C4K #5 About Chapter 7
This week I was assigned Briana Pickle, a 5th grader from the UK. Her post was about a book her class was reading. She had to answer the questions about the book. The questions included what her personal dream was, and two other book related questions. Her dream was to be like Taylor Swift and Carly Rae Japsen. The class goal was to at least use 5 sentences this week, and answer in complete sentences. Briana did not have 5 sentences.
Comment: I introduced myself as a USA student in EDM310. I told Briana I like the way she numbered her answers 1,2, and 3. It made the post easy to read. I told her she had a big dream. One thing she could have done to add one was to explain why she likes the singers. I told her she did a good job of answering each question. Then I gave a few suggestions. I said for her not to use the word "because" at the beginning of a sentence, and to try and use more sentences in her posts. I gave her a link to our class blog. Here is a link to Briana's blog
C4K #6 7 Grade Gardening
This week I was assigned Andrew, a seventh grader from Mrs Hartooni's class. Andrew wrote about how his family has been gardening for years and how excited he is to continue the legacy. He says he wants to learn how to garden because his aunt owns a garden and he will be able to help with her garden. Andrew lives in a gated community, so his family does not have a garden of their own. He wants to show his dad that he is able to do more that just play video games. Andrew says he can tell that this is a great year to start gardening.
Comment: I told Andrew I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I told him that his post was very well though out and written. I told Andrew that is is great that he supported his idea about gardening with so many details. He kept me interested. The only suggestion I made to him was to take out one sentence in the middle about being excited about gardening, because he had already said that. I told him he is a great writer. I left a link to our class blog. Here is Andrew's blog: Andrew's Blog
C4K #7 Four Levels of a Forest
This week I was assigned Ari, a student from Alberta, Canada. Ari's blog this week noted that there are four levels of a forest. There is a Subfloor, which is the "beasment" of a forest. The next floor Ari noted was the Floor, which is the "graund". Next was the Understory, the middle part of a forest. Last, the Canopy, which is the roof of a forest. Ari included pencil drawn picture of a forest he drew.
Comment I told Ari I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama in USA. I told Ari I like the was his blog post was arranged. It was made easy to read. I also told him he did a great job of listing the levels of the forest and telling what they were. I told him he may want to check his spelling, and ask for help if he is not sure how to spell a word. I told Ari I loved his drawing, it was great! I included a link to our class blog.Ari's Blog
C4K #8 What Lessons Can You Learn from the Story
This week I was assigned Amiritpal's blob, from Canada. His blog was about a story his class had read, Out of my Mind. It is about a girl with Cerebral Palsy. He explains that people with CP are born with the condition and cannot help it. Amritpal said not to underestimate people with CP. He explains Melody, the character in the book with CP. She has a photographic memory and is a lot smarter than people perceive her.
Comment: I told Amitrpal that I am a student in EDM310 at USA. I told him that he did a great job with his post. I told Amiritpal I like that he said never to underestimate people with CP. I told him I work with people who have special needs, and it is so true. I gave him two suggestions. One was that he could have explained what CP is to the readers, incase some did not know. The second was to include commas. I gave an example of one of his sentences he left out commas. I told him it is an easily fix. I also left a link to our class blog. Here is Amritpal's blog: Amritpal's Blog
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Monday, October 28, 2013
C4T #3
Blogging and the Literacy Curriculum
My C4T #3 is Kathleen Morris, a teacher at Leopold Primary School in Victoria, Australia. This post is about her use of educational blogging. Kathleen says that this is the sixth year that she has used educational blogging in her classroom. When first introducing blogging, her curriculum was very busy so she would only spend a few minutes on it. She soon realized her students were not receiving the full benefits of blogging. Kathleen began to prioritize and plan her blogging program. When she first began, the computer ratio was 1:6. Over time, her students have gained access to devices and the ratio is at 1:1.
Kathleen explains how it is not enough to teach students literacy anymore, they must be transliterate to be prepared for the 21st century. Blogging is a way to teach traditional literacy and to teach multi-modal 21st century skills. Her students now spend 10-20 minutes a day blogging. She says it gives her students the opportunity to work on literacy conventions in an authentic, on-going text. Her students also participate in a "C4C" every week.
Comment I told Kathleen I was a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I told Kathleen how I completely agree with her method of incorporating blogging in the classroom. I explained to her I was a college senior and was just recently introduced to blogging, or any educational technology! So I told her how much her students will appreciate blogging in the future. I told Kathleen I thought it was great that after her rocky start of blogging she began to prioritize it to give her students the full benefits. She has came so far since then. I told her it seems as if she does a lot with her students to get them engaged in their blogs. I wished her luck with everything ahead of her, and posted a link to our class blog.Blogging and the Literacy Curriculum
Looking Back, Looking Forward
Kathleen explains that this is her last week teaching before maternity leave. She is figuring out what to keep and what to dispose of. She has been at the same school for almost a decade and says how much both education and she has changed. She mainly wants to dispose of worksheets. It took Kathleen to realize that worksheets are not very effective. She says the "busy work" she used to love now makes her cringe. It is now very clear to her that hands on, collaborative, open-ended tasks are higher value. More reflections Kathleen mentions about now and the future are about ideas and resources always being available. Although her PLN will always be there, she will use the internet to brainstorm for ideas. She says to use digital resources, they don't take up space! Kathleen also says prioritizing is powerful. She says although having a bright and beautiful bulletin board is great, it is not a productive use of time. She says to use that time to offer students amazing outcomes. Kathleen is excited about her future both personally and professionally. She is going to stray from blogging for a while to see if she still has the time and desire after her child.
