Project #12 Smartboard Activity

My Smartboard Activity begins at 3:33.

C4T #3

C4T #3

For my Third C4T comment 1, I was assigned to Dr. Will Deyamport. Dr. Will established this blog, “Peoplegogy” in 2009 to assist adults in improving both their professional and personal lives. Since then the blog has evolved to focus on the educational applications of digital media. He states that his mission is to use Peoplegogy to empower, educate, and lead discussions about how educators of all types are using digital media in their classrooms. Dr. Will’s most recent most discussed flipping professional development. It also included a video of an online global education conference he presented and an about me section. The video provided me with ideas on how I can use different technologies to individualize my professional developments. I also learned that Dr. Will Deyamport is an innovative thought leader in connected education. His research challenges the adoption of new learning environments and technologies, as well as how such technologies can be used by educators to individualize their professional development.

Comment 1:

In my response to Dr. Will’s post I first introduced myself as a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I stated that he provided me with a lot of information that will help me use technology to individualize my professional developments. I will be sure to visit his blog frequently when I begin working with my students. I believe his ideas will help me become a great educator with lots of knowledge. Not only will his blog benefit me professionally, it can benefit me personally as well.

For this week’s C4T, I chose a previous post from Mr. Deyamport blog of Peoplegogy. The post I was interested in was “Peoplegogy: My Sentence”. In this post, he included a video discussion with guest speakers Jerry Blumengton and Jaime Vandergrift. This video was the first episode of Peoplegogy Tv and discussed how educators can become their best selves. They provided their listeners with suggestions on connecting with others via Twitter, Facebook, blog, etc. Also, a “my sentence” video was discussed. A “my sentence” video will consist of an educator defining themselves with a sentence of choice.

Comment 2: I commented on this video to be very interesting. I believe as an educator, you should be able to define yourself. I am always up for new ways to better myself as an educator. Finding a sentence to define myself and passion was an assignment this semester in EDM 310.I found this very interesting and actually a bit time consuming. Before that assignment, I had never really described myself or even thought about it. It helped me gain confidence in myself and passion. Also, the assignment made me aware of who I was and what I wanted to become. To conclude my comment, I thanked Mr. Deyamport for sharing.

C4K Summary for October

C4K#4

For my fourth C4K assignment, I was assigned to Nisa in Mrs. Ripp’s class located in Madison, Wisconsin. Nisa didn’t have a post for the blogging challenge #3, so I chose one of her previous posts named “The past and future”. In this post, Nisa discussed how the past and the future are equally important. If she was able to go anywhere in the world, it would be to visit the past and the future. Nisa asked the question, “if you see something you don’t like in your future, would you try to change it?” . After asking that question, Nisa provided us with an example from a story she read that demonstrated the idea of changing something that will happen in the future. She stated without the past we wouldn’t have the present and without the present we wouldn’t have a future. Nisa concluded that she would like to go to the past and the future, ending with the quote, “ You never know what the future holds” .

My response:

In my response to Nisa’s post, I started off by applauding her on making valid statements. Next, I mentioned that her example on changing something that will happen in the future was very interesting and i liked the idea. I also agreed with Nisa on the past and the future being equally important. To conclude my response, I told Nisa that she did a great job overall and to keep blogging! Also, I included a link for my blog. Last, I closed my comment off with a question, asking, “If you could visit your past, would there be anything that you would change?”.

C4K #5

For my fifth C4K assignment, I was assigned to Cameron Pickle in Ms. Eppele ‘s class located in Canada. Ms. Eppele’s class is currently reading a story. Following each chapter they are to answer a question in a blog post. Chapters eight and nine blog assignment was to answer, “What themes or big ideas do you think that Sharon Draper is trying to get us to think about as we read these chapters?” . Cameron’s answer was that he thinks Sharon is trying to tell us in Melody, that disabled people are smart too.

My Response:

In my response to Cameron’s post, I first introduced myself as a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. Next, I applauded him on what he thought Sharon Draper was trying to tell us in Melody. I shared with him that I thought he did a great job describing it. Last, I agreed with him that we do need to see and understand people with disabilities.

