Blog Post # 10

What can we learn about teaching and learning from Randy Pausch?

Randy Pausch was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. He co-founded the Entertainment Technology Center and helped to develop Alice, a program used to teach computer programming. He gained public fame after delivering what would become known as,"The Last Lecture".

Mr. Pausch begins his infamous "Last Lecture" by introducing the elephant in the room. He informs the audience that he has been diagnosed with cancer, but tells them not to pity him, because he is in better shape than them. Mr. Pausch then tells the audience what the talk will consist of:

1.My Childhood Dreams

2.Enabling the Dreams of Others 

3.Lessons Learned: How you can achieve your dreams or enable the dreams of others. 

Mr. Paush then states what his childhood dreams were: being in zero gravity, playing in the NFL, authoring an article in the World Book encyclopedia, being Captain Kirk, winning stuffed animals, and being a disney imagineer. 

"Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted."

Mr. Paush achieved nearly all of his childhood dreams but one, playing in the NFL. Although he didn't achieve this dream, he received things more valuable from his experiences playing football as a child. Mr. Pausch referred to football as a "head fake", which is indirect learning. He says that football is a "head fake" because learning to play football is not the goal. In actuality children who play sports or participate in extracurricular activities learn team work, perseverance, and sportsmanship.

"Anything is Possible"

As future educators we should believe that anything is possible and model this belief for our students. We should encourage them to have dreams and set goals for themselves. Our students should never think that a dream is unrealistic. If they close their minds to possibilities, they will never know what opportunities they may have in the future. "Don't lose sight of the inspiration and the permission to dream is huge."

"Brick walls are there for a reason: They let us show how badly we want things. Brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it bad enough."

Teachers will face many obstacles, in and out of the classroom. Some students may be: disengaged and unmotivated, overly talkative and unfocused, excessively absent and fall behind in class. As teachers, do we give up on these students? The answer is no. As their teacher we should do everything in our power to work with them and help them figure out solutions that will benefit their learning and help them to succeed in and out of the classroom. "Never give up" 

Feedback from Students: "Listen to it, cherish it, and use it"

Teachers should always focus on improving themselves, their instructions, and their classroom environment among other things. We should ask our students for their thoughts and opinions, and let them know that we value their feedback. 

"You don't know where the bar should be and you are only going to do them a dis-service by putting it anywhere."

Teachers should not set limitations for their students. Students should not be led to believe that mediocre work is the best that they can do. Educators should continously motivate their students to strive to do their best, even when students produce great work. "Students will just keep going, exceeding expectations"

The Power of Enthusiasm

Teachers should always exhibit enthusiasm in the classroom. Students are more likely to be motivated and interested in learning, when their teachers are interested in learning and teaching. Student's learn more when they are having fun. "The enthusiasm of the teacher will permeate students with a belief in themselves." 

Project #14

Project-Based Learning Lesson Plan #2
PBL Lesson Plan #2 (Helping Hands) created by: Jasmine McCall

This lesson plan addresses Writing and Language Skills. It involves students working together to make a difference in their community. This lesson plan is intended for 3rd grade students and covers a period of one week.

Blog Post # 9 Collaborative

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

Back To the Future
For over thirty years, Brian Crosby has been teaching upper elementary in northern Nevada. He has fused his students use of technology with hand on activities, field trips, art and a problem-based approach. Through this approach, he enables his students to build their schema of the world, while connecting with it.

Mr. Crosby starts his presentation by giving a little background information about his students. He states that, more than 90% of his students are second language learners and are at risk, because they are students of poverty. Mr. Crosby then displays the results of a survey he had previously given his students. The survey consisted of questions such as: What city do you live in?, What state do you live in?, What is your address?, and What is your phone number?. Although over fifty percent of his students had lived in the same area since kindergarten, less than half of the students answered these questions correctly.

"Why such a disconnect for these students?"
Mr. Crosby says, this disconnection exists because the students haven't had any experience, so they have yet to build a schema for the world. Students are unable to imagine what could be, if they don't know what is. Without imagination, there is no creativity, and without creativity and imagination, there is no passion.

The "High Hopes" High Altitude Balloon Project

Mr. Crosby and his students, along with the help of professors from the University of Nevada, sent a hot air balloon into the stratosphere. This project highlighted the impact that technology has in the classroom. During this project, students posted to their blogs, used flickr to save images, created their own wiki web page, and used skype to collaborate with another classroom in New Zealand. 

