Verizon Math... You have to Listen to this it's Hilarious

To all my fellow teaching friends I thought I would share a smile. This was shown to me in my Math class to make a point that how we teach math is important, we don't want our students to turn into this guy.

"Doing"

For my doing portion of the Internet Safety assignment I went and talked to my high school friend.  She is a mother of two little boy, who are both very aware of how to use the computer.  They know how to get onto their favorite games on the Internet and one of the boys just learned how to take pictures and download onto the computer.  I told her what I had learned and she was shocked.  She also realized that her sons see her on the computer all the time and that she needs to set a good example for them and not chat online.  She also went and put in a netnanny and she talked to her sons about using the computer.  Her final step in protecting her sons was moving their computer from the office into the kitchen so that she can watch what they are doing.   I think that by informing her I made her more aware.  It also helped me realize that just because they are little boys doesn't mean they are protected from the bad things online.  I hope that when I am a mom I can take the same steps to help my children become technology smart and Internet safe.  

Technology Integration Ideas

After watching my groups presentations I learned quite a bit.  One of my peers gave a website that tells you what technology would be a good use for the different subjects.  I think that just having that list would help me; half of my problem is coming up with what technology to use.  Another idea I got was just to use powerpoints.  By using powerpoints you have your ideas put in the order you want them so that you do not forget what is coming next.  

Personal Learning Theory

As I tried to think about what my personal learning theory was I realized that while I was in the practicum I had many theories expressed to me that I have a strong belief are truly important for my future students. There were several different theories expressed but the first one I would like to cover is Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development. While I was in my practicum it became very clear to me that every student has their own personal zone. I quickly realized that in order to teach to each and every different zone I needed to use a great amount of scaffolding in my teaching. During one lesson I realized that I had a few students that were completely frustrated. I knew that the lesson was out of their zone and they were going to shut off if the lesson was not lowered into their zone. I asked a question and only had 2 students raise their hands. I waited a little longer and when I realized no one else was going to answer I started to use scaffolding in an attempt to get more hands up in the air. I gave little hints to the answer and the more hints I gave the more the hands started to shoot in the air. In this instance I was the more knowledgable other. I was the one trying to pass my knowledge onto the students. The next day I asked a similar question to see how many students remembered from the previous lesson and surprisingly almost every student raised their hand. That is why scaffolding and zone of proximal development are a major part of my learning theory. As I take my knowledge and try to pass it onto my students I will try to always use scaffolding.
The next thing that is a big part of my learning theory is self-efficacy in both the students and the teacher. We must first believe in ourselves before we can ask our students to believe in there selves. While in the practicum I witnessed a few always needed someone around them. There were a few who always thought that they could not do the task that was given to them. There were also those that thought that they were to stupid to learn whatever myself or their teacher was trying to teach. This learned helplessness is something that I believe can be decreased by an increase of the student’s self-efficacy. By giving students confidence they will soon learn that they can do it and that they do not always need someone else to do it for them.
Another important idea that was expressed while I was in the practicum was the idea of modeling what behavior I wanted the students to do. If my students were talking when I wanted them to be quiet I would fold my arms, smile, and sit quietly. The students soon realized what they were supposed to be doing and quickly followed. When the students have an example to follow it is always easier for them to do the task that is asked of them. I also tried shaping the students. Again, if I wanted the students to do something in particular I would give praise to someone that was doing the task correctly. The students soon caught on that they needed to follow direction and by the end of the practicum I did not have to remind the students as much because they had begun to self-regulate. They took control of their own behavior and they really started to improve. After I realized how important these three things were there was no way I was leaving them out of my learning theory.
Finally, during the practicum there were many things I needed to get into the students long-term memory. I decided that I would try one of the Mnemonic Devices that we discussed in class. I went to my mentor teacher and asked her if she had any songs that might help the students remember what a consonant blend is. She happened to have one and so I used Rote Memorization to help the get the definition of consonant blends into their long-term memories. We first went over “L” blend words and “R” blend words. By doing this I activated their schema. I then sang the song one time to the students before they started singing it in an attempt to get the song into their working memory. This also go their attention which is the reason it could go into their working memory. We then sang the song four more times that day and by the end of the day many of the children were singing it without the music. This experience is why I believe you cannot skip any step if you want the information to move into their long term memory. In the Information Processing System every step is important.
These many experience I had during the practicum helped me realize what my personal learning theory was. Before the practicum I really would not have been able to tell you. I am so glad that I had this knowledge before the practicum so that I could watch for it and gain a personal understanding of how important these theories and ideas really are.