Comment I told Kathleen that I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I told Kathleen I loved her post. I said that as a future educator, everything she mentioned was important for me to read. Worksheets do seem more like busy work, and it is great more teachers and accepting that. I told Kathleen I find it great she is all about hands on and collaborative work. I wished her luck in packing up her classroom and moving on to a new chapter in her life. Here is a link to her blog:Looking Back, Looking Forward
My C4T #3 is Kathleen Morris, a teacher at Leopold Primary School in Victoria, Australia. This post is about her use of educational blogging. Kathleen says that this is the sixth year that she has used educational blogging in her classroom. When first introducing blogging, her curriculum was very busy so she would only spend a few minutes on it. She soon realized her students were not receiving the full benefits of blogging. Kathleen began to prioritize and plan her blogging program. When she first began, the computer ratio was 1:6. Over time, her students have gained access to devices and the ratio is at 1:1.
Kathleen explains how it is not enough to teach students literacy anymore, they must be transliterate to be prepared for the 21st century. Blogging is a way to teach traditional literacy and to teach multi-modal 21st century skills. Her students now spend 10-20 minutes a day blogging. She says it gives her students the opportunity to work on literacy conventions in an authentic, on-going text. Her students also participate in a "C4C" every week.
Comment I told Kathleen I was a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I told Kathleen how I completely agree with her method of incorporating blogging in the classroom. I explained to her I was a college senior and was just recently introduced to blogging, or any educational technology! So I told her how much her students will appreciate blogging in the future. I told Kathleen I thought it was great that after her rocky start of blogging she began to prioritize it to give her students the full benefits. She has came so far since then. I told her it seems as if she does a lot with her students to get them engaged in their blogs. I wished her luck with everything ahead of her, and posted a link to our class blog.Blogging and the Literacy Curriculum
Looking Back, Looking Forward
Kathleen explains that this is her last week teaching before maternity leave. She is figuring out what to keep and what to dispose of. She has been at the same school for almost a decade and says how much both education and she has changed. She mainly wants to dispose of worksheets. It took Kathleen to realize that worksheets are not very effective. She says the "busy work" she used to love now makes her cringe. It is now very clear to her that hands on, collaborative, open-ended tasks are higher value. More reflections Kathleen mentions about now and the future are about ideas and resources always being available. Although her PLN will always be there, she will use the internet to brainstorm for ideas. She says to use digital resources, they don't take up space! Kathleen also says prioritizing is powerful. She says although having a bright and beautiful bulletin board is great, it is not a productive use of time. She says to use that time to offer students amazing outcomes. Kathleen is excited about her future both personally and professionally. She is going to stray from blogging for a while to see if she still has the time and desire after her child.
Comment I told Kathleen that I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I told Kathleen I loved her post. I said that as a future educator, everything she mentioned was important for me to read. Worksheets do seem more like busy work, and it is great more teachers and accepting that. I told Kathleen I find it great she is all about hands on and collaborative work. I wished her luck in packing up her classroom and moving on to a new chapter in her life. Here is a link to her blog:Looking Back, Looking Forward
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Blog post # 10
What can we learn about teaching and learning? Achieving Your Childhood Dreams
I would suggest everyone to watch Randy Pausch's "Last Lecture". I believe it is a video that everyone can relate to in some way. Randy is a great speaker, and is so positive and motivational. Randy starts off his lecture with "If you had one last lecture to give before you died, what would it be?" As future educators, this is something we should all think about. We should lecture and create lessons as if it could be the last one we are able to give. Randy has since died, but had terminal cancer while giving this lecture. He says that within the lecture he would not be speaking about cancer. He did not want to be pitied. Randy only wanted to be taken serious and looked at as any other speaker.
He was so inspirational and I feel as everyone who watches this video can relate and connect. He spoke about a few of his childhood dreams, what they meant to him, and how he achieved them. Randy taught me that motivation and perseverance is a huge part in achieving dreams. Those are two huge aspects that make up teaching and learning. Without being motivated and persevering one cannot teach or learn anything. He said we cannot get anywhere, alone; people have to help you. As a future educator, this is so true. Without teachers and students helping each other out, education would fail. We all must help each other to succeed.
Randy showed me how important creativity is when it comes to teaching and learning. I thought about this as he spoke about painting his bedroom as a child. It made me realize that teaching does not have to be serious and structured all of the time. Children need to have the ability to show off their creative side, and teachers should let them; just as Randy's parents let him paint his room. Randy showed me that it is important to stay positive even when life is hard. He is a prime example that it is possible to do so. I love Randy's quote "The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show us how badly we want something". This is wonderful. I think this goes hand in hand with the way we should teach and help children learn.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Blog Post # 9
Back to the Future
By Linda Check and Meagan Freeman
In the first video we watched, Back to the Future, we met Mr. Brian Crosby. Brian Crosby is a 4th-6th grade teacher at Agnes Risley Elementary School in Nevada. The video begins when Crosby tells the audience that 90% of his students are second language learners in poverty level homes. He also explained how less than half the class knew what city, country, and state they lived in. This shows how little his students are exposed to, both in school and in life itself. Crosby opens up a whole new world to his class, though. Oh, he makes sure to cover the state standards, but he takes it a step further by not only teaching the material, but also letting his students teach, invent, and witness the class material.
Crosby’s class has a one-on-one laptop/student ratio, which the students use to make individual blogs, Skype with students all over the world, and conduct additional research of the topics gone over in class. All of us wish to have an opportunity like this in our future classroom. These students, who live in poverty, are able to teach lessons to kids in New Zealand, because their teacher encourages and gives them the opportunity to do so. This video showed us that you cannot judge a student’s ability to learn by where they come from. We all agree that Brian Crosby is an excellent educator and his classroom has no limits! We learned how to become more efficient teachers, thanks to this video!
Blended Learning Cycle
By Linda Check and Meagan Freeman
In the second video,Blended Learning Cycle, Paul Andersen explains blended learning. He tells us that blended learning is taking compelling parts of online, classroom, and mobile learning and blending them all together in the classroom. This comes together with the learning cycle, which has “five E’s”. They include starting with an Engaging question, then students are able to Explore, then the teacher Explains the phenomenon, the class Expands upon the question, and last the class Evaluates what happened. The learning cycle helps present material and ensure it is learned. Putting those two together creates the Blended Learning Cycle. Paul gave us an acronym to remember this, “quivers”. His blended learning cycle contains six parts.
