Blog Assignment #16 - Final Reflection Video

Blog Assignment #16 - Final Reflection Video




Callie Barton

Blog Assignment #5 Part 2

My PLN

When I first started this class I thought I was in over my head. I was so confused at the assignments and often didn't even know what I was supposed to be doing. Through the semester I learned many things about technology and its use in the classroom. The most important lesson I have learned from this class would be how I can use technology in my classroom as a personal learning network to communicate, collaborate, and learn from other educators.

One of the technology tools that I was introduced to in this class was Twitter. I had heard about twitter and almost all of my friends had twitter accounts. I didn't really know what it was or how it was used so I never bothered to make an account. When I made my account for this class, I still didn't utilize it like I should. The more I signed on learned the ways teachers could use it the more interested I was and the more I used it. I am also enrolled in EDU 301, Ms. Vitulli's class this semester. She also encourages the use of Twitter and uses it almost daily. When I started following her on Twitter is when I started to see all of the resources that can be used in one place.  This a tool you can use for personal posts, sharing your work in the classroom, communicating with other teachers, and getting ideas. I still don't post very much but I do get on there and look around. This is a resource I will definitely use more when I become a teacher.

Another resource that I have included in my PLN is a website called Teachers Pay Teachers. This website is made and operated by teachers all over the world. You can use this website minimally if you are not a member but you can also sign up to be a member for free or pay $59.95 annually for more resources. There are thousands of worksheets that you can purchase or print for free. You can narrow down your search for your particular grade and subject. There are also lesson plans, activities, features teachers, and meet the teachers. The meet the teachers allows you to follow and communicate with the teachers that have participated in contributing to the website. This is also a resource I will use more once I begin my student teaching and teaching. 

Teachers Pay Teachers

I still use my Symbaloo where I keep all of my PLN networks. This helps me to remember them and to organize them. I also use Facebook as a personal learning network. With so many communication resources out there for us, it would be foolish not to use these tools. I feel like my PLN will constantly grow the more I research and teach. This class really opened up my eyes to what resources we have and how they can be used. 

Callie Barton

Blog Assignment #14

Blog Assignment #14

Teaching Can Be A Profession By: Joel Klein

Problems/Solutions

1. Recruiting teachers - pick from the best
2. Seniority vs Quality
3. Teacher standards

1. I am unaware of the demand for teachers but if they have the cushion to be able to be "picky" then I definitely agree with this problem/solution. I do feel however that most of the top recruiting should be regulated after the teacher has been teaching in the classroom. I say this because I feel you could have the best grades in your class and still not be an effective teacher. Having good grades and knowing the material is important also but it's what you do in the classroom and how you deliver the material that makes all the difference. I have only been in the elementary education program at the University of South Alabama for a semester now but I do feel like I am getting quality training. If they only chose from the top third of graduates then what would happen to the rest of the students that put hard work, time, and money into an education. Just like I stated above, just because you graduate in the top of your class does not mean you will be a good teacher.

2. I definitely agree with problem/solution number two. Just because someone has been at a job the longest does not mean they are better at the job than 1st year teachers. I do believe that veteran educators should be rewarded for their service, time, and loyalty to the job but I believe more that teachers who deserve it should get rewarded. I have witnessed two types of teachers in my grade school and college days. There are the teachers that hate their job and puts little or no effort into their teaching and then there are the effective teachers that are passionate about their students and their job. It is unjustifiable that these two types of teachers are rewarded and get paid the same amount. I also feel that it is groundless that when there are layoffs, in most cases, they have to terminate the most recently hired. Wouldn't teachers try more if they were "graded" on quality? Incentive is also another issue. Everyone works to make a living and the more, the better. If you could make more by doing a better job then wouldn't you try harder? Why would these teachers try harder if they weren't going to get rewarded for it and make the same as teachers who put in more time and effort? Unfortunately that's just the way most people think.

3. I do believe it is a good idea for teachers to establish their own board to police the profession. Who knows better than fellow teachers on who is incompetent and who is effective? I know in every job I have ever had I could tell you who was a hard worker and who did the bare minimum to get a paycheck. I could observe this because I worked side by side of these people almost everyday. The "boss" never had time to actually observe to see who was doing their job and who wasn't. By establishing a teacher board, coworkers could express their concerns and frustrations about their fellow educators. As long as there are established standards and rules I feel like this would be a good idea for all schools.

In conclusion, I agree with what this article represents. Teachers are underestimated and unappreciated. There definitely needs to be some big changes in the world of educators. Teachers are here, first and foremost, for the students and to provide them with the best education possible. Some regulations and adjustments need to be made in order for this to happen. The students who get the teachers who do the bare minimum are not getting a fair opportunity at their education. It is up to us and our future to actually make a difference.