Extension Project and Log

When we were first assigned to learn something new and spend 10 hours doing it I thought that it was a ridicules assignment. I honestly did not think that much of it until I went to my private voice lesson about 3 weeks later.
On that particular day we were picking new music for me to learn. I have sung in many different languages and in many different styles but for some reason Italian is one of the harder ones for me to do. My coach wanted me to learn a beautiful French song and an English song, they were both relatively easy and so we started looking for a Third song. We passed over the song Se Florindo e fedele many times before I realized that it was the perfect song to learn because I could use it as my extension project as well.
On the first day all we did was go over the words. We went over pronunciation and meaning of the words. She played to tune for me so that I could at least hear it and then my lesson ended. On the second day we practiced the melody and I tried to add the words to it. Day after day we practiced this song. I did not feel like I was making much progress on the words because I kept messing them up or slurring them together because of the speed of the song. Now almost 10 weeks later I have memorized the music and we are working on polishing the song. The words still give me trouble sometimes but I really think that committing myself to this song helped me improve my Italian singing.
In the beginning I thought this assignment was ridicules. Now I am glad that we had to do it because otherwise I might have given up on this song.

Date	Time Practiced	Total Time
January 27 2009	30 Minutes	30 Minutes
January 29 2009	30 Minutes	1 Hour
February 3 2009	30 Minutes	1 Hour 30 Minutes
February 5 2009	30 Minutes	2 Hours
February 10 2009	30 Minutes	2 Hours 30 Minutes
February 12 2009	30 Minutes	3 Hours
February 17 2009	30 Minutes	3 Hours 30 Minutes
February 19 2009	30 Minutes	4 Hours
February 24 2009	30 Minutes	4 Hours 30 Minutes
February 26 2009	30 Minutes	5 Hours
March 3 2009	30 Minutes	5 Hours 30 Minutes
March 5 2009	30 Minutes	6 Hours
March 10 2009	30 Minutes	6 Hours 30 Minutes
March 12 2009	30 Minutes	7 Hours
March 17 2009	30 Minutes	7 Hours 30 Minutes
March 19 2009	30 Minutes	8 Hours
March 24 2009	30 Minutes	8 Hours 30 Minutes
March 31 2009	30 Minutes	9 Hours
April 2 2009	30 Minutes	9 Hours 30 Minutes
April 7 2009	30 Minutes	10 Hours

What I Learned

It is amazing the many different ways technology can be used. I can't believe I was having such a hard time figuring out what to do. After watching the presentations I kind of felt silly for not having some of these ideas myself. I hadn't really thought that using a video recorder and showing the students after you are done really was technology. I mean I know it's technology but in my mind I guess I did not think about it that way. After watching the presentation it made so much sense and it looked like the students really enjoyed watching their plays.
They were all such cute and fun ideas.

Reading Reflection

1. What article did you choose to read for your fourth article?
For my fourth article I decided to read "Mixed Signals" from the June 2001 New Era.

2. What were the most important things you learned from the readings?
In my fourth article the most important thing I read was that there are guidelines for safe Internet use. The one that stuck out to me the most was that You are in control. Unless you misspell a word you have to be looking for the inappropriate sites to find them. This is also connected to the next thing. Keep the computer in a public place. If everyone is watching you, you re going to be less likely to go looking for those inappropriate sites. In the other reading I really thought that it was telling us that we need to be a positive role model to others and tell them what we believe and also stand up for what we believe. We have the power to change the outcome in an uncomfortable situation if we will make sure we know what our belief are when it comes to media.

3. How will what you have read influence your actions as a parent and/or teacher of children and youth?
As a parent I am going to make sure that all computers are only available to be used in wide open spaces. I am also going to make sure that my family has a set of rules for using the Internet. As a teacher I am going to be more aware of what my students go looking for. The school will probably have some type of a block but if I am alert and aware to what is going on fewer students will try to look for the inappropriate material.