C4K #6

For my sixth C4K, I was assigned to Delaney in Mrs. Schroeder fourth grade class. Delaney’s post discussed her big week at school, including all of the exciting things that went on. First, Delaney talked about her classroom skype session. Her and her peers hold skype conversations with another classroom from across the world. When holding these sessions each student is usually given a job to obtain. This particular week Delaney was in charge to type the different questions and answers that the other class asked her and her classmates. It was a little hard to keep up, but she got the job done. Another exciting event that went on this week was homecoming. She thought seeing everyone dressed in the same theme of clothing was AWESOME! Next, Delaney discussed “Read and Feed” in her class. Read and Feed is where the students get to bring their favorite food and a drink while reading their books. She chose to bring sprite for her drink this week. Last, she informed us that she has a T.N.T. project to work on with a classmate named Meghan. Delaney explained to her readers that T.N.T. stands for “Today not tomorrow”.

My Response:

In my comment to Delaney’s post I first introduced myself as a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. First, I applauded her on getting her duty done for the classroom skype session. I also made the comment about using “Feed and Read” in my classroom one day, I thought it was a great idea. Next, I told her how I enjoyed all of my homecomings and how excited she must be. Also, I asked Delaney what was her class’s theme for homecoming. Last, I wished Delaney and Meghan good luck on their T.N.T. project.

C4K #7

For my seventh C4K, I chose Aidan from Christchurch, New Zealand in Mr. Warren Grieve’s fifth grade class at Medbury School for Boys. Aidan posted a speech about rebuilding Christchurch targeting three major goals. His first goal was to make Christchurch a green city. Christchurch will need more open green areas, which will make it a more beautiful city. Aiden believes that making this city green will reduce air pollution and improve the presence of plants, trees, and parks. The second goal was to improve transportation. Aidan discussed the invention of a vehicle with no exhaust will reduce pollution around Christchurch. He would like to see alternative routes for bikes and cyclist. This will make the city better and safe to live in. Aidan’s last goal was to improve the culture and entertainment of Christchurch. He discussed how great it would be if the children had more activities and playgrounds. One idea was having a slide in the shape of a Kiwi. Aidan would develop more workshops for the children to participate in building new things. He described this idea as a Kids fest all year round.

My Response:In my response to Aidan’s speech, I first introduced myself as an EDM310 student at the University of South Alabama. Next, I stated how I enjoyed reading his speech about rebuilding Christchurch. I applauded him on his great ideas on improving his city. Last, I informed him that his idea of developing a slide in the shape of a Kiwi was awesome and really stood out to me. To conclude my comment, I encouraged Aiden to keep up the good work and creativity.

C4K #8

For my C4K #8, I was assigned to Annarose in an online Government/Civics course. This online course is instructed at a school for girls in Oregon. Annarose’s post discussed the first amendment and how she learned to love it. Freedom of speech does not prevent what is known as hateful speech. If someone is offended by another’s speech and does not believe that person should have made that offensive comment, both parties are still entitled to their own opinion and neither voices can be muted unless violence is provoked. The first amendment is designed to permit any type of speech that is not expected to incite violence. Annarose provided examples based on facts from the United States .

My Response:

First, I introduced myself as a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. Next, I applauded Annarose on her post and stated that she was a very intelligent young lady. Then, I made a comment on how I agree that everyone is entitled to their own opinion even if we don’t agree on another’s speech.Also, I let Annarose know that I learned how to love the first amenedment just as she did. I closed my comment with “great job!” and encouraged her to keep blogging.

Blog Post #10

What can we learn about teaching and learning from Randy Pausch

Randy Pausch taught me ways to achieve my dreams and how to enable the dreams of others. Randy’s story was very inspirational. He was a firm believer and fighter. Randy was diagnosed with ten tumors in the liver with a three to six month life expectancy of good health. His discussion inspired me to not be distraught by the obstacles that are put in my way during a journey. Despite the negativity there is always some sort of positivity in any situation. I learned that doing something young enough and training will make it become a part of you. For example, Randy had a childhood dream of becoming a NFL player. He was active in football at a young age and trained for it. Even though he didn’t make it to the NFL the game was instilled in him still. I can use this idea to help encourage my students with accomplishing their goals.

