyze more. Inquiry based learning may be complex, but can be very fun for students and teachers.
Inquiry based learning leads students to self-knowledge through aggressive questioning. Inquiry based learning includes; recalling and imagery. Inquiry based learning can be used in conjunction with other educational techniques. Inquiry learning includes cooperative and collaborative learning. It also includes constructivism learning, which we can create lesson plans on. Society today focuses more on what we know. Focusing on what we can know will come from different questions students may introduce, which can cause ore research and more material being taught to the students. This is not just new materials being added, but materials students are inquiring about. This means the students want to know about different subjects and will become more interpreted in the material being delivered.
Inquiry based learning to me is a very different and affective way to teach students. If a student asks a specific question about a subject it means that student is interested in that subject. We learn better when we are interested in a subject. Inquiry based learning gets students involved. The students are interacting and are bring out their ideas of a subject that they are interested in. Students today are distracted by so many things out there and inquiry based learning can get out students back into the learning mood. Inquiry based learning allow teachers to used students knowledge to create lesson plans. This type of learning is very different from today’s typical classroom learning style. Inquiry learning is very similar to a constructivist learning setting where the teacher is there to basically guide the students in the right path by allowing the students to bring out their idea about a subject, and then correct the students if it is necessary.