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.