Randy also stated a quote that I will instill in my students for enthusiasm, “Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted”. Even though Randy didn’t make it, he still got the experience. Also, I learned some leadership skills. Leadership is a very important element when teaching. You always want your students to respect you and trust that you believe in them. One important skill that Randy learned from John Snoddy is that when you wait long enough, people will impress you with the things they have learned. I think this is true. A teacher’s biggest reward is seeing their students take what they have learned and use to create something of their own. Therefore, it is important to give your students time. A strong leader has to have patience. Last, Randy discussed his class, Building of Virtual Words. This class consisted of fifty randomly selected students divided into several groups that will construct five projects during a semester. This development stood out to me the most because after the projects were completed his students shared them in front of an audience of peers, faculty, and parents. This encouraged the students to do better in their work and to keep learning. I learned from Randy that encouraging students that they can do better will keep them going and improving. To conclude, Randy Pausch’s discussion was very inspirational and provided several skills such as, enthusiasm and leadership, which I will pursue in my future classroom.

Project#14 PBL Lesson Plan #2

Name of Project: Fruitastic

Subject: Health

Duration: 180 minutes (three class periods)

Grade Level: Kindergarten

Teacher: Ms. Westry

Project Summary: This project will introduce the students to their colors and the importance of fruits to the human body. Students will be divided into groups of five. Each group will be assigned to one of the major fruits: strawberries, grapes, apples, oranges, and green apples. Once each group is assigned to a fruit with the guidance of a teacher, they will research on how these fruits can be helpful to the human body. After gathering the research, each group is required to make a poster/presentation on their fruit. The objective of the fruit to the body, the color of the fruit, and how to harvest these fruits will be described in each presentation. At the beginning of this lesson Wonka runt’s fruit candy will be given out to introduce the students to the color of their fruits and grab their attention. Once presentations are completed, each group will present their projects to peers, faculty, and parents. The last day of this project the class will have a reflection method of a class discussion on how they have used their knowledge about these fruits at home.

Driving Question: How do we keep our body happy and healthy?

CCSS to be taught and assessed:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.1 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.1a Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion).

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.4 Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.5 Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.6 Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly

21st Century Competencies to be taught and assessed: Collaboration, Communication (oral presentation), and Creativity

Resources needed: Computer, Internet access, Wonka runt’s fruit candy, Markers, Poster boards, Scissors, Printer, Glue

Entry Event: Students will record a podcast of each presentation, use their knowledge of their assigned fruit at home, share knowledge with family and friends

Formative Assessments(during project): Image matching fruit to appropriate body part quiz, naming colors of each Wonka runt’s fruit candy orally

Summative Assessment (end of project): Oral presentations of each group

Reflection Method: Whole-Class Discussion on how they have used and shared their knowledge about these fruits with friends and family members.

Blog Post #9

We can learn a lot of new techniques and different concepts of teaching through these videos. These teachers teach us new and different ways to run our classroom using some 21st Century competencies. There is a lot to be learned through these videos.

By. Shanda Thornton, Victoria Williams, and Chastity Westry

Brian talks about the different activities that are done throughout his classroom and how he does them. He knows that students disconnect easily and for many different reasons. We were really impressed that Brian does not stereotype his classroom. He has a classroom full of lower class children and he brings his best to the classroom. He wants them to have the best learning experience and he tries his best to provide that. He introduces these children to blogging along with other class projects. Brian offers his students real life problems through these projects and that is what will prepare the students for the real world. Also, he had speakers that tied into what they were learning to come in and speak with his class. This resource could provide the students with information that won’t be found on the internet. We learned that if we involve, connect, engage, empower, and motivate students they will be more interested in learning.

The projects Brian produced for his students will make them lifelong learners and thinkers. Active learning is a great way to create a learning atmosphere. He teaches his students to think outside of the box. An example was when he told the students to tell the story as if they were the balloon, this gets the students involved in a thinking process. The blogging helps the students to interact with students all over the world and show their reflections. The comments allows students to converse back and forth, this tool teaches them a lot about connecting and collaborating with other people. The comments left on the students posts from readers encourages them to keep learning and improve their work. Brian also established goals implemented in the classroom, the students created goals for themselves, school, community, and the whole world. They also received feedback from other students from all over the world which made the students more globally aware.