4. How can you use what you have learned from the reading to have a positive influence on family and friends?
It is very important to inform family and friends about this information. In this day and age we are in the middle of two completely different generations. One generation did not grow up with computers and for the most part they are unsure how to really navigate on them. The other generation has grown up with computers their whole lives and has an almost know-it-all attitude. By sharing this information with both groups you will help the older generation understand what the risks are and how they can help prevent some of them from happening. By talking to the younger generation you are not only reminding them what they may already know you might be telling them new information that might come in handy one day.

The Bald Eagle: King of the Sky

View more presentations from guestca9462.

TPACK question

Some of the kids in my First Grade class have been having trouble with their retelling skills after they finish reading a book. I think I would teach a lesson to help their comprehension and understanding with the help of kidsperation. I would make an interactive graphic organizer, that they would fill out after each Guided Reading group book was finished. They would have to idenfify things such as the problem/solution, setting, character, etc. This would help the students be able to see their thoughts without struggling to decode words for spelling (like they would if they were hand writing it.) I think that it would be fun if they would possible even put different pictures from kidsperation in their organizer.

Classroom Technology Inventory

I was honestly shocked at how little technology is available at Sage Creek. I understand that they do not get the federal funding like title 1 schools, but I still think that there should be more technology in the school. It just seemed like this school is a little behind times. In the newer classroom they have more technology but in the oldest classrooms (were I am at) they have hardly anything. A few years back they got microphones to project their voice to their classes but that took a little bit of fighting. In my classroom we have 4 computers; 3 student computers and 1 teacher computer. The students have access to the Internet through their computers and they play a few games that are available on the district website. Their teacher has also put a few games on the computers for the students.

In the computer lab students from K-2 get to play on the computers using games such as math games, games to help tell time, and spelling games. Students do not start typing classes until 3rd grade though. In the school they do not have a computer technician and so during computer time the teacher has answer any questions that may come from the students. If the teacher doesn’t know they have to go and find another teacher that can possible help them.

Google Earth Virtual Tour

Here's my virtual tour click on this link to view it.

Applied Lesson Plan: Social Constructivism

Title: "Busy as a Bee"
Source: http://www.col-ed.org/cur/lang/lang42.txt
Author: Lorraine M. Tanaka, Sierra Grande Elementary, Blanca, CO
Grade: 5 Grade
Subject: Language Arts

Materials Needed:
1. Uncut fruit (Strawberry, Kiwi, Pineapple, Honey Dew, Apple, Grapes, Cherries, etc)
2. "Quick as a Cricket" by Audrey and Don Woods
3. "The Reading Teacher's Book of Lists"
4. Crayons
5. Drawing paper
6. Writing paper

This lesson would work well being taught using cognitive apprenticeship.
The students would first watch the more knowledgeable other (MKO) demonstrate what similes are and model how to do the fruit activity. They would then listen as the MKO read “Quick as a Cricket” to the students and then showed them how to create a 3 part simile.
The MKO in this lesson would be the teacher (me). I will be the one modeling how different activities are completed and instructing them throughout the entire lesson. The book “Quick as a Cricket” could also be an MKO in that it teaches the students about similes because it gives the students many excellent examples of similes.
Cultural and symbolic tools will be used through out the whole lesson as they are asked to write down their many similes they make.
In this lesson students will be pushed but not to a frustrational level. By challenging them their Zone of Proximal development is increasing. Students will also be aloud to work in groups; this will help all of the students work through questions and complete a task they might not have been able to do on their own.
Scaffolding is used throughout the whole lesson. In the beginning the teacher is giving students ideas as they being to write their own similes; they are then put in groups of three and make group similes and by the end though they are doing it on their own as they create their books and poems.
The dialectical relationship between learner and MKO began at the beginning of the lesson when the teacher started to model similes and explain what they were. In later parts of the lesson the teacher is helping the students and answering any questions they may have. Finally the students are able to do it on their own.