Callie Barton

Blog Assignment #13

Assignment:

Blog Assignment #13 - Technology in the Classroom

What technology is being used in your local classroom?

Go to a local school in your area and choose the grade you plan to teach (elementary, middle, or high school). You will first have to get permission from the school district, principal, and/or teacher so plan ahead.

Talk with the teacher about what technology they use in the school and in their own classroom. Do they try to incorporate technology in their classroom or would they if they had the technology? What technology is provided for them and the students?

Write the school you went to and the teacher's name that you interviewed. Write everything that you observed in the classroom, classroom set up, teachers and students' technology use, and the teachers thoughts on the questions above.


Blog Assigment #13

Technology in the Local Classroom

College Park Elementary - Gautier, MS

Mrs. Jones - 2nd grade

I went to Mrs. Jones' 2nd grade classroom at College Park Elementary in Gautier, MS. She was more than happy to talk with me about technology and let look around her classroom. Mrs. Jones has 20 students in her classroom and an assistant teacher, Mrs. Fischer. From what I observed in the classroom there are 7 desktop computers and the teacher has an iPad that interacts with a big screen TV that is mounted in the front of the classroom. 

Mrs. Jones said the students only use the computers once a day and that is when they do centers for 15 minutes a day. Centers is when the class breaks up into 4 groups of 5 and they go into different learning centers for 15 minutes and then they rotate. When I asked Mrs. Jones if she would like to incorporate more technology in her teaching she said unfortunately there really isn't the time for more individual technology use. She does use her iPad as a tool to interact with the students on different lessons. One of the ways she uses the iPad to TV interaction is a game kind of like hang man. The screen will display a certain amount of blank spaces which represents one of their spelling words. One student is picked to guess a letter and the teacher puts that letter into the iPad and it shows up on the screen. If the letter is in that vocabulary word then it shows up where it is supposed to but if its not they get a buzzer sound. Although there isn't any student/technology interaction the students seem to really look forward to this vocabulary lesson. This lesson just shows that the teacher can use technology as a tool for any lesson.

I was curious as to why she said there wasn't really enough time to incorporate more individual technology use so I asked her. Her response was that the day is pretty much scheduled to the minute and that there just isn't enough computers to take turns on one assignment. She said if they each had their own computer/laptop/iPad that it would be much more easy to incorporate more technology. She also said they go to the library twice a week where they each have their own individual computers and this is where they are taught how to use and operate the computers. 

In conclusion I found that maybe my local school isn't where they need to be, as far as technology is concerned, but they are making progress. The students may not get a lot of technology use in the classroom but at least there is somewhere where they are being taught and getting more familiar with it. It is also nice to see that the school is providing a technology source for the teacher to use as a teaching tool. I definitely feel like this is progress and as long as schools are adapting to the growing world of technology, even if it is slowly, then it will continue to grow and it is not just something that is being ignored. 

College Park Elementary Website 

Callie Barton

C4T #4 Summary Post #1 & #2

C4T #4 Post #1

This week we get to choose our own C4T teacher's blog to comment on from the list. I chose Arvind S Grover's 21apples blog.

Arvind S Grover - 21apples

This app, without overstating it, is a game changer to me. It is a game changer because students will inevitably use it. The challenge for teachers becomes that knowing that, how will we assign work accordingly?

The best assignment I could imagine would be for students to design their own app with the same functionality, the ability to solve problems. What would a computer need to be told to do to be an effective problem solver?

I am not sure why, but I am really stunned by the capabilities of this seemingly simple app.

My comment:

Mr. Grover,

My name is Callie Barton and I am also an elementary education student at the University of South Alabama. I found this short video to hold a lot of information. I guess the first thing I would say about this app is where was this when I was in school? This Photomath app is just the beginning of what our future holds as students and teachers. I cannot believe how simple the app is to operate and that it gives a step by step explanation. This app could be helpful and harmful, depending on the student. If the students use this app as a guide when they become stuck on a problem and use it to help them figure out the problem then it could be helpful. On the other hand if they just go through their homework copying the answers then it could be harmful. The teachers could assess this by giving in class tests and not allowing cell phone usage. They could also maybe have the students explain the steps to the problem in words. Like I said before, this is just the beginning of the many issues that we will have to adapt our teaching to.

Callie Barton

C4T #4 Post #2

This week we get to choose our own C4T teacher's blog to comment on from the list. I chose Brendan Jones - Jonseytheteacher: Having a Crack at PE in the 21st Century.