1. QUestion- Something to really get the students attention.
2. Investigation/Inquiry- experiment and use inquiry learning.
3. Video- use learning through video instead of just classroom lecture.
4. Elaboration- give your students reasoning/diagrams.
5. Review- meet students individually and check their understanding.
6. Summary Quiz- students will take a quiz on the lesson.
After the students have a few “quivers” learning cycles, the students will have a unit test to show what they know. Paul explains this as a type of mastery learning. Blended Learning Cycle
We both agree that blended learning should be used in the classroom. Blended learning helps students become more engaged and retain the material easier than other types of lessons. Paul did a great job of explaining blended learning piece by piece. We agree that starting lessons with an engaging question not only draws students in, but helps get them thinking. Letting students explore is important. It gives them freedom and a chance to learn by his or herself. The acronym Paul uses is a creative way to remember the six parts to his blended learning cycle, which we agree is a great cycle. We love the idea of the individual reviews. It is crucial for each student to comprehend the lesson for it to be successful. This video was very informative!
By Linda Check and Meagan Freeman
In the first video we watched, Back to the Future, we met Mr. Brian Crosby. Brian Crosby is a 4th-6th grade teacher at Agnes Risley Elementary School in Nevada. The video begins when Crosby tells the audience that 90% of his students are second language learners in poverty level homes. He also explained how less than half the class knew what city, country, and state they lived in. This shows how little his students are exposed to, both in school and in life itself. Crosby opens up a whole new world to his class, though. Oh, he makes sure to cover the state standards, but he takes it a step further by not only teaching the material, but also letting his students teach, invent, and witness the class material.
Crosby’s class has a one-on-one laptop/student ratio, which the students use to make individual blogs, Skype with students all over the world, and conduct additional research of the topics gone over in class. All of us wish to have an opportunity like this in our future classroom. These students, who live in poverty, are able to teach lessons to kids in New Zealand, because their teacher encourages and gives them the opportunity to do so. This video showed us that you cannot judge a student’s ability to learn by where they come from. We all agree that Brian Crosby is an excellent educator and his classroom has no limits! We learned how to become more efficient teachers, thanks to this video!
Blended Learning Cycle
By Linda Check and Meagan Freeman
In the second video,Blended Learning Cycle, Paul Andersen explains blended learning. He tells us that blended learning is taking compelling parts of online, classroom, and mobile learning and blending them all together in the classroom. This comes together with the learning cycle, which has “five E’s”. They include starting with an Engaging question, then students are able to Explore, then the teacher Explains the phenomenon, the class Expands upon the question, and last the class Evaluates what happened. The learning cycle helps present material and ensure it is learned. Putting those two together creates the Blended Learning Cycle. Paul gave us an acronym to remember this, “quivers”. His blended learning cycle contains six parts.
1. QUestion- Something to really get the students attention.
2. Investigation/Inquiry- experiment and use inquiry learning.
3. Video- use learning through video instead of just classroom lecture.
4. Elaboration- give your students reasoning/diagrams.
5. Review- meet students individually and check their understanding.
6. Summary Quiz- students will take a quiz on the lesson.
After the students have a few “quivers” learning cycles, the students will have a unit test to show what they know. Paul explains this as a type of mastery learning. Blended Learning Cycle
We both agree that blended learning should be used in the classroom. Blended learning helps students become more engaged and retain the material easier than other types of lessons. Paul did a great job of explaining blended learning piece by piece. We agree that starting lessons with an engaging question not only draws students in, but helps get them thinking. Letting students explore is important. It gives them freedom and a chance to learn by his or herself. The acronym Paul uses is a creative way to remember the six parts to his blended learning cycle, which we agree is a great cycle. We love the idea of the individual reviews. It is crucial for each student to comprehend the lesson for it to be successful. This video was very informative!
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Friday, October 11, 2013
Blog Post #8
GoTalk by Meagan Freeman
I will be teaching Special Education after I graduate, so I thought about what types of technology my students would work best with. I used Symbaloo to begin searching for the type of technology that I felt would benefit my class the most. I found a website called funandfunction.com which an endless amount of categories for special needs. I found an AAC device called “GoTalk 9+”. AAC stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. This device enables people to communicate. The GoTalk is shaped like an iPad, except you can slide a picture board into it. The GoTalk comes with 5 different picture boards, including 12 pictures on each board. The GoTalk has 5 levels, so each level correlates with 1-5 of the soundboards. There are 3 core messages which stay the same no matter which level you are on. Each picture can have a phrase recorded up to 10 seconds long. For example: the phrase “I am hungry, may I have a snack please?” may be played when the picture of grapes is pressed. A helper will decide what phrases will be most useful in the GoTalk user’s daily activities. The GoTalk comes with a handle, storage compartment for each picture board, and volume level. Here is the link to the website. It includes a description of the product and a video tutorial: GoTalk
I would use this in my classroom because it will give my students who can’t speak, an opportunity to have a voice. The GoTalk will greatly help students with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Speech Disorder, and children who are just plain stubborn. Many times I have seen children left out of activities, or not have a choice just because they are non-verbal. People who are non verbal still have an opinion and know what they want. The GoTalk lets them express their thoughts and feelings in a way they cannot do on their own. It not only helps children express themselves, but it also motivates them to try and speak. Also, touching the pictures helps increase fine motor skills. I would use the GoTalk for everyday activities. It is only necessary that I give children who are nonverbal or who have a speech deficit the same opportunity to speak as every other child. My hopes would be that I could have more than one in my classroom, because I expect to have more than one student with a speech deficit. The GoTalk gives endless possibilities.