Second, we learned about a method called blended learning.Paul uses the blended learning system for his classroom. Blended learning is when you take classroom learning and mix it with online and module work. Paul basically described it with these three resources: online, mobile, and classroom. There are five “E’s” that tie into the process of blended learning, which can be helpful to learn science.The learning cycles are: engage, exploring, explaining, expanding, and evaluating. So when you mix blended learning with the learning systems, you then will have a blended learning system. Brian wants his class to ask questions and predict what will happen next. Next, the class should then be evaluated. He also talked about the power of the questioning and the power of learning. He always starts with a question that hooks the students, once you have the students hooked, they are ready and excited to learn and answer the questions. Learning cycles are very useful to get students involved in the thinking process.

Also, if the students follow all of the steps to this process on their own they are more likely to take more knowledge with them to the next level. To remember the steps of the cycles, he develops acronyms. Paul’s blended learning cycle consisted of six parts, “QUIVERS” : Questions- start with a good driving question, Investigate/Inquiry- inquire about the driving question and investigate the answer or the reasons, Video- watch a video about the driving topic, Elaborate- elaborate on the topic, Review- review all of the information collected, and Summary- take a summary quiz to make sure the students understand the topic.

In the last video, he gets his students to talk about the puzzles in small groups in order to capture the heart of the unit. In the groups they connect with the ideas and decide what it is all about. The challenge on the whole topic in general is to figure out a phrase that headlines and captures the heart of what the unit is about, The students conversed and one girl stated, “how can we sum up everything with one phrase?” How the students interpreted the unit and connected it with what they already know to the puzzles and challenging of the stories. Later on they headline it again and see how much the headline and their interpretations of the unit have changed since the first time they discussed it.

Blog Post #8

i>Clicker By. Chastity Westry

A 21st Century learning and communicating tool I will use with my students is the iClicker. The iClicker is an audience response system that enables participants and presenters to interact dynamically through question and answer polling in various group settings.

It reduces the burden of technical difficulties and maximizes the benefit of learning with the technology.The iClicker remote has basic features that can be easily operated by any grade level. The remote has a simple six button design, easy for students to power up and make their decisions. Next, they are small, lightweight, and portable with a durable design built to last. This tool allows teachers and students to make real-time decisions about academic progress. I will use this tool along with powerpoint or other presentation programs with my students. Since I will be working with Kindergarteners,we will be using this to play matching games on a LCD screen for learning the alphabet and numbers. This learning and communicating tool can be accessed through an iPad, iClicker remote, computers, or any device with internet access. Two benefits that I expect from this tool is making learning more informative and enjoyable. I chose this particular tool because I think it will be very effective in the learning process in the classroom. The iClicker tool will develop better collaboration and communication skills upon my students. Also, when using this tool and pairing students into groups, it can create competition and encourage the students to want to do better in their work. I believe that the iClicker will keep the students engaged and encourage them to learn more. The iClicker is an essential presentation tool that increases engagement and understanding. This tool will keep your students learning experience front and center. Today, as a Junior at the University of South Alabama, I am currently using the iClicker in my lecture classes and I am sure it will be a great effective learning tool for my future classroom. Scholastics By.Victoria Williams

After reading my assignment for post eight, I knew exactly where I could find learning and communicating tools. I referred back to my PLN, Symabloo. This site has tons of useful tools that I am in the process of locating and preparing. I will use these tools in my future classroom. I found this tool on Symabloo and it is called Scholastic. The Scholastic site has tons of great learning resources that I will need for my second grade classroom. To use this site you need to create an account as either a teacher, parent, first administrator, or librarian. Some of the resources listed on the homepage are as follows: Resource and Tools, Strategies & Idea , Student Activities, Book & Authors, and a shop for teachers to buy products. I chose to use this site because of all the resources that it has to offer me.The Resource and Tools tab contains lots of useful tools that I will use in my future classroom. The most useful thing for me was the hands on lesson plans. The lesson plans are designed for certain grade levels and contain a project overview, objective, lesson plan for the unit, culminating activities, duraliation for the project, and the subjects being covered. I would use this site mostly to gather creative lesson plan ideas but there are also other useful resources offered through this site. There are Common Core instructional material and programs. The Everything you Need link is perfect for looking up activities for the whole month. The Tools tab has a variety of technology tools to make things for the classroom such as: graphic organizers, rubric makers, flash card maker and a spelling wizard. This site also offers printables, planning calendar, and daily starters. I would recommend this site to any teacher. Flocabulary by: Shanda Thornton

