Sunday, September 29, 2013
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Blog Post #6
What do we need to know about asking questions to be an effective teacher? According to “The Right Way to Ask Questions in the Classroom” by Mr. Ben Johnson, some teachers may ask questions to check for understanding from their students. In most cases this is more beneficial for the teacher than it is for the student. Asking the question “Does everybody understand?” can result into a negative outcome. Sometimes students are unaware that they don’t understand something. If they are unaware that they do not understand, then how can they answer a question about what they do not know? An effective approach to asking questions is using questioning strategies by Mary Rowe. Mary Rowe proposed that teachers simply ask a question, pause for about three seconds, and then call on a student by name. This approach will automatically have all of the students thinking about an answer because a different student will be called on after each question. “Asking questions to improve learning” states that when you ask questions in a classroom you are modeling a process students can and should use themselves. Some general strategies to follow for asking questions is to keep in mind your course goals. The questions you ask should help them practice the skills being taught. Also, avoid asking your students “leading questions” . A leading question is phrased in such a way that it suggests its own answer, which results into students being discouraged from thinking on their own. Next, always aim for direct, clear, and specific questions. Ask a mix of different types of questions, such as: closed questions, open questions, and managerial questions. Closed questions are questions that have a limited number of correct answers. Open questions prompt multiple and sometimes conflicting answers. These questions are the most effective in encouraging discussion and active learning. Managerial questions ensure that students understand an assignment or have access to necessary materials. In the process of asking questions the teacher should always wait for a student to formulate a response, do not interrupt them, show that you’re interested, and develop a response to keep them thinking. “Three Ways to Ask Better Questions in the Classroom” provided three actions that could improve questioning. The first action is preparing questions. If a teacher just randomly ask students what comes to their head first it could cause a lot of confusion amongst the classroom. Therefore prepare a set of questions that will be asked pertaining to what is being taught. The second action is playing with questions. Playing with questions means leaving them unanswered for a while and using strategies that encourages students to think about them. Last, the third action is preserving good questions. Good questions can be kept and used in a subsequent class and be revised so that they accomplish the good question goals even more effectively.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Blog Assignment #4
Before this blog post assignment I had never been aware of Podcasting. But after reading several pages from Langwitches blog, I became very interested. I think that it is very important to be involved with your students. The first post I read, Podcasting with First grade, showed that children as young as six years old were enthusiastic and eager to record their own voices. Not only were the first graders eager to record, they were eager for a crowd. They wanted their recordings on other people's computers and ipods, which caught my attention. The students wanted to be heard and this method broke a lot of them out of their shells. It also said the first graders were more attentive an cooperative during the recordings, even when it wasn't their turn.Podcasting can be so engaging for students that it will make them put more effort into their work/recordings. Students were also eager to take part in the editing process of the prodcasting. Blog post, First Graders Create Their Own Read-Along Audio Book, explained students learning how to read by using podcasting. The class created a read-along audio book and followed along with their fingers moving across their booklets from word to word. The first graders experimented with the frequencies, pitches,emotions, and volume of their voices during the recordings. It was amazing how the students were so engaged in recording an wanting to perfect their work. Listening- Comprehension-Podcasting discussed the importance of hearing. Hearing the context of a word, the melody of a sentence, and the sounds of the letters, embraces the word. It showed me that the recording and editing process of prodcasting are great tools for language learners. The second grade students in this blog post used prodcasting to help them learn the hebrew language for a class assignment. As a student I know that podcasting can be very helpful when learning a different language, it gives you the abiltiy to correct yourself on mispronouncing words and makes you more comfortable using them. I think prodcasting is a very positive resource in education. Not only can podcasting help a student who's stuggling in reading, it can improve their speech, and work effort. I hope to one day use podcasting in my classroom of elementary students.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
C4T#1
" Teacher Education Starts in Kindergarten", discussed the importance of modeling effective teaching. The first point made by Mr. Jared Kruse was that teachers create their own profession. He also stated that as soon as a person enters education, teaching begins. In the blog, there are a list of questions that one can ask themselves to ensure that they are modeling effective teaching. In the list of questions, the term explicitly is used. Explicitly is defined as expressing something fully and clearly. Mr. Kruse stated that teaching did not seem like an interesting option in his life. But he was wrong. Mr. kruse is currently teaching 8th grade science along with researching, editing, and writing.Could his assumption about teaching not being an option in his life been influenced from poor modeling of effective teaching? It all depends on his past educators.