Applied Lesson Plan: Developmental Cognitivism

Title: "Busy as a Bee"
Source: http://www.col-ed.org/cur/lang/lang42.txt
Author: Lorraine M. Tanaka, Sierra Grande Elementary, Blanca, CO
Grade: 5 Grade
Subject: Language Arts

Materials Needed:
1. Uncut fruit (Strawberry, Kiwi, Pineapple, Honey Dew, Apple, Grapes, Cherries, etc)
2. "Quick as a Cricket" by Don Woods
3. "The Reading Teacher's Book of Lists"
4. Crayons
5. Drawing paper
6. Writing paper

1. Stage-based learning:
Before I start the similes lesson I would definitely take into account what level my students are at in their learning. I think that this concept is simple enough that pre-operational students would be able to grasp parts of the concept but they would not be able to grasp the whole idea and that would probably confuse them completely. Because this lesson will be taught to fifth graders (10-11) most of the students will be past the pre-operational stage and in the concrete-operational stage; some students would still be in that pre-operational stage and so that excessive amounts of repetition would be perfect so that they are able to better understand similes.

2/3 Uniqueness of Individual Learning & Experience that Involves Action:
Each of my students will come to this lesson with their own background and some may have already learned about similes. However because of the way I am approaching this lesson students’ with previous knowledge will not get board and students that do not have the background on similes will be able to connect and effectively learn the material. During this lesson there will be many times that involve action. In the beginning students will get to handle fruit with all 5 of their senses. We will then do a writing activity and they will write their own books and poems. By having the repetition occur in so many different ways the students will be able to learn about similes in their own unique way.

4. Necessity of Social interaction:
During this lesson students will have many different times for social interaction. They will do small group work when they are put in groups of three and make simile sentences. During our fruit activity they will be working as a class and as they complete their stories they will be sharing them with that class. These multiple interaction opportunities will give students a chance to get answers from fellow students without making the student ask the question in front of the whole class. Students will also be able to hear ideas from other students and learn to respect the ideas of other students.

• Adaptation (avoidance):
Because I think that it is a simple concept I need to make sure that I am not getting impatient with the students or trying to force the idea on the students. In the video in class the dad tried to force the idea on the little girl and she only said what she knew her dad wanted to her. If I try to force my students to learn the content they will start saying and writing what they think I want them to write and they will not learn the content the way that they should.

• Disequilibrium/cognitive dissonance:
In order for the students to truly learn there must be disequilibrium. Students will experience disequilibrium while they are coming up with the many different similes they will have to write. This will force them to add new schemas and connect these new schemas with old ones.

• Schemas:
Symbolic schemas will be used as the students write similes about fruit, write group similes, and write similes in their stories and poems. Different student’s schemas will be reached in different ways and that is why we will be making so many different connections throughout the whole lesson. This will help the students connect the similes in their daily lives to the lesson.

• Discovery or Guided Discovery Learning:
Guided Discovery Learning will be used throughout the whole lesson as students write their own similes about fruit, write group similes, and write the similes in their poems and books. This is Guided Learning because the students are doing hands-on activities and I am not telling them what a simile is they are learning for themselves.

• Classification:
At the end of the lesson I will give the students multiple similes and non similes. Each student will then tell whether it is a simile and if it is not then they will turn it into a simile.

Virtual Tour Plan and TPACK

Location	Activity	Google Earth content
1. The Golden Spike	Find the Lag. and Long. Then find out why the Golden Spike is a historic National site.	Take them to see the Golden Spike
2. Kennecott Cooper Mine	Find out what date the cooper mine opened. Also find out how wide and deep it is. Find the distance from our school to the cooper mines.	Show them Kennecott Cooper Mine
3. National Parks	Find out how many National Parks are in UT and which one is the closest to our school.	Show where the 13 National Parks are at in UT
4. NY and UT	Have the students find out how far away NY and UT are in miles. Have them tell differences in climate and landforms.	Show them the trail that the pioneers took from NY to UT
Details of Image overlay / path / Polygon:	For the first one I will have a picture of the Golden Spike with a wiki-tab for info on the golden spike. Next I will have a picture of the Kennecott cooper mines. For three there will be multiple pictures depending on which national park they are looking at (I hope to have one picture for each national park) Finally I will have a path from NY to UT that the pioneers took.