I looked over a few different learning sites, and found a few different ones, but Flocabulary just kept jumping out at me. Flocabulary is partnered with Learning.com and Pearson and currently working on new content for common core ELA. It is $63/year, but I believe would be well worth that price! I just signed up for the free trial, so that I could explore more of the products this site has to offer. Flocabulary has an online library of songs, videos, and activities for grades k-12. Teachers use Flocabulary to supplement their instruction and engage their students. The word up projects teaches interdisciplinary tier 2 words to boost reading skills across the curriculum. It engages, standard aligned content for students of all ages. It offers videos, exercises, games, and quizzes that provide a comprehensive resource for direct vocabulary instruction. it has hip hop songs, videos, and lessons for every subject! It offers products for Language Arts, Math, The Week in Rap, Social Studies, Science. It also has an award-winning vocabulary program and features a weekly current events video. Flocabulary presents academic content in a highly-engaging, contemporary format. It says that the site lets the topic speak for itself, providing students with both visual and aural exposure. And videos aren’t only for introducing new topics; use them to review and provide ongoing enrichment as well. You can play and pause the video while discussing the lyrics, which are visible below the video and also available as a printable PDF. Click on key lyrics to bring up an infobox, which takes the topic further and provides opportunity for a more in-depth discussion. As a class, in groups, or individually, students can hone in on specific details and review key points from the song in a flashcard format. The founders have diverse backgrounds but with a common goal of increasing student motivation and achievement. I would absolutely use this site in my classroom! I love music and I always could learn stuff better if I could turn it into a song! I think most kids are like that, and with this site they get songs and interactive games to help them learn and remember about lessons of any subject! Click here! It’s this generations version of schoolhouse rock!

Project #9 Podcast

C4T #2

C4T #2, comment 1

My first C4T #2 was on “You Got Snapped!" by Miss Jenny She. Miss She told a story about one of her students named Tatiana, who snapped a photo of her. One day during “inquiry learning”, Miss she explained to her students how to leave encouraging comments on their classmates blogs. After the class discussion, the students were given twenty minutes to take part in an activity of choice. While helping another student record, Tatiana took a photo of Miss She in action. “You got snapped!” yelled Tatiana. Miss She immediate reaction was, “Show me!” . Miss she immediately glorified Tatiana’s photography skills. The moral of the story is that Tatiana was able to use the knowledge that she has gained to create something of her own.

My Response:
In my response to Miss She’s post, I told her how I really enjoyed reading “You Got Snapped!” . I discussed how the use of technology in classrooms is very important and helpful. I praised Miss She on how she glorified Tatiana’s photography skills. I also mentioned that encouraging students will excite them and make them more engaged in their activities.

C4T#2, comment 2

For my second C4K#2 I chose a previous post from Miss Jenny She because her blog hasn't been updated. The post I chose was “Ipads in My Classroom!”. In this post Jenny discussed how her class was chosen to experience the IPads. She was excited about using them with her students because they will provide an extra meaningful activity for the them. Miss She explained how it easy it was to operate the IPad, children as young as three years old are capable of operating this tool. She shared some applications that she downloaded that were all literacy and math oriented. Miss Jenny She then discussed how during literacy time she would use the “READ ME” app with her students that allowed them to listen to stories. During math time students were able to learn how to add and subtract in a fun interactive way using the applications. The students knew which activity to go to by looking at the task boards posted on Miss She’s wall. She also shared that she used the IPads as a behavior management tool.

My Response:

In my comment to Miss She I first introduced myself for the second time. Next, I explained to her how mind blowing it is that children as young as three years old can work an IPad. I told her how I have little cousins the age of one and two that can operate this tool. It is so amazing! I agreed with her on using different apps will engage the students and excite them to do their work. Last, I congratulated Miss She on her class being chosen to experiment with the IPads.