The student's blogs became a tool of collaboration and communication. Mr. Crosby had his students to set goals for themselves. The students then made stratosphere cards, which they typed their high hopes for their school, their community, and the world on. These were shared on their blogs, and the students received comments from other students, expressing their desire to send their high hopes up also. These few comments turned a project in Mr. Crosby's class, into a world wide collaborative project. He and his students began leaving comments on blogs asking others to share their high hopes with them. High hopes from around the world quickly flooded in. There were high hopes from Thailand, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and all over the United States. 

After the hot air balloon was sent up, the students were asked to go back to their class and blog about what they had just witnessed. The students wrote stories as if they were the balloon and used pictures that were taken with digital cameras to illustrate their stories. 

Using Skype in the Classroom

Mr. Crosby had filmed his students doing a project, where a can crushed because of the change in the atmosphere. Some students from New Zealand watched their video and wanted to know how they could also do the project. Through skype the students were able to connect with this classroom and communicate what they had learned from this project. 

Importance of Webcams

One of Mr. Crosby's students has leukemia, and was not able to physically attend class. The student was able to participate and be an active member of the class, by way of technology and a webcam. 

"Students are learning to change each other's lives."

What can we learn from Mr. Crosby and his students? 

That given the chance, the opportunity, and the proper tools, students will succeed. From the results of the survey, one may think that these students are not capable of doing. This project is proof that through active learning and the proper use of 21st century learning tools, students can and will learn and produce work far beyond anyone's expectations.

Rather than, teaching our students how to be taught, we should create opportunities that empower them to learn. Active learning "empowers students to become learners". By using 21st century learning and communication tools students are able to learn on their own, connect themselves to the real world, and collaborate in and outside of their classroom walls.  

Mr. Crosby ends his Ted talk with a quote from a high school teacher, "It is not basics then enrichment, the basics can be addressed more authentically and more effectively, if those skills are developed in a more meaningful way". It is the birthright of every student, regardless of who their parents are or where they come from.

Blending Learning Cycle 

Mr. Paul Anderson is a High School AP Biology teacher in Bozeman, Montana. 

Blended Learning is created when these three concepts :online, mobile, and classroom, are blended together. 

The five E's:

1. Engaging

2. Explore / Experiment

3. Explain Phenomenon

4. Expand

5. Evaluate

The five E's are considered a great way to present material and for students to learn material. 

Mr. Anderson combines Blended Learning and The Five E's together to create the Blended Learning Cycle. The acronym he uses to remember the Blended Learning Cycle is "QUIVER."

"Lets start with a question and figure out the answer."

Question - Teachers should start with a good question or phenomenon. The question should be considered your attention getter. It is what hooks the students in and gets them interested. The question or phenomenon should be something that the students do not understand and should make them want to discover how they will make it work. 

Investigate / Inquiry - Here students should start experimenting or exploring to discover information. 

Videos - Teachers can make a video podcast or give their students a link to a video they would like them to watch. Students can watch the videos independently rather than than have a classroom discussion. 

Elaboration - Students go more into depth and gain a better understanding of the material they are learning. This can be done by reading the textbook or any text the teacher has assigned the students. 

Review - This can be done in one-on-one sessions  or the teacher will hold small group discussions. During review, the teacher should ask probing questions that require the students to think and elaborate on what they have learned. "You haven't learned something, until you can explain it to somebody else."

Summary Quiz - Students may not move on to the quiz until they have gained permission from their teacher. In order to do this students must be able to verbally explain in depth what they have learned. The quiz is a way for students to self assess themselves and see what they have learned.

After all steps of the Blended Learning Cycle have been completed, the teacher then gives an old fashion paper and pencil test. 

Making Thinking Visible 

In this video, Mark Church, co-author of "Making Thinking Visible", is demonstrating the Headline routine in his classroom. He starts by asking his students to have a  group discussion about a video they had previously watched. The video was on Origins of Human Society. From this students were to create a headline that captured the essence of the topic they were discussing. Right off students start discussing their view points about what their headline should be. Mr. Church tells his students to connect with their ideas and see how their thinking has extended. This allows students to develop a deeper understanding of the topics that they are learning. Thinking Visible promotes student engagement and allows the students to share their different viewpoints. 

C4T # 2 Summary

Breaking Education Barriers

"Improving Teaching: One Step at a Time"

"Teaching is a job that is never done, at the end of the day." In this blogpost, Ms. Palmer gives advice to teachers, about the way in which they should work to improve as an educator. When a teacher is faced with learning new tasks, he or she may become overwhelmed and stressed out. Ms. Palmer states that the solution to this problem is to, "Take on one thing at a time". Rather than trying to overload on each task at once, take a step back and choose one task to focus on. Once you have improved at this task, move onto the second task. Don't stress out, don't feel guilty. You will achieve your goals, just take it one step at a time. 