Instead of the videos you provided, I found one for my field of study. It is about a little girl named Lianna who has Cerebral Palsy. She is not able to control her movement, therefore cannot use the GoTalk device. She uses a C12 Speech Generating Device. The device also has pictures with phrases just like GoTalk, but her device is slightly different. There is a camera on the device which follows her eye movement. The camera detects when she looks at for a specified length of time. Her device also has pre programmed and customized page settings. Her device also has “word power pages” which ensures her language development is continuing. The video features a few “gross” poems that Lianna wrote, which are funny. I think everyone should watch this video. It is just one example of why you never underestimate people with special needs. Lianna’s teacher Mrs. Fink asks Lianna “What are some things you would like people to know about you?” With her C12 Speech Generating Device, Lianna answers “I really do like it when you talk with me, but please don’t use baby talk with me. I like it best when you just speak with me like you do to the other 9yr old kids you know.” This says so much! Never treat people with special needs differently because you assume they do not understand. These devices are amazing and should be used as much as possible. Lianna Speaks
View2Do
By Linda Check
When I graduate, I plan to teach Special Education. Through EDM310, I have learned many valuable resources that I intend to use when I get to my classroom. This week, though, we were instructed to find a 21st century learning and communicating tool not covered in class. I found Do2Learn, and in this website I discovered an evidence-based visual learning support tool called View2Do.
First, Do2Learn is a website that is phenomenal for Special Education teachers! It provides thousands of free pages with social skills and behavioral regulation activities. It also has songs and games, communication cards, and academic material that teachers could access easily and use in the classroom. In addition, this website has an endless amount of information on the different kinds of disabilities and strategies on how to help a child learn to their fullest potential. Do2Learn is an awesome resource for both teachers and parents.
Now for the learning tool I chose, View2Do. View2Do is an online program that lets teachers and parents create customized teaching aids for visual learners. The program can be accessed on any Macs, PCs, IPad, Android Tablets, and Cell Phones. It allows teacher and parents to create and edit individualized schedules, visual supports, graphic organizers, homework assignments, and to do list for each student on an easy drag-and-drop template.
This program, also, allows students with special needs to receive constant visual support when doing schoolwork at home, immediate feedback on their work, and allows teachers to evaluate their student’s progress with real-time interactions and offer help when needed. Learning does not end when school is over and View2Do makes sure the student’s have the support needed at home to succeed.
I could use View2Do to enhance my classroom for those students with learning and communication differences in many different ways. One way I would apply View2Do is by creating a template with the class routine, so the students know what to expect each day. Another way this program will help improve my classroom is by allowing me to use View2Do’s Image Library to create a folder that permits the students, who cannot speak, to choose an image that expresses what it is they need/want. Lastly, the program will allow me to organize, print, and save files I find useful for the class. Having all the files I need on View2Do will save me valuable class time and paper, because I can share lesson worksheets with the students via their View2Do account.
I expect great outcome will result in the use of View2Do. I expect homework to help the student, more than add stress to the student, because they will be able to receive help whenever they need it. I expect the student’s will be more at ease in school, because they will always know what to expect next. Finally, I expect those students with no voice to find their voice, thanks to View2Do!
After looking through many websites and talking to several Special Education teachers, I decided that View2Do had something for everyone, and that is why I chose this learning and communication tool. Overall, it is user friendly, it allows parents and teachers to work together to find what works best for a particular student, it has big, colorful pictures that make it engaging for the student, and helps the students with special needs reach their full potential. Being a future Special Education teacher, this 21st century technology is one that I will definitely put to use in my classroom!
Here is a short video that shows iPads giving children with autism a voice by using different apps that allow the child to select pictures, just like View2Do allows children to do.
iPad class gives voice to kids with autism
I will be teaching Special Education after I graduate, so I thought about what types of technology my students would work best with. I used Symbaloo to begin searching for the type of technology that I felt would benefit my class the most. I found a website called funandfunction.com which an endless amount of categories for special needs. I found an AAC device called “GoTalk 9+”. AAC stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. This device enables people to communicate. The GoTalk is shaped like an iPad, except you can slide a picture board into it. The GoTalk comes with 5 different picture boards, including 12 pictures on each board. The GoTalk has 5 levels, so each level correlates with 1-5 of the soundboards. There are 3 core messages which stay the same no matter which level you are on. Each picture can have a phrase recorded up to 10 seconds long. For example: the phrase “I am hungry, may I have a snack please?” may be played when the picture of grapes is pressed. A helper will decide what phrases will be most useful in the GoTalk user’s daily activities. The GoTalk comes with a handle, storage compartment for each picture board, and volume level. Here is the link to the website. It includes a description of the product and a video tutorial: GoTalk
I would use this in my classroom because it will give my students who can’t speak, an opportunity to have a voice. The GoTalk will greatly help students with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Speech Disorder, and children who are just plain stubborn. Many times I have seen children left out of activities, or not have a choice just because they are non-verbal. People who are non verbal still have an opinion and know what they want. The GoTalk lets them express their thoughts and feelings in a way they cannot do on their own. It not only helps children express themselves, but it also motivates them to try and speak. Also, touching the pictures helps increase fine motor skills. I would use the GoTalk for everyday activities. It is only necessary that I give children who are nonverbal or who have a speech deficit the same opportunity to speak as every other child. My hopes would be that I could have more than one in my classroom, because I expect to have more than one student with a speech deficit. The GoTalk gives endless possibilities.