Blog Post #7 (Collaborative)

PBL Part 1&2: Experiences of a Third Grade Teacher

During the video, “Project Based learning PT.1: Experiences of a Third Grade Teacher”, Anthony discussed the different experiences of project based learning in his third grade class. To begin with, Anthony stated the goals of a good project. First, one must have an authentic audience, so the students can be rewarded and motivated to do good work. Second, one has to have good interest, therefore create a project that’s relative to the students’ lives. One good example is constructing a project based on the community. Next, students are driven by content. Whenever creating a project, include the proper content the state requires the students to learn during that year. Anthony used project based learning with his third graders by informing them on woman being brought into military combat by the government. This event gave him the chance to cover some content standards of social studies, reading and writing for third grade. After having a class discussion and developing opinions on women in military combat and researching with his students, Anthony had them each to write a letter to Congress Bonner discussing if this decision was appropriate or not. The students were required to have supporting research on a historical person that served in military capacity, gathered from iCurio, to support their debate. To conclude this project, the students were able to critique one another’s letter and decide as a class which letters would be sent off to the congress. Eventually, the class did receive feedback, which made the students very excited. Anthony’s second project that was discussed was his absolute favorite of them all. They were studying different cultures. One assignment was to write a narrative script as if they were a child growing up in Afghanistan. After developing a script, they were to record them using iMovie or an iPad. Also, they were to pull images from Discovery Ed and iCurio to place in their script recording. He expressed how he had a phenomenal outcome and how his students were enthralled in what they were doing. One parent, who served in Afghanistan, felt uncomfortable that their child was learning about this particular culture. Of course Anthony did not agree but he had to respect that particular parent’ wishes. To conclude, he gave that one student an alternate project, which benefited the entire class. After watching part one and two of Dr. Strange and Anthony Capps discussion on Project Based Learning, we now have a better understanding of how we can use this method in our classroom and it be effective. When using Project Based Learning students will be able to retain the information they learn a lot longer. They will be able to use these learned skills in everyday life for a lifetime. At the end of the video Mr. Capps was chosen to represent teachers of Alabama in Montgomery to discuss the importance and process of Project Based Learning. Anthony Capps did a wonderful job explaining the experiences of PBL in his classroom, this discussion will be very helpful to teachers of the future and now. iCurio

Anthony described iCurio as online tool that allows students to safely search websites, images, and videos around subjects of the ACCRS. One major feature that Anthony thinks is useful to his students is the storage capacity on iCurio. This feature allows students to store content that they find valuable. Anthony next discussed how students and adults how difficulty staying organized. iCurio gives students practice on organization by the use of online folders. They have the ability to organize websites, photos, and more by arranging them in folder’s by topic. iCurio has another feature called historical figures. This feature allows students to search historical figures by criteria. Last, iCurio has great accessibility. For example, it has a read aloud tool that will read out websites to students with learning disabilities. All in all iCurio is a great resource that can assist students with their projects. It helps improve organization and is very accessible.

Discovery Ed

Anthony Capps opened his discussion about Discovery Ed with a quote, “A picture is worth a thousand words and a video is worth a million, Discovery Ed is worth every bit of it. He explained how good illustrations with a text will help a student retain way more information. A good example of this explanation is Discovery Ed. Discovery Ed is a great resource for teachers as well as for students. Anthony used Discovery Ed with his students to research plants. The articles used text, illustrations, and videos. This resource will enrich a student’s research experience. He also stated that he used Discovery Ed to bring different text to life, which gives him the ability to contrast what they are reading to what they are seeing. Today, it is said that students learn more from they hear and see rather than what they read and write. One important aspect of this resource to remember is to always associate readings with the videos and recordings.