TPACK for Google Earth

What is the content you'll be using in your lesson?
4th Grade Social studies Standard 1, objective 1 A (Identify Utah's latitude, longitude, hemisphere, climate, natural resources, landforms, and regions using a variety of geographic tools.) Also Objective 2C ( Compare the development of industry and business in Utah as it relates to its physical geography (e.g. mining, oil, agriculture, tourism). Standard 2 objective 1A (Chart the routes that diverse cultural groups took from their places of origin to Utah, using maps and other resources.) 4th Grade Math Standard 3 Objective 2C (Locate regions on a map of Utah.)

What is the pedagogy you’ll be using and why is it a good fit with the content?
Students will learn about Utah and the different landmarks that are here. Students will learn why the pioneers are important to UT and finally learn how to find different locations on a map of UT. Students will also be able to tell where the different landmarks are in relationship to our school.

What is the technology you’ll be using and why is it a good fit with the content and pedagogy?
The technology that will be used in this lesson will be Google Earth and Wikipedia. Students will take a virtual tour around UT, they will follow a pioneer trail from NY to UT on Google Earth, and they will look up information on Wikipedia.

Applied Lesson Plan-Behaviorism

Title: "Busy as a Bee"
Source: http://www.col-ed.org/cur/lang/lang42.txt
Author: Lorraine M. Tanaka, Sierra Grande Elementary, Blanca, CO
Grade: 3-6 Grades
Subject: Language Arts

Materials Needed:
1. Uncut fruit (Strawberry, Kiwi, Pineapple, Honey Dew, Apple, Grapes, Cherries, etc)
2. "Quick as a Cricket" by Don Woods
3. "The Reading Teacher's Book of Lists"
4. Crayons
5. Drawing paper
6. Writing paper

Behavioral Objective: Students will be able to properly explain what a simile is, pick out similes in lessons other than language arts, and give six examples using comparative words in stories and poems.

Prompting: At the very beginning of the simile lesson I will prompt the students by giving them examples of similes and then having them work in groups to create similar similes. We will also read “Quick as a Cricket” by Don Woods and the students will try to identity as many similes as they can.

Cueing: After the first discussion about similes; I will continually input similes into my lesson. I will not have to remind the students to listen for the similes because the other students at their table

Reinforcement Schedule: fixed-ratio/Positive Reinforcement/Premack Principle:
So that the student will be able pick out similes in things other then their stories I will bring similes into other lesson by comparing different subject to things they are not similar to (I will include at least 2 similes in every lesson for 2 or 3 days.) The first student to raise their hand and identify what the simile was gets 5 points for their group; after 75 table points are earned that table will be let out 5 minutes early for one of the recesses. By rewarding student for finding the similes in the other lessons students will be more likely to stay on task and listen carefully to the lessons

Vicarious Reinforcement: During my lesson if I see a student not on task or distracting other students I will start positively reinforcing other students and groups. This will help the student realize that they need to return to the task at hand, like those who are being praised, without singling the student out or making them feel like they are bad.

Task Analysis: For the final project student will have to write storybooks that has 6 or more similes in it. They will also have to write a poem and include at least 3 similes. Their books and poems many be about anything they want as long as they are including the required similes.

Digital Story

This is my totally awesome story about a little boy named David and his Bear Robert!!

Storyboard TPACK questions

Content:
2nd Grade Language Arts
Standard 1: Oral Language-Students develop language for the purpose of effectively communicating through listening, viewing, and presenting.
Objective 2: Develop language through viewing media and presenting
b) Use a variety of formats in presenting with various forms of media

Standard 8: Writing- Students write daily to communicate effectively for a variety of purposes and audiences.
Objective 6: Write in different forms and genres.
b) Produce traditional and imaginative stories, narrative and formula poetry as an
individual/shared writing activity.
f) Share writing with others using illustrations, graphs, and/or charts and add meaning
g) Publish 4-6 individual products

Pedagogy:
This lesson will introduce individual writing to the students. The students will write their own stories, draw the pictures and then make both a book and a movie. This fits the content well because students will be starting their 4-6 individual projects, they will be producing imaginative stories, and in the end will share both their hand written books and their digital books with the class.

Technology:
The technology that will be used during this lesson is PhotoStory. The students will use this technology to make their stories into a fun movies. I think that this could have been done without technology but I also think that because of the technology this will allow the shyer children a chance to share their work without making them feel uncomfortable. This will also show the students that their stories can turn into more than just books.