Instead of the videos you provided, I found one for my field of study. It is about a little girl named Lianna who has Cerebral Palsy. She is not able to control her movement, therefore cannot use the GoTalk device. She uses a C12 Speech Generating Device. The device also has pictures with phrases just like GoTalk, but her device is slightly different. There is a camera on the device which follows her eye movement. The camera detects when she looks at for a specified length of time. Her device also has pre programmed and customized page settings. Her device also has “word power pages” which ensures her language development is continuing. The video features a few “gross” poems that Lianna wrote, which are funny. I think everyone should watch this video. It is just one example of why you never underestimate people with special needs. Lianna’s teacher Mrs. Fink asks Lianna “What are some things you would like people to know about you?” With her C12 Speech Generating Device, Lianna answers “I really do like it when you talk with me, but please don’t use baby talk with me. I like it best when you just speak with me like you do to the other 9yr old kids you know.” This says so much! Never treat people with special needs differently because you assume they do not understand. These devices are amazing and should be used as much as possible. Lianna Speaks
View2Do
By Linda Check
When I graduate, I plan to teach Special Education. Through EDM310, I have learned many valuable resources that I intend to use when I get to my classroom. This week, though, we were instructed to find a 21st century learning and communicating tool not covered in class. I found Do2Learn, and in this website I discovered an evidence-based visual learning support tool called View2Do.
First, Do2Learn is a website that is phenomenal for Special Education teachers! It provides thousands of free pages with social skills and behavioral regulation activities. It also has songs and games, communication cards, and academic material that teachers could access easily and use in the classroom. In addition, this website has an endless amount of information on the different kinds of disabilities and strategies on how to help a child learn to their fullest potential. Do2Learn is an awesome resource for both teachers and parents.
Now for the learning tool I chose, View2Do. View2Do is an online program that lets teachers and parents create customized teaching aids for visual learners. The program can be accessed on any Macs, PCs, IPad, Android Tablets, and Cell Phones. It allows teacher and parents to create and edit individualized schedules, visual supports, graphic organizers, homework assignments, and to do list for each student on an easy drag-and-drop template.
I could use View2Do to enhance my classroom for those students with learning and communication differences in many different ways. One way I would apply View2Do is by creating a template with the class routine, so the students know what to expect each day. Another way this program will help improve my classroom is by allowing me to use View2Do’s Image Library to create a folder that permits the students, who cannot speak, to choose an image that expresses what it is they need/want. Lastly, the program will allow me to organize, print, and save files I find useful for the class. Having all the files I need on View2Do will save me valuable class time and paper, because I can share lesson worksheets with the students via their View2Do account.
After looking through many websites and talking to several Special Education teachers, I decided that View2Do had something for everyone, and that is why I chose this learning and communication tool. Overall, it is user friendly, it allows parents and teachers to work together to find what works best for a particular student, it has big, colorful pictures that make it engaging for the student, and helps the students with special needs reach their full potential. Being a future Special Education teacher, this 21st century technology is one that I will definitely put to use in my classroom!
Here is a short video that shows iPads giving children with autism a voice by using different apps that allow the child to select pictures, just like View2Do allows children to do.
iPad class gives voice to kids with autism
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Project # 13
Draw Me the Music By Meagan Freeman and Linda Check
Our lesson plan is called Draw Me the Music. It is for a self-contained Special Education classroom. The lesson plan addresses art, literature, and music. The link below contains the lesson plan:
Draw Me the Music
Here is the schedule we will use for the project:
Schedule for the week
Our lesson plan is called Draw Me the Music. It is for a self-contained Special Education classroom. The lesson plan addresses art, literature, and music. The link below contains the lesson plan:
Draw Me the Music
Here is the schedule we will use for the project:
Schedule for the week
Blog Post 7
Project Based Learning Part 1: Experiences of a 3rd Grade Teacher
By Meagan Freeman and Linda Check
In Project Based Learning Part 1, Anthony Capps told how Project Based Learning (PBL) are not only projects that teachers give at the end of a lesson to check the student’s understanding, but are a means to get the students to learn something. Anthony said a good project involves having an authentic audience, keeping the students interest in mind, involves the community, and most importantly it is driven by content. The example project he told us about was a project he had his third grade class do, which involved writing letters to Congressman Jo Bonner. Anthony told his class about a recent decision that allows women to serve in open combat and the project was, using iCurio, to find a female or minority history figure that demonstrated success when it was uncommon. Then, using this information, write Congressman Jo Bonner and state whether they thought it was appropriate for women to fight in open combat, or not. They informally interviewed family and friends that served in the military and helped critique their classmates letters. They chose eight to send and got a stock reply, which the students were very excited about! The project was content driven and community involved. The project even covered ACCRS standards for writing, reading, and social studies. We learned that PBL is not only to show whether the students know the material or not, but to help teach the material in a fun and exciting way. Anthony Capps told us how to create a PBL project and how to get the best results!
Project Based Learning Part 2: Experiences of a 3rd Grade Teacher
By Meagan Freeman and Linda Check
In Project Based Learning Part 2, Anthony spoke about a project he gave his third graders. After studying Afghanistan, his students wrote as if they were a child in afghanistan, then made an imovie of the script. The project was a huge success among the class, parents, and administrators. The students went above and beyond what was expected of them. All of the parents were amazed by the movies the third graders created. Through Project Based Learning we have learned that assignments are given meaning. Students see how PBL relates to the real world and are more excited to learn. We think that project based learning allows students to become more engaged in assignments and projects. They feel as if they have freedom with learning instead of a right or wrong answer. PBL encourages students to search for new knowledge and they excited to show it off.
iCurio
By Meagan Freeman and Linda Check
In iCurio Anthony, Anthony discussed the features of iCurio. We learned that iCurio is an online search tool that serves a few different purposes. The first, and main, purpose is to allow students to search websites, videos, images, and online media that have been pulled and filtered for educational use. The things the students are looking at have been deemed appropriate by a responsible figure, so the teacher does not have to worry about anything inappropriate popping up. The second feature is a storage capacity that allows teachers and students to store different content they find that is valuable. It also allows students to practice their virtual organization skills. The third feature Anthony mentioned was the historical figures feature. This feature allows students to search by criteria. It is a directory that helps the students find specific topics they are looking for, an example being 1960 African American male. The last feature is one that we really liked and would find very useful, being special education majors. It is a read-along feature that reads the text of an article aloud. This is very valuable to students with special needs. They are able to use the information the text gives, even if they are not able to read it. We learned iCurio is very helpful is the classroom, and we plan to make great use of it in the future!