Brendan Jones - Jonseytheteacher: Having a Crack at PE in the 21st Century

Evolution

Posted on November 29, 2014 by Brendan Jones — No Comments ↓

creative commons licensed (BY) flickr photo by kevin dooley: http://flickr.com/photos/pagedooley/1856663523

I was reflecting the other day on why I hadn’t written a post for so long. Partly, I realised, because I haven’t had a lot of time to sit down and construct something. I also acknowledged something that had been a nagging thought in the back of my mind for some time about what I do on this site was and why I do it.

When I first started off, I was just sharing things I had tried in class. And that’s fine – I think that there has to be a space for practitioners to showcase their ideas, their success,their failures and the journeys they take. It was often based on a need to share the excitement of something that worked in my class, or to maybe share an idea that may give someone else a boost in their classroom. Or showing that something was possible and worth persevering with.

That sustained me up to my last post, but the nagging thought broke through recently when I was reflecting on my year. My work as a teacher and leader has evolved to beyond just the sphere of PE teaching – my job has many more facets to it now, and while I love my job as a PE teacher, I’m becoming more a thread woven through the whole school.

My thinking has change a lot. Seeing PEPRN and PEPLC has given me a much greater appreciation of the need for research to underpin my work – I’ve been guilty of sprouting platitudes that only carry aspirational weight, with little else to justify why they should be used than the “it works in my classroom” refrain. If I am to remain critical of others that do that, then I need to change my position to remain  honourable to the partners I have in learning, and to myself.

To be honest, I don’t think I do anything in PE that’s cutting edge – I see myself as adapting and deriving the knowledge and ideas that are already out there to fit my particular locals needs. Many other people like Ash Casey, Andy Vasily and Jarrod Robinson (to name a few) are the real innovators in the PE world and I love to lurk and read their latest exploits with a sense of admiration and a tinge of envy.

I have to also admit that the world of #pegeeks has changed a lot since I first started and this worries me. I see the many genuine contributors to the community being leeched and drowned out by personal brand builders that dilute the richness of what used to be there and this has made me want to withdraw more and more from it. It seems it’s become a one dimensional parody of what it used to be. Maybe I’m getting old and cranky, maybe I’m reading it wrong, but I know that I’m feeling the urge to change and expand my horizons.

So I can feel an evolution coming on

I’ve change the tag line at the top of my blog page to better represent what I think and do now. PE, my first blog love, won’t be my sole focus now – the way we as educators and learners do our job has a definite impact on shaping tomorrow. This doesn’t just happen in my PE classes – it happens in many contexts that I have some influence over. So that’s where I’ll be.

My Comment:

Good afternoon! My name is Callie Barton and I am an elementary education student at the University of South Alabama. I am enrolled in a technology based course this semester and we were required to choose from a list of blogs to comment on. I chose your blog because I feel like every teacher should have this revelation. I hope that when I graduate and become a teacher that I keep this post in mind. I want to be an innovator and not just a teacher who "rides the coat tails" of the innovators. Evolving and adapting is key to being a successful educator. Good luck in your journey and I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

Callie Barton

Project #12 Smartboard Instruction Part B

Project #12 - Part B: Delivering A Lesson via the SMARTboard

W6 - Group 5

My other group member, Jennifer Flowers, and I found a cute little lesson plan on the Alabama Learning Exchange for kindergartners teaching them about their five senses. We got some ideas from the lesson plan but didn't use it as it was written. We also found a lesson from the SmartBoard Exchange which is where we got our outline for our presentation. We bounced ideas off of each other and came up with a simple lesson plan that we think kindergartners would learn from and also have fun with.



Callie Barton

Project #10 Interview Movie

Project #10 - Interview Movie

I interviewed Kennon Barton who teaches English Comp 1 at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Gautier, Mississippi.

Our topic was technology in the community college classroom.

Blog Assignment #12

Blog Assignment #12

What assistive technologies are available to you as a teacher?

Collaboratively - W6  Group 5 

For this blog assignment my other group member, Jennifer Flowers, and myself did our own research on the assistive technologies that we have available to us. We worked collaboratively in Google Slides to put together this slide presentation of our findings. Since Apple devices have exploded in the last couple of years and almost all of my friends and family own an Apple device I was curious to research the resources that already exists. Since I own an iPhone and an iPad I focused more on the Apple devices so I could be more familiar with the features for students with special needs when I become a teacher. As teachers we will more than likely have at least one student in our class that has special needs. Their disability may not be obvious but it is our duty to recognize those needs and assist those students. These videos and individual research really taught me about the resources for special needs students that are already available to us.