Storyboard

301 Applied Lesson Plan-Cognition

Title: "Busy as a Bee"
Source: http://www.col-ed.org/cur/lang/lang42.txt
Author: Lorraine M. Tanaka, Sierra Grande Elementary, Blanca, CO
Grade: 3-6 Grades
Subject: Language Arts

Objective: As a result of this activity, students will:
1. Define the term 'simile'.
2. Write their own similes using the words as or like.
3. Work cooperatively to write similes.
4. Write stories that will include similes.
5. Illustrate picture books that contain similes.

Materials Needed:
1. Uncut fruit (Strawberry, Kiwi, Pineapple, Honey Dew, Apple, Grapes, Cherries, etc)
2. "Quick as a Cricket" by Don Woods
3. "The Reading Teacher's Book of Lists"
4. Crayons
5. Drawing paper
6. Writing paper.

I would get the students attention I will write the word “boy” on the board and have them tell me things that describe a boy (not necessarily a boy in the class.) Once we have compiled a good list I would ask the students to compare the items on the list with things they are not like (ex: eyes brown as chocolate, hair white as snow, etc.) After I would define and tell them about similes and give them example that they might already know (busy as a bee, quite as a mouse, hungry as a hippo)
—This activity grabs the student’s attention and prepares them for any new information that might come but it mostly helps them realize they use similes everyday.
—This activity also contains elaboration because we are taking this new knowledge of similes and connecting it with phrases and saying the students already know.

To get this idea into their sensory memory and then into their working memory I would put 5 or 6 pieces of uncut fruit on a table and have the students tell a neighbor different similes about the fruit outside appearance. After the students have given at least one example for each fruit I would cut the fruit and have them repeat it for the smell. Once smell was complete they would be able to touch the fruit and give similes for the touch. Finally they would be able to taste the fruit and they give a simile for the taste.
—This activity engages their hearing, smell, touch, and taste, the more sense used the faster the idea will move into the working memory. But because they have only been given this new knowledge so quickly it is only in working memory and nothing else.
—The strategy of massed practice is used here. The students are making similes over and over in one sitting in an attempt to move the knowledge into their long term memories.

To get the knowledge into their long term memory I will read "Quick as a Cricket" by Don Woods as a review for the students. I will then split the students into groups of 3 passing out sheets of paper that have been prefolded into thirds. Each student in the group will have a special writing job. Child One will write a short subject that includes a linking verb. Child Two will write a simile in the second column (without looking at Column One). Child Three will write a phrase telling how, when, where, or why. When the three columns are read together, some very humorous sentences will have been formed. (EX: The tall boy's hair is / as thick as a rug /when he runs.)
—This activity moves the information into their long term memory because it takes the information they have learned over the past couple of days and makes them review it.

To keep the knowledge from decaying or from having interference happen the students will write a story and a poem using multiple similes throughout their writing. Once the stories are complete they will go back and draw pictures for their books. When they have finished their poem they will draw a picture that puts some of their similes into pictures.
—The students are keeping their information protected because they constantly have to reuse the information as they do their writing and again as they draw pictures that have their similes in them.
—This entire lesson is using distributed practice because it is being span over a week but they are not only focusing on similes throughout the day but every day they are learning a little bit more about them.

TPACK question

The content for our lesson was the kindergarten standard 3 objective 1 c which states that " students will describe the information of each of the five senses provides with the change of the seasons."
The pedagogy used during this lesson is to have the students be able to collect pictures that represent all of the five senses in winter and document them using the scientific method. By learning the scientific method at a young age they will be able to use it through much more complex problems in their lives.
The technology we used in theis lesson was kispiration. It is an awesome tool for showing children what a brainstorm web looks like and letting them put one together. It is also a great tool to help them classify their data they collected and see all of their . It makes the learning process hands on even for a kindergartener.

The Tech Savvy Teacher

The TECH-SAVVY Teacher Article of the Month

In our classroom we are studying the seasons! Since it is Winter, we decided to focus on that season first. For the kindergarten standard 3, objective 1 c, it states that "students will describe the information each of the five senses provides with the change of the seasons." Our goal was for students to observe winter and to collect and analyze the data they found.