My Response: Growing up, I don't feel as if my high school teachers modeled effective teaching. To be honest,I only remember most of my teachers complaining about their career choice. As a student, I did not feel as if my teacher payed much attention to their students reactions to the subject being taught. Sometimes it was like we were all there because we had to be. My opinion is that teaching isn't a job, if you love doing it. When teaching, I believe you have to express your passion for it. All in all, if the teacher isn't passionate about their work, the students definitely will not be either. It is important to be a good role model in whatever you're doing. You never know who's watching!
C4T#1,comment2:
Mr. Jared W. Kruse has yet to update his blog. Therefore I went through his past posts an chose a particualr topic that our EDM310 class discussed at the begining of the semester. During Mr. Kruse's summer ED Tech course he discussesd the topic, Critical Curiosity on new technology. After observing his students, he noticed that too many of them were going to " what's wrong with this picture" line of thinking. Basically, Mr. Kruse wanted his students to take a turn and think about the positive aspects in the use of new technology. Critical cuiosity was his goal with technology in education. He wondered how technology might get used in a classroom and how it could reinforce traditional teaching practices. Mr. Kruse also wonders if technology can reduce the intellectual level in the classroom.
My Response:
The use of new technology in education has it's pro's and con's. Speaking for myself, I personally prefer hand written assignments and learning out of a text rather than reading off computer monitors. This may be because of the way my generation was taught in school. Today, in the 21st Century, most schools are replacing their textbooks with Mac books, Ipads, tablets, and laptops. All of the students assignments are to be done online. Personally, I would not choose this route. Simply because I do believe that it will reduce the intellectual level in a classroom. I believe in students being involved with their peers and instructor in discussions, rather than completing something individually online. Communication is very important and I think the use of some technology in classrooms take that away. There are some positive aspects to the new developments of technology as well. Technology can provide a student with a variety of information on a topic within seconds. I was actually indeed surprised that your students went with the " what's wrong with this picture?" line of thinking. Most students enjoy the use of technolgy. Some find it as the easy way out in education
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Blog Assignment #3
Have you ever written or typed something and realized a few mistakes you've made? The mistakes can be as simple as a misplaced period or the misspelling of a simple word. Peer editing can be a very positive resource to your writing. Peer editing consists of helping someone your own age, improve or revise their writing. There are three important steps to follow when peer editing. First, it is very important that you always remain POSITIVE! Taking feedback personally is a good way to ruin a quality peer review. The three steps to peer editing are making compliments, suggestions, and corrections. You can make compliments by pointing out an idea that stood out the most and why. When making suggestions, they should be specific and detailed. Make suggestions on their organization of ideas and choice of words. It is also important to be specific on what is being corrected. Locate any grammar and punctuation errors with editing marks. I think peer editing is a very helpful method that will be used in EDM 310. It will allow my peers and me to improve our writing. Critiquing another individual's work may seem harsh. But I think it is important that we get comfortable doing so, because of our field choice. My peers and I will need to be strong leaders and good critics in order to bring up a well educated generation of students. I will deliver my feedback in a public and private manner. Delivering feedback publicly can help another individual out, rather than just one.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Blog Assignment #2
The movie Mr.Dancealot was a perfect example of teaching in an inappropriate enviorment. This Social Dance class took place in a lecture hall, filled with auditorium seats and very little space. This course should have been placed in a gym or empty classroom with lots of free space. In the movie, the students had a variety of mixed expressions and comments towards the instructor. The confusion from the course most likely resulted from students not actually being able to perform their instucted stances and movements. Obviously, when tecahing a dance class, being able to mock and practice are key ways to becoming a successful dancer. Mocking dance movements during class can give the teacher observations on the progress of their students. This allows the teacher to be able to correct any wrong movements and improve the class progress. When teaching a course, the instructor has to make sure the tools and enviorment are appropriate in order to teaching a successful course. To conclude, teaching a Social Dance class, with seated students in an auditorium will not lead to a successful course.