In my comment to Ms. Palmer, I said that, as a student, I could identify with this method. Often, I actually believe that I am capable of tackling more than one task, when in actuality, I'm not. When I try to "focus" on more than one thing at a time, I become frustrated and stressed. So, I agree with the statement "Take it one step at a time", by doing so you will be less stressed and produce a better quality of work. 

Blog Post # 8 Collaborative

21st Century Learning and Communicating Tools

I hope to teach K-2, so I searched for tools that I believe would be effective and beneficial to lower elementary students. I believe, all of the tools that I have chosen, involve the four C’s: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, and Critical Thinking.

 Digital Storytelling connects students with classrooms and communities through stories written by the students. With digital storytelling, “Traditional writing, reading, and listening skills are reinforced, while 21st century ones (digital information, visual, and media literacy skills) are developed along the way”.

Tools that students can use to create their own digital storybook:

• Storybird is a collaborative storytelling site. I like this site, because rather than students adding pictures that relate to their text, they start out with the artwork, usually donated by artists. Students work together to choose illustrations, then use their imaginations to develop creative stories. 
•  Little bird tales is another digital storytelling tool. With this tool, students can upload their own pictures, use their own artwork, and add audio voiceover to their stories. 
•  Book Creator is an iPad app. Students can create a book in the app and then become published authors by publishing their books in iBookstore.

 I would use these tools in my class as a way for students to write their own stories or reflect on what they have learn. I would use little bird tales or book creator as a tool for the whole class to create a digital book together. One idea for a class book, would be to take pictures of the students while the class is
on a field trip, then upload each student’s picture and either have them write or do a voiceover about
what they learned and what they enjoyed doing on the field trip.

 Little bird tales Handout

 Collaboration Tool

 Primary Wall allows for teachers and students to share community “sticky notes”. The site is similar to Padlet, but is considered to be more elementary friendly. This tool can be used to share thoughts, ideas, and information when working in a collaborative environment. This tool can be used in
language arts, math, and phonics. Teachers can create a wall and ask students to list as many adjectives or verbs they can think of or list different ways to make the number ten. I would also use this tool as a way for students to share their ideas about projects they would like to create in class.

VoiceThread is an interactive collaboration and sharing tool, used to discuss any type of media collaboratively. It is used by teachers and student from K-12 and college professors and students as well. Teachers and students can upload images, documents, or videos to voicethread. Once they have uploaded their chosen media file, they can then add text, voice, audio file, or video comments. 

Voicethread enable students who have different learning styles to share what they are learning with the class. It is also useful for those students who may have a hard time expressing themselves or organizing their thoughts in writing, by enabling them to verbally share their thoughts with the class through voicethread.

Self-Evaluations:

Students can reflect on what they have learned and self-assess the quality of their work.

Digital Storytelling:

Students can create digital books, using their own artwork and vocally demonstrate what they are 
drawing about. 

Brief Instructions for Thread

Examples of Voicethreads

Project # 9 Podcast

Blog Post # 7

What can We Learn from Conversations with Anthony Capps?

Edna Montgomery

The first thing I want to say is, “Thank You Anthony Capps,” for sharing your experience as a new teacher and giving advice to future teachers. The conversations are powerful! Setting goals for the students, parents not satisfied with Project-Based Learning, and information about iCurio are just some of his experiences Capps share with us.

Jasmine McCall

Project-Based Learning: Experiences of a 3rd Grade Teacher Part 1 and Part 2

Mr.Capps states that Project-Based Learning is a "method by which students learn, rather than what they do at the end of a lesson, to show what they have learned". Teachers should use project-based learning as a means of getting students to learn and not as means to show what they have learned. The goals of a project-based learning lesson plan should be: to have an authentic audience, be of interest to the students, involve the community, and driven by content. Mr.Capps says to never limit your students on what you expect from them. With project-based learning, students are capable of creating work that goes beyond the teachers expectations. PBL also gives students a choice in what they are learning. When students are able to make decisions, they take more pride in their work and are able to comprehend what they are saying and arguing. When students create projects, their work becomes more meaningful and they are more engaged in what they are learning.