Use Technology-Don't teach it! By. Chastity Westry Anthony Capps stated that technology comes natural to every child, regardless if they are in a low or high income area. He gave off the impression that he strongly encourages the use of technology in the classroom. During the video, Anthony explains that technology should be a part of a teacher’s curriculum. Basically, do not teach technology, use it in the classroom. When designing assignments switch up the technology you’re using. For example, Anthony chose one technology to focus on at a time. In doing so, this gave every student the opportunity to review and continue using this technology in their learning. Some positive aspects of this method are students being able to express themselves and it is inexpensive. To conclude, Anthony encouraged his readers to use technology in the classroom. He stated to let technology get your students excited about learning. When incorporating technology in your lessons, don’t ever expect perfection. The main concern is to focus on one technology at a time and let your students share their work. Additional Thoughts about Lessons By. Chastity Westry In the video, “Additional Thoughts about Lessons”, Anthony stated that a lesson is at least four layers thick. First, a teacher has to think about how the lesson will tie in with the year. For example, you have to produce a curriculum map that includes the standards that are to be covered during the year. The next layer of a lesson is unit size. A teacher has to make sure that they have advised unit projects or assignments in a way that is meaningful and stair-stepped properly. This is very important and helpful because it will be a planned out map of what students will learn at the beginning of the year and will be able to master by the end of the year. After producing your unit, the next step is to advise weekly goals. These weekly goals will demonstrate what will be covered daily and mastered by the end of that week. The last step of the four layers of a lesson by Anthony Capps is creating the daily plan. The daily plan will consist of instructions on how the material will be delivered to the students. It will also include how the teacher will get the students engaged in lesson and the method of assessing them on what is being delivered. Anthony-Strange Tips for Teachers Part 1 By. Shanda Thornton On the video "The Anthony-Strange tips for Teachers Part 1", Dr. Strange's first question was, "What are some of the most important things to do to prepare yourself as a teacher?" The six tips they talk about are key factors that any new teacher should take into consideration before they begin their journey as an educator. The first tip was to Always be a learner, you won't be a successful teacher if you are not willing to always learn new things. We are constantly learning and we have to model that behavior for our students.Teaching is hard. When teaching, work is not separate than play. You learn the craft of teaching in your free time. You also put in more than eight hours a day. Teaching is never ending. Teaching is always rewarding. Teaching should be fun, so let it be fun! Be flexible. Start with a goal. You should never be so dead set on a lesson plan just in case the unexpected will happen. You should always have a plan “B”. Never be so committed to a lesson plan that you can’t be able to respond to the unexpected. Always start with the end in mind, it may not look like it is going to end up right like you planned but that will teach you what you need to change the next time you teach the lesson. Flexibility is key. Keep your students as engaged as possible! The goal is 100% engaged. It is critical to engage students. A good question is, “How can I get everyone of my students involved in this process?” Students should also be able to share what they have done and use audience critiques to help correct their work. Self evaluation is really important in the process of educating. All of these tips are sure to help all new teachers begin to find their way on their journey.

Project #13 PBL Lesson Plan #1

PBL Lesson Plan #1

Title: Let’s Go Green!

Duration: 200-250 minutes, divided amongst several days

Subject: Science

Teachers: Mrs. Westry & Mrs. Thornton

Grade Level: K-2

Project Idea Summary: Students are to be divided into groups of five. Each group with the guidance of the teacher will research through the internet on different recycling items(paper,plastic bottles,cans, and plastic bags). Once each group is assigned to a recycled item, they will create bins to sort the items in. After the recycling bins are created the groups will be split up into a scavenger hunt for these items around campus. After collecting the recycled items, each group will tally the number of items they collected and sort them into the appropriate bin. The group with the most tallied items will have their picture taken and presented in the school paper under the section, “How to keep your school clean!”. Students will also keep a journal/learning log on all of the different ways they could “Go Green” and keep the school clean. They will also give a presentation to their fellow students of why it is important to clean up the environment and ways that everyone can pitch in and help.

Content Standards:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.K.10 Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners aboutkindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.1b Build on others’ talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.3 Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify comprehension, gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue.

CCSS.Math.Content.K.CC.C.6 Identify whether the number of objects in one group is greater than, less than, or equal to the number of objects in another group, e.g., by using matching and counting strategies.1

21st Century Competencies to be taught and assessed: Collaboration Communication Critical Thinking

Entry Events: Share YouTube video on how these items can be harmful to the environment and how they can be reused for many different things. Picture books and posters of how to recycle.

Formative Assessments (During project): Scavenger hunt checklist on ipad journal/learning log presentations

Summative Assessments (End of project): Tally marks Match recycled item images on paper to appropriate Recycling Symbol preliminary plans make a concept map(for their presentation)

Resources needed: Ipad Plastic bins access to internet Latex gloves Computer Crayons/Markers

Reflection Methods: Group Discussion Class Discussion School Article entry on how to keep your school clean School Presentation