The Networked Student Movie, gave me an insight on many different ways the internet can assist a student. Also, the movie demonstrated on how using the web results in connectivism. There is so much information out there in the world , other than our textbooks. Using programs, such as Blogspot and bookmark sites can be very helpful and provide a wide variety of feedback. Opinions on blogs can be more easier to comprehend, rather than reading passages from textbooks. Not only could it be easier to understand, but there could be a lot more information provided on these sites, from bloggers and authors all across the world.
Using via blog and social sites all fall into the system of connectivism. In EDM 310, I plan to use all of the resources given to me by my instructor and connect with every single one of my peers.This will be important because we can share and compare our information, not only in class, but out of class as well.For example, the EDM 310 class blog ran by our instructor provides us students with immediate updates, instruction manuals, a syllabus, and shortcuts. Based on the technology we have today at our university , My peers and I will be able to use the system of connectivism. It is said that the term connectivism, is the application of network principles to define both knowledge and the process of knowledge. Connectivism can used for biological, social, cognitive, and conceptual ideas.
Some would ask the question, “ why do we even need a teacher?” .Even though students have access to the web and tons of resources, the teacher/instructor still plays a major role in the classroom. Teachers will be needed for guidance and acceptance. He or she will be expected to show the student how to communicate properly with others and differentiate good information from bad information. With that being said, the teacher hopes their students take these skills that they have learned to help make major changes in the worlds future.As a student, having all of these resources, I would still want to be able to turn to my instructor with a question on anything I need help with. I feel as if they are very important because they are there not only for guidance, but for me, a motivational figure.
In this video, we see a list of advancements in technology that are used on a daily basis. The advancement of technology makes it easier to find answers within minutes. The social networks that are available are also a key media in this century. We as teachers should be able to teach our students how to use all the advancements in technology to benefit them to the greatest extent. It should be a top priority to keep up with these resources and learn about all the useful devices that are conveniently available and beneficial to education. Teachers should embrace all of the technologies and use them as often as possible, and also make sure our students can properly use and maintain the new tools that we have. When used correctly they will benefit the teachers and the students. In the movie, Robert showed the difference between entertaining and engaging. These new devices actively engage students, instead of entertaining which is just passive. Students need to be taught to apply, understand, analyze, evaluate, and to be creative based on the things they explore through technology. They also need to be able to validate, communicate, synthesize, and analyze the information they find, As long as they are taught about piracy, copyrights, confidentiality, and not to plagiarize and copy or cheat, I think that teaching in the 21st century is given an “Easy” button by all the medias and devices ready to use in this day in age. One click and you're ready to go! It is just too easy to tweet, facebook, blog,subscribe to blogs, and anything else you could think of. The possibilities are endless, and exciting to explore! When using these resources, teachers become a filter, challenging students to find relevant information that they can explain and justify.
This video shows Ms. Vicki Davis, who won the award for Best Teacher Blog world wide this year. She is a teacher and IT director in rural South Georgia. Her classroom is strictly technology based. She and her students both teach and she says that you don’t have to know everything in a subject to teach it. She and her students learn new things daily. Technology is taking over and she is preparing her students to get comfortable with using new programs. Ms. Vicki uses every type of technology to connect her students to the world. She also stated that every student can learn but when students only have pencil and paper only certain types of students will succeed, so she looks at each of her students strengths and interests and while accomplishing curriculum she customizes her classroom and plans according to her students.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Blog Assignment #1