Callie Barton

Blog Assignment #11

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

All of these videos are a great teaching tool for all educators. They all show collaboration and new ideas to make teaching and learning more effective. Brian Crosby's video Back to the Future really opened my eyes to how important the information we are teaching them is being taught and reinforced. I was astonished at how many 4th graders did not know basic information such as what city, state, and country they lived in. They should all know this basic information by the time they go into 4th grade. So what is the problem? Is it because 90 % of the students come from poverty and English is their second language, or is it the teachers that taught them before didn't adapt to their learning needs? Brian Crosby showed much enthusiasm in his teaching and wanted to learn how to teach and motivate the students to also become better learners. He and his classroom is fortunate enough that all of his students have each individual laptops provided by the school district/state. He uses these tools and resources to his advantage. They use class blogs, wiki pages, Skype,and other resources as learning tools. He uses PBL in his classroom and even took his project "High Hopes" global with multimedia resources. He was definitely the type of teacher I will strive to be. He is motivating and enthusiastic and you can tell it made a difference in the students.

In the video Blended Learning Cycle by Paul Andersen he taught me about coming up with and using teaching strategies. He mentioned that he strayed too far away from what he knew that he had to re evaluate. He uses the Blended Learning Cycle by combining online, mobile, and classroom with the five E's; engage, explore, explain, expand, and evaluate. He uses these strategies for science but I feel like you could use them for all subjects. He also uses the acronym QUIVERS for his blended learning cycle. This stands for Question, Investigation/Inquiry, Video, Elaboration, Review, and Summary quiz. This seemed to work for him and his students. Being able to evaluate yourself and make changes when necessary is what makes a successful teacher.

Sam Pane 4th Grade Building Comics video was all about being a super digital citizen. He taught his students to be safe, responsible, and respectful when using online resources. This is one thing I am worried about when allowing my students to use the internet. Teaching them responsibility is key to being successful. I will have the lower elementary grades so it will be easier to teach them about responsibility and being respectful but I do have to worry about their safety. Mr. Pane allowed his students to create their own super hero and make a comic strip about being a super digital citizen. I thought this was such a great project that incorporated so many areas of learning. The students were able to be creative and put their personalities into their work which made them more motivated. All of the students were allowed to walk around the classroom and evaluate one another's work. I feel it is very important to allow the students to assess' the work of their classmates. They may find helpful critiques and/or get some ideas for their own work. The use of multimedia resources in this project just shows that your resources are unlimited you just have to use them.

As a student I was always taught in segmented subjects. This just means that all of the subjects were divided into their own lessons and class periods. I have never thought twice about this since it is what I have always known. Even since being back in college the thought of combining subjects never crossed my mind. In the video Project Based Learning by Dean Shareski, they introduced a new concept of teaching by combining subjects. They combined the subjects history, English, and information processing and the time that was allotted for each subject. This gave the teachers more time and allowed collaboration. They mentioned they had "roadblocks" that they had to overcome but made improvements and was able to be successful. Although it was an adjustment the teachers enjoyed collaborating and teaching this way because they saw how well it was working. The students were not only learning the curriculum but learning beyond the curriculum. Most teachers I feel do the bare minimum and just make sure they are teaching what they have to teach. If all teachers were passionate about their job and wanted what's best for the students then they would take that extra step to teach more than what is required.

It is refreshing to see that many of the schools are adapting and making changes to accommodate more to the students and their learning. Roosevelt Elementary's PBL Program is doing just that. They are really grasping the concept of using project based learning as a teaching tool. They see that giving students power over their own learning is creating ownership and motivation. I really like their concept of teaching kindergartners how to do presentations and getting them used to public speaking. I wish we would have been introduced to public speaking at a younger age. The younger you are the more familiar and easy it is to be comfortable with it. It is about time someone noticed that a change needed to be made. Hopefully more school districts/teachers will adapt and public speaking will become a part of the curriculum for all grades. Not only does PBL encourage collaboration for the students but it also flows into the teachers and community. In this video we were actually able to hear from the parents of the students who went to this school. They all seemed very encouraging to the new programs and was able to see a difference in their children's learning.

All in all these videos taught me about the type of teacher and learner that I want to be. As a teacher you should never stop learning and adapting. None of these teachers were lazy; they were innovators and they pay attention to their students. They put in extra thought in effort into their student's education.