Discovery Education
By Meagan Freeman and Linda Check
Discovery Ed- In Discovery Ed Anthony, Anthony mentioned Discovery Ed is important because students retain a lot more about information about text when it has visual elements. Discovery Ed gives students the opportunity to add background knowledge and illustration along with text. It makes learning fun, instead of most children looking at it as a chore. We agree that visual cues are much more effective in remembering material than just reading by itself. Our group feels that Discovery Ed is a great resource for PBL . The goal of PBL is t to engage the students and make them feel more connected to the learning process, which is exactly what Discovery Ed does.
Use Tech- Don’t Teach It
By Meagan Freeman
In UseTech- Don't Teach It, Anthony said that you should not teach technology, just introduce it. He said don’t have a list of technology that should be learned, instead go through technology in small steps. Eventually the steps can be combined and the students will be much more savvy with technology. He mentions that educators should allow students to get excited about technology and let them use it to share their ideas. Anthony made a good point when saying don’t teach technology, just introduce it. I also think that technology can’t be taught, and you just have experiment with it. I like that Anthony said not to focus on mistakes, and just give your students and opportunity to learn. Technology can be harder for some to catch on to than others, and it is always changing. There is so much PBL that can be done using technology and I think it will only help our students advance.
The Anthony - Strange list of Tips for Teachers Part 1
By Linda Check
In The Anthony - Strange Tips for Teachers Part 1, Dr. Strange and Anthony taught me that teachers just starting need to prepare for a wide variety of obstacles in the classroom. The first piece of advice I learned, was that if you are not a constant learner, you will not be a successful educator. Learning does not stop once your eight-hour day ends, you are always learning from experience then, taking what you learned and using it in the classroom. The next thing I learned was that teaching is hard work, yet fun at the same time. Teaching is constant and very rewarding, if you let it be. I, also, learned that you must be very flexible as a teacher. Lessons will not always go as planned, and when this happens, you need to take what you got a roll with it. If you are planning to use the computers for a lesson, but the servers are down, figure out another way the students will still learn what you need them to, just with a different activity. Another piece of advice I took was that you need to plan lessons that get students engaged. Create projects that are shareable and get the students excited to learn the objectives you need them to. The last thing I learned was that reflection and self-evaluation are a huge part of the learning process. If the student’s are sharing their assignments to an audience, they become more serious about revising and reflecting on their work. Students can, also, take critiques from the audience to make their work better. I took many things away from this video. I learned that becoming a teacher comes with many obstacles, once you get into the classroom. You have to be prepared for all kind of hiccups in the road and events to not play out perfectly. Learning is a constant job and if you are constant learner, you will be successful in your teaching career.
By Meagan Freeman and Linda Check
In Project Based Learning Part 1, Anthony Capps told how Project Based Learning (PBL) are not only projects that teachers give at the end of a lesson to check the student’s understanding, but are a means to get the students to learn something. Anthony said a good project involves having an authentic audience, keeping the students interest in mind, involves the community, and most importantly it is driven by content. The example project he told us about was a project he had his third grade class do, which involved writing letters to Congressman Jo Bonner. Anthony told his class about a recent decision that allows women to serve in open combat and the project was, using iCurio, to find a female or minority history figure that demonstrated success when it was uncommon. Then, using this information, write Congressman Jo Bonner and state whether they thought it was appropriate for women to fight in open combat, or not. They informally interviewed family and friends that served in the military and helped critique their classmates letters. They chose eight to send and got a stock reply, which the students were very excited about! The project was content driven and community involved. The project even covered ACCRS standards for writing, reading, and social studies. We learned that PBL is not only to show whether the students know the material or not, but to help teach the material in a fun and exciting way. Anthony Capps told us how to create a PBL project and how to get the best results!
Project Based Learning Part 2: Experiences of a 3rd Grade Teacher
By Meagan Freeman and Linda Check
In Project Based Learning Part 2, Anthony spoke about a project he gave his third graders. After studying Afghanistan, his students wrote as if they were a child in afghanistan, then made an imovie of the script. The project was a huge success among the class, parents, and administrators. The students went above and beyond what was expected of them. All of the parents were amazed by the movies the third graders created. Through Project Based Learning we have learned that assignments are given meaning. Students see how PBL relates to the real world and are more excited to learn. We think that project based learning allows students to become more engaged in assignments and projects. They feel as if they have freedom with learning instead of a right or wrong answer. PBL encourages students to search for new knowledge and they excited to show it off.
iCurio
By Meagan Freeman and Linda Check
In iCurio Anthony, Anthony discussed the features of iCurio. We learned that iCurio is an online search tool that serves a few different purposes. The first, and main, purpose is to allow students to search websites, videos, images, and online media that have been pulled and filtered for educational use. The things the students are looking at have been deemed appropriate by a responsible figure, so the teacher does not have to worry about anything inappropriate popping up. The second feature is a storage capacity that allows teachers and students to store different content they find that is valuable. It also allows students to practice their virtual organization skills. The third feature Anthony mentioned was the historical figures feature. This feature allows students to search by criteria. It is a directory that helps the students find specific topics they are looking for, an example being 1960 African American male. The last feature is one that we really liked and would find very useful, being special education majors. It is a read-along feature that reads the text of an article aloud. This is very valuable to students with special needs. They are able to use the information the text gives, even if they are not able to read it. We learned iCurio is very helpful is the classroom, and we plan to make great use of it in the future!