First Progress Report on My PLN

For my PLN I chose to use Symbaloo. So far in my Personal Learning Network, I have ten tiles listed. The first two tiles are the EDM310 class blog and my EDM310 blog. I chose to list The EDM 310 Class blog because it provides me with links to different educators and important announcements. My EDM310 blog provides me with different resources that i will be able to use in my future classroom. For example, a presentation on iCurio and Project Based Learning, book trailers, ideas on how to ask effective questions in a classroom, and Common Core Standards of my grade level. Next, I chose my Gmail account and Twitter. My Gmail account will help me keep in contact with others pursuing to be an educator. Gmail and Twitter are tools for collaboration and communication. Also, when using Twitter you can discover different blogs and websites that are helpful. Two more tiles I chose were Blogger and Youtube. These two tiles will give me fast access to my accounts that I visit daily for EDM310. I also chose to create a Common Core Standard tile. This tile will be there to help me meet all of the standards when making lesson plans. The iCurio tile was chosen because this will be a resource my students and me will you in the classroom. The last two website tiles i created were of Shanda Thornton’s and Victoria Williams EDM310 Blog. These two ladies are apart of my group in EDM310. They are there for peer editing, collaboration, and providing a great amount of information that will be used in my future classroom as well. This is my progress so far on developing my PLN.

Screenshot of my PLN in progress:

C4KSummary for September

C4K #1

For my first C4K assignment, I was assigned to Paige in Mrs. Martin's second block class. The assignment for Paige was to express what she believed in and give a personal experience that went along with her belief. Paige chose the topic "Love". She opened her post with a quote from Barbara De Angelis,“Love is a force more formidable than any other. It is invisible – it cannot be seen or measured, yet it is powerful enough to transform you in a moment, and offer you more joy than any material possession ever could”. I was very excited Paige chose this topic because it is also one of my personal beliefs. She discussed her on and off relationship with her boyfriend, who was tried as an adult for murder and sentenced a year in jail. Paige explained how miserable she was waiting a year for his release. No matter what obstacles got in their way, she believed in fighting and holding on to what she loved. As of now, Paige and her boyfriend have been in a relationship for a little over two years.

My Response:

In my response to Paige’s blog post, I first mentioned that I adored her belief. Also, I glorified her on the wellness of explaining her belief. I notified Paige that her real life event gave me an insight on how passionate she is. I told Paige that from reading her post, I can assume that she is a strong believer and will not give up on anything or anyone she cares about. I also loved her opening quote by Barbara De Angelis. I informed Paige that quotes can make a blog post very interesting and will leave the readers wanting more.Along with my response, I included a link to my blog for Paige to visit.

C4K #2

Helen's "My Winter Holiday" post discussed her vacation to Brazil. During the first beach visit, she saw a small tortoise and a school of fish that swam past her feet. Helen also got the opportunity to visit one of the many giant beaches in Brazil called "Praia Brava", which means "rough beach" . To conclude,She enjoyed spending her winter in Brazil and was left with many memories.

My Response:

In my response to Helen’s blog post, I first told her that I enjoyed reading about her winter holiday Brazil. I mentioned that where I live there are two beaches that i can visit throughout the year called Orange Beach and Gulf Shores. I stated that being able to the enjoy the site of a beach in brazil must have been amazing! I also said that I hope to visit “Praia Brava” someday. Along with my response, I included a link to my blog for helen to visit.

C4k #3

For my third C4K, I was assigned to Rocky in Miss King’s seventh grade class. Rocky’s post, Waitangi Trip, discussed making connections with his family. During his trip, Rocky found out that Hone Heke a maori Chief of Ngapuhi was his tupuna. A tupuna is defined to be an ancestor. Rocky also discovered that his tupuna fought in musket wars. Rocky claimed that the highlight of his week in Waitangi was discovering his whanau. A whanau is a word for “extended family” . In this post, he included a photo of him standing in front of a wall with family portraits. This was very interesting because it showed me how big of a “whanau” Rocky has.

My Response:

Hi Rocky! My name is Chastity Westry. I am a student at the University of South Alabama taking a course called EDM310 that assigned me to your post. I also have a blog, www.westrychastityedm310.blogspot.com .

In my response to Rocky’s blog post I told him that I really enjoyed reading about his Waitangi trip. I mentioned that finding out his Tupuna was the Chief of Ngapuhi and served in musket wars had to be mind blowing. Also, I commented that I really liked his photo of him standing by a wall of family portraits. I encouraged Rocky to keep blogging. Along with my response, I included a link to my blog for Rocky to visit.