Jasmine McCall

iCurio
iCurio is an online tool, that can serve different purposes in the classroom. iCurio, can be used as a search engine by students to find pictures, videos, or websites that aide in their learning or research. With iCurio, teachers know that their students will not come across harmful or negative material because all online material that can be accessed through iCurio has been filtered for educational purposes.


Jasmine McCall

Discovery Education

"If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video must be worth a million". Discovery Ed allows teachers to combine text with a visual. When students are able to see pictures and videos along with text they retain more of the information they are learning. Discovery Ed enables teachers to "bring the text alive".

Jasmine McCall

The Anthony-Strange List of Tips for Teachers: Part 1
1st - Someone who wants to be an educator, must be interested in learning. If you have no desire to learn, you will not succeed as an educator.
2nd - "Work is not seperate from play". Teaching should be thought of as a craft or hobby, and you should spend your free time improving as a educator. Allow teaching to become a fun experience for you.
3rd - Be flexible and creative. Start with an end goal, but be prepared for the unexpected to take place.
4th - "Have 100% engagement, 100% of the time". Create content that caters to every students needs. Create projects they care about, are interested in and want to discover more about. Crucial: "Constantly think about, How can I get EVERY single one of my children involved in this learning process".
5th- Allow students to reflect on their work. Having an audience is a perfect purpose for reflection. When students have an audience to share their work with, they are more willing to revise their work and make it better for their audience.

Jasmine McCall

Don't Teach Tech, Use It
"Never teach tech, use it". Focus on one technology tool per week and build on it. Allow students time to reflect on this tool, then combine it with a new tool the following week.Capps stress of letting the students learn technology, one at a time, is a method of retaining a new skills and information. The tips for teachers is a extra bonus he gives us. I’m really listening when he points out that teaching is hard work. Experience in technology, will prepare students for the tools they will use in the real-world.

We enjoyed these conversations and will reflect on them when we enter the classroom.
Jasmine Mccall and Edna Montgomery

Project # 2 PLN

Personal Learning Network: Progress Report

For my PLN, I chose to use Symbaloo. I have added my EDM310 blog as well as the EDM310 class blog. I have also added iCurio, Discovery Ed, and Buck Institute for Education (BIE), as these are important resources all teachers need in the classroom.

C4K Summary for September

Batman's Blog
My first C4K was for a student named, "Batman". His blog post assignment for the week was to write a "This I Believe" post. In his post "God Is For REAL" he wrote about his developing relationship with God. He wrote about the day he was baptized and how after hearing the song lyrics "The mountains shack before him,The demons run and flee at the mention of the name, the king of majesty", that he felt graceful and surrounded by love and peace.
In my comment to him, I said that I admired his ability to be open and honest about his relationship with God. I loved how he spoke about his faith in God, through personal experiences.

Felisa's Blog
My second C4K was for Felisa, a fifth grader in Guatemala City. For her blog post, Felisa wrote a short story called "The Green Thumb:Scene". She wrote about a girl named Lizzie, who loved working in her garden. One day Lizzie woke up with a magical green thumb, which she used to help the environment by growing plants in her garden and the city she lived in.
In my comment to Felisa, I told her that I enjoyed reading her short story and that she seems like a student who cares about the environment and ways to make it better. I told her that I loved that her character Lizzie, was able to use her magical green thumb to make a difference in the world and make the people in her city happy.

Anthony's Blog
My third C4K was Anthony, a year 7 student at Pt England School. For his blog post, he and his group members created a video about the events of 9/11.
In my comment to Anthony, I told him that I thought, he and his group's video was very creative and well put together. I also commented on their voice over, which was quite interesting.

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The Amazing Mackenzie's Blog
My fourth C4K was for Mackenzie, a fifth grade student in Wisconsin. In her blog post "Silence? while figuring out Brain Teasers with a Partner?!!" she wrote about the method she and her partner used to communicate with one another without speaking. She stated, that she and her partner had previously taken sign language in the fourth grade, and used this knowledge as their form of communications. She admitted that the project was hard, but, when they solved the brain teasers, they had felt pretty proud of themselves.
In my comment to Mackenzie, I told her that this was a very interesting task she and her partner had to complete. I stated, that I could only imagine how difficult it would be to communicate without having the ability to verbally interact with someone. I said that it was great how the two of them were able to use their prior knowledge of sign language to aide them in solving the brain teasers.

Project # 13

Project-Based Learning: Lesson Plan #1

PBL Lesson Plan #1 (Animal Classification) created by: Jasmine McCall and Edna Montgomery

This lesson plan addresses Animal Classification. It is intended for 3rd grade students and covers a period of one week.