Discovery Education
By Meagan Freeman and Linda Check
Discovery Ed- In Discovery Ed Anthony, Anthony mentioned Discovery Ed is important because students retain a lot more about information about text when it has visual elements. Discovery Ed gives students the opportunity to add background knowledge and illustration along with text. It makes learning fun, instead of most children looking at it as a chore. We agree that visual cues are much more effective in remembering material than just reading by itself. Our group feels that Discovery Ed is a great resource for PBL . The goal of PBL is t to engage the students and make them feel more connected to the learning process, which is exactly what Discovery Ed does.
Use Tech- Don’t Teach It
By Meagan Freeman
In UseTech- Don't Teach It, Anthony said that you should not teach technology, just introduce it. He said don’t have a list of technology that should be learned, instead go through technology in small steps. Eventually the steps can be combined and the students will be much more savvy with technology. He mentions that educators should allow students to get excited about technology and let them use it to share their ideas. Anthony made a good point when saying don’t teach technology, just introduce it. I also think that technology can’t be taught, and you just have experiment with it. I like that Anthony said not to focus on mistakes, and just give your students and opportunity to learn. Technology can be harder for some to catch on to than others, and it is always changing. There is so much PBL that can be done using technology and I think it will only help our students advance.
The Anthony - Strange list of Tips for Teachers Part 1
By Linda Check
In The Anthony - Strange Tips for Teachers Part 1, Dr. Strange and Anthony taught me that teachers just starting need to prepare for a wide variety of obstacles in the classroom. The first piece of advice I learned, was that if you are not a constant learner, you will not be a successful educator. Learning does not stop once your eight-hour day ends, you are always learning from experience then, taking what you learned and using it in the classroom. The next thing I learned was that teaching is hard work, yet fun at the same time. Teaching is constant and very rewarding, if you let it be. I, also, learned that you must be very flexible as a teacher. Lessons will not always go as planned, and when this happens, you need to take what you got a roll with it. If you are planning to use the computers for a lesson, but the servers are down, figure out another way the students will still learn what you need them to, just with a different activity. Another piece of advice I took was that you need to plan lessons that get students engaged. Create projects that are shareable and get the students excited to learn the objectives you need them to. The last thing I learned was that reflection and self-evaluation are a huge part of the learning process. If the student’s are sharing their assignments to an audience, they become more serious about revising and reflecting on their work. Students can, also, take critiques from the audience to make their work better. I took many things away from this video. I learned that becoming a teacher comes with many obstacles, once you get into the classroom. You have to be prepared for all kind of hiccups in the road and events to not play out perfectly. Learning is a constant job and if you are constant learner, you will be successful in your teaching career.
Project # 2
For this project I used Symbaloo . After actually realizing what Symbaloo was, it was not so hard to set up. I separated all of the tiles into sections. Some of the sections are for personal, daily, and educational use. My personal tiles include things such as Twitter, Groupon, Facebook, and Amazon. Daily tiles include the South Alabama website, Blogger, and EDM checklist. The educational tiles include ASL page, Pinterest, and ABC teach. All of my tiles are color coated so that they are easy to find. Symbaloo seems like a very convenient site and I am excited to begin using it! ![symbaloo]( "screenshot")
Friday, October 4, 2013
C4K Summary for September
C4K 1This I Believe
This week I was assigned to a student named Cecil. His blog post was about something he believed in, which happened to be Mermaids. Cecil wrote about the recent mermaid documentary which was a popular topic. He wrote about why he believed and things that supported the belief of mermaids.
comment In my comment, I told Cecil what a great topic Mermaids was for his belief. He chose a topic that was very popular right now. I told Cecil that I, too, watched the Mermaid documentary and I believed a lot of the evidence. I applauded Cecil for some of the writing techniques he used, which grabbed readers attention. I told him exactly what I liked about it, and told him he made me want to read more. I let him know he did a great job with sharing evidence and explaining to his readers why he believed. Cecil's blog can be viewed here: This I Believe
C4K 2 Bullying Matters
This week we were assigned to Mrs. Lieschlke's class. I commented on Maggie's blog post "Bullying Matters". Maggie's post included reasons that she wants to prevent bullying. She stated that when you are bullied, it stays with you. Maggie stated that when she is older she would like to enforce anti-bullying laws.
comment I commended Maggie for wanting to do such a great thing. I told Maggie that bullying is a huge problem that is often overlooked. I also said that many children her age do not even realize bullying is an issue, so I am sure she will make a difference someday. I wished Maggie the best for her future in bully-prevention laws. Maggie's post can be found here: Bullying Matters
C4K 3 Droll
This week my student is Night from New Zealand. His blog post was a story (I am assuming) he made up. It is about a "droll" who lived under a bridge and had no friends. The droll scared people who crossed the bridge. He had three wishes. His first wish was to have friends. He was given too many. His second wish was for only two friends. The droll never used his third wish, and he stopped scaring people. The story ends with a child crossing the bridge singing to the droll.
comment I commented and told Night that his story must have taken a lot of thought. I told night that his story kept me entertained and I could not wait to see what he would say next. I told him that I was glad his story had a happy ending. Night's blog can be viewed here: Droll
C4K 4 How Much Does the Sky Weigh?
This week my student is Macie. She is a 6th grader from Elsanor Elementary. Macie's class blog was the question "How Much Does the Sky Weigh?" Macie said that while some people believe the sky is weightless, they are wrong. She says that meteorologists estimate the air weighs up to 5 million billion tons or more. Macie believes the meteorologists because if you walk up Mt. Everest it would be hard to breathe.
comment I told Macie that I have never thought about how much the air weighed. This topic must have brought up a lot of different answers among her and her classmates. I said it is good that she look to meteorologists for an answer. Here is Macie's blog: How Much Does the Sky Weigh?