For our activity, we had the students brainstorm connections to winter in their personal journals incorporating each of the five senses. We then had them go outside and observe the effects of winter on the world around them. To capture their findings they used digital cameras. They needed to capture a photo that would represent one of the five senses.

Using Kidsperation, students then organized their data into a cluster incorporating their photographs along with appropriate clip art provided by Kidsperation (see photo #1.)

Kidsperation helps students better understand and utilize the scientific process of observation, data collection, organization of data, analyzing data, and presenting data.

Here are a few example photos that students might collect during their digital camera portion of the science lesson.

Sight

Sight

Touch

Touch

To culminate our activity, students presented their findings in small groups and then their Kidsperation clusters were compiled into a class book entitled "Student Scientists in Winter." By including technology into this science unit, we made it a more engaging activity for learners of all types.

Week #3 Science

In class we got to use different science technologies like a digital microscope, a temperature probe, and stellarium. I thought that they were all awesome but my favorite one was the digital microscope. It was a microscope that could be hooked up to a computer and then you could take pictures or video of what you where watching. We watched a video of a live ant, which was pretty awesome.

Week #3 TPACK

This week we learned about TPACK which is defined as Technical Pedagogical and Content Knowledge. This means teachers can teach using their pedagogical methods in combination with technological to improve the learning atmosphere for different topics. TPACK is more than just using a projector or doing a slide show during a lesson. It has the children using technology to do the investigating and learning (this is a hands on learning environment.)

IP&T 301-Observational Learning Report

For my Observational Learning Report I chose to watch how my math teacher taught. It amazed me as I watched her teach. The lesson went by so quickly; she taught for only 15 minutes and then gave us the rest of class to work on the homework and to ask questions if we had them. She also does not make homework the only thing that contributes to our grades. She knows that not all of her students are good a math so she also includes art and writing opportunities so that we as students can have multiple opportunities for success.

As a future teacher there are many teaching traits from Prof. Johnson that I would like to take with me the first being that you are never to busy to help a student. She is willing to stay after class, talk to her students on the phone, or meet with her students anytime during the week, even if that means they have to come over to her house. Her ultimate goal is that her students succeed, thus why we have multiple ways to get a grade in her class. The second thing I hope that I posses when I am a teacher is a true and genuine interest for my students. She is always willing to talk to us not just about school problems but also about personal things and if she can help she will. The third thing is that there are no stupid students' just students who do not understand the way she taught (in fact she gets annoyed when a student says that they are stupid.) When someone comes to her and says that they do not understand then she will explain it over and over, in many different ways until she knows that they understand. The fourth and final trait I would like to take from her is that she gives us plenty of time to work on our homework. In her class most of the time is spent doing homework. I think that this is effective because it gives the students plenty of time to realize if they need help and time to ask for the help. This also makes it possible for the students to finish their homework in class so that they do not have to take it home with them.

I do not think that I would teach this topic different. I think that she is the best example of a math teacher that I have ever had. You cannot tell that she has anything planned but you know she probably does because the class runs so smoothly. She never has any papers in front of her, she does not write an objective on the board, and the only thing that we can see that she might have to teach off of are our worksheets. After class the other day I went and asked her how she knew what she was going to teach if she did not have an outline to refer to. She told me that she did have a very detailed outline and she pulled out the most detailed lesson plan. As I read through the lesson plan I realized that she had followed the outline almost word for word. She has all of her examples in her outline and she even has multiple ways to explain the problem so that all of her students will understand it. She is a teacher that I definitely will try and model my teaching after.

Homework #2

This week we were given many different websites that will help us better while we teach. I personally am really excited about the GoodReads website. Not only will I be able to create different shelves to keep track of books for my students but I will be able to look up books that other people recommend and keep track of what books I want to read either for myself or with my students. We also learned how to use RSS, which in my opinion are really cool because it will cut out so many different website that you have to go to. If you have RSS to a specific website you get an update sent to you each time they update their page (look to the right and you will see that I have an RSS to the NASA pictures of the day and to the NEA website.)

Homework #1

I have a ton of technology background and experience. This is my second blog.