This week I was assigned to a student named Cecil. His blog post was about something he believed in, which happened to be Mermaids. Cecil wrote about the recent mermaid documentary which was a popular topic. He wrote about why he believed and things that supported the belief of mermaids.
comment In my comment, I told Cecil what a great topic Mermaids was for his belief. He chose a topic that was very popular right now. I told Cecil that I, too, watched the Mermaid documentary and I believed a lot of the evidence. I applauded Cecil for some of the writing techniques he used, which grabbed readers attention. I told him exactly what I liked about it, and told him he made me want to read more. I let him know he did a great job with sharing evidence and explaining to his readers why he believed. Cecil's blog can be viewed here: This I Believe
C4K 2 Bullying Matters
This week we were assigned to Mrs. Lieschlke's class. I commented on Maggie's blog post "Bullying Matters". Maggie's post included reasons that she wants to prevent bullying. She stated that when you are bullied, it stays with you. Maggie stated that when she is older she would like to enforce anti-bullying laws.
comment I commended Maggie for wanting to do such a great thing. I told Maggie that bullying is a huge problem that is often overlooked. I also said that many children her age do not even realize bullying is an issue, so I am sure she will make a difference someday. I wished Maggie the best for her future in bully-prevention laws. Maggie's post can be found here: Bullying Matters
C4K 3 Droll
This week my student is Night from New Zealand. His blog post was a story (I am assuming) he made up. It is about a "droll" who lived under a bridge and had no friends. The droll scared people who crossed the bridge. He had three wishes. His first wish was to have friends. He was given too many. His second wish was for only two friends. The droll never used his third wish, and he stopped scaring people. The story ends with a child crossing the bridge singing to the droll.
comment I commented and told Night that his story must have taken a lot of thought. I told night that his story kept me entertained and I could not wait to see what he would say next. I told him that I was glad his story had a happy ending. Night's blog can be viewed here: Droll
C4K 4 How Much Does the Sky Weigh?
This week my student is Macie. She is a 6th grader from Elsanor Elementary. Macie's class blog was the question "How Much Does the Sky Weigh?" Macie said that while some people believe the sky is weightless, they are wrong. She says that meteorologists estimate the air weighs up to 5 million billion tons or more. Macie believes the meteorologists because if you walk up Mt. Everest it would be hard to breathe.
comment I told Macie that I have never thought about how much the air weighed. This topic must have brought up a lot of different answers among her and her classmates. I said it is good that she look to meteorologists for an answer. Here is Macie's blog: How Much Does the Sky Weigh?
C4T #2
Communicating from Canberra
The author of this blog is Henrietta, a teacher from a girls school in Sydney. Henrietta is blogging about her group "Year 6"'s annual trip to Canberra. It was for three days. Henrietta went on tours, viewed the city, went to a museum, and much more. She stated that this year was easier to leave family and friends. Some of the group found it hard to leave loved ones, while others viewed the trip as a much needed break. She and her fellow teacher Mrs. T blogged and tweeted about the trip regularly so that parents and people from all over could stay informed about the trip.
comment 1I told Henrietta that I was glad to hear her trip went well. I have actually never heard of Canberra. I told her it was amazing to come across her blog and read about this place that seems so amazing. All of the activities she attended seemed so fun and interesting, yet full of history. I said I could not imagine getting all of that done in only three days and she and her students must have been exhausted. The parents must have loved being updated throughout their trip. It was such a thoughtful idea to keep them updated. Visit her blog here: Communicating From Canberra
Go Teach This
In this blog post, Henrietta is promoting a website called Go Teach This! It was created by Adrian Bruce, an Australian teacher who Henrietta truly believes gives back to the community. Adrian has always created educational games with instruction, and given them away. He has now brought all of these games together on his website, goteachthis.Here is the link: go teach this websiteThe site has printable math and reading games. It is said that he printables make learning sociable, visible, and fun! The printables have game boards, playing bards, rules, hints, and even teaching notes. Henrietta explains that she is a supporter of Adrian because he has worked so hard. The site has 150+ games. They are fun and they appeal to all learning needs.
Comment 2 I responded by telling Henrietta how great it is that Adrian has someone so supportive. I let her know that she even convinced me to go look at his website. He really does have some great educational resources. I told her she did a great job campaigning for his new website, and the word should definitely circulate. I informed her a link was added to my blog as well. Best of luck to Adrian and his new business.
Henrietta's blog can be found here Go Teach This
The author of this blog is Henrietta, a teacher from a girls school in Sydney. Henrietta is blogging about her group "Year 6"'s annual trip to Canberra. It was for three days. Henrietta went on tours, viewed the city, went to a museum, and much more. She stated that this year was easier to leave family and friends. Some of the group found it hard to leave loved ones, while others viewed the trip as a much needed break. She and her fellow teacher Mrs. T blogged and tweeted about the trip regularly so that parents and people from all over could stay informed about the trip.
comment 1I told Henrietta that I was glad to hear her trip went well. I have actually never heard of Canberra. I told her it was amazing to come across her blog and read about this place that seems so amazing. All of the activities she attended seemed so fun and interesting, yet full of history. I said I could not imagine getting all of that done in only three days and she and her students must have been exhausted. The parents must have loved being updated throughout their trip. It was such a thoughtful idea to keep them updated. Visit her blog here: Communicating From Canberra
Go Teach This
In this blog post, Henrietta is promoting a website called Go Teach This! It was created by Adrian Bruce, an Australian teacher who Henrietta truly believes gives back to the community. Adrian has always created educational games with instruction, and given them away. He has now brought all of these games together on his website, goteachthis.Here is the link: go teach this websiteThe site has printable math and reading games. It is said that he printables make learning sociable, visible, and fun! The printables have game boards, playing bards, rules, hints, and even teaching notes. Henrietta explains that she is a supporter of Adrian because he has worked so hard. The site has 150+ games. They are fun and they appeal to all learning needs.
Comment 2 I responded by telling Henrietta how great it is that Adrian has someone so supportive. I let her know that she even convinced me to go look at his website. He really does have some great educational resources. I told her she did a great job campaigning for his new website, and the word should definitely circulate. I informed her a link was added to my blog as well. Best of luck to Adrian and his new business.
Henrietta's blog can be found here Go Teach This
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