Callie Barton

Project #6 C4K Summary for November

Project #6 C4K Summary for November

C4K #8

Assigned Students Blog:

Ms. Horst's Class - Jessica

Am I a GOOD citizen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

October 30, 2014 @ 9:28 AM 0 Comments      

I think I am a good global citizen because

1. I am helping around the world with this on club called ME TO WE
2. I am not litering and I AM HELPING THE EARTH
3. Global Citizen Journey – YouTube  <—— video watch plezz

I  think I am GOOD LOCEL citizen because

1. I am donating non perisheble items to we scare hunger to help familys  that can’t have dinner but when i donat they can have dinner and on HALLOWEEN I am going to get me some candy and ask for one food item and my goal is 30 items

I think i am a good DIGITAL citizen because I would never I mean never hurt someone on the internet so here is what you shouldn’t do OVERSHARE  Oversharing – Digital Citizenship – YouTube

I think I am a good canadian citizen  because I am donating food around canada!!!!!!!  

and thank you for reading my blog you made me smile 

My comment:

October 30, 2014 at 5:54 PM

Good afternoon Jessica! 

My name is Callie Barton and I am an elementary education student at the University of South Alabama. The first thing I noticed when I looked at your blog is that it is so organized and neat. I love that it is easy to read, it is broken down into subcategories, and that you used smiley face emoji’s! You mention that you are in a club called Me To We. What do you do in this club? One of my biggest pet peeves is when people litter. I feel like this shows a lot about one’s character. I am so glad you do not litter and you should encourage everyone that they should throw their trash in the trash can where it belongs. Not only does littering make the community look “trashy” but it is bad for the environment. It sounds like you are doing wonderful things for your community. Helping others that are less fortunate than you is very important. Good luck with your goal of 30 food items and I hope you have a wonderful, fun, and safe Halloween! 

Callie Barton

C4K #9

Assigned Student Blog:

Mrs. Myers class - Jacey

Jacey's Art Blog

Jacey's blog includes a short autobiography about her hobbies and what she likes to do. Her blog has a slide show with pictures of all the art work she created in 7th grade.

My comment:

Jacey,

My name is Callie Barton and I am an elementary education major at the University of South Alabama. I first just want to say wow! I really enjoyed looking at all of your art work from your 7th grade year. I also love softball and played it from the time I was 4 years old until I was 16. Your pet food dishes were so cute and I like the colors you chose. Do you have a pet? The picture of the person with one leg and the dog sitting beside him was very interesting. We are learning how to do printmaking in my college art class this week so it was really neat to see what you did with your printmaking. My all time favorite was the starry, galaxy sky. The colors were mixed beautifully and you did a wonderful job of the shadowed tree. The duct tape wallet is really neat and functional. You could maybe make them and sell them for some extra spending money! You really seem to have a lot of creativity and skill in your art work. Keep experimenting and being creative; you never know how big of a role it can play in your life. Even if it's just to make you happy. Hope you have a wonderful semester and holiday season!

Callie Barton

C4K #10

Cancelled for Veterans Day!

C4K #11

Assigned Student Blog:

Mrs. DeBuhr's Class - Student 11 Brandon

1ST QUARTER REFLECTION

Tags: 1st Quarter Reflection Categories: Eighth Graders are CoolNOVEMBER 7, 2014 @ 1:14 PM 2 Comments      

My first quarter was very long and boring for the first few weeks. After then it started to get better and less boring. Also at first the homework load was very big but after awhile the load got smaller or I just got more used to have that much. I also like doing SWT (Scared Writing Time) because it give us something to write about and I also like the interesting facts it gives us every day like did you know that lobster blood is blue and insect blood is yellow. It also gives us a word to use in the writing piece of the day. One of the words was dwindle which means to shrink. Sometimes you will like the topic and other times you won’t. Also I really had lots of fun with Social Studies class because we got to watch lots of videos all time. During the month we already did Spirit Groups which are groups of K4-8th graders all in a group that get to do fun activities and the 8th graders are the leaders and I love being the ecstatic leader and my group is never tranquil and my forte is making thing. Like in science class we got to make these bobsleds out of many different materials and ours turned out super cool and I can never do things with a novice because I am so much more advanced then them. Also I started a new book named Found and it is not inane at all. It is always a great book and it is really awesome. I also am getting to like reading a little more. This year has been getting better and better.

My Comment:

Hey Brandon! My name is Callie Barton and I am an elementary education student at the University of South Alabama. I want to start out by telling you that your vocabulary is impressive. Keep using those words and continue to extend your vocabulary. Scared Writing Time seems like a fun activity. I knew that lobster blood was blue but I didn't know that insect blood is yellow. It's neat to learn interesting facts daily; it makes you smarter. It's definitely a conversation starter. I found it interesting that you worked with the younger grades to collaborate in making a bobsled. Was this an actual working life-size bobsled? It's great that you took control and stepped up to be the leader. Every group needs a great leader in order to be successful. It sounds like you had a pretty busy and progressively better 1st quarter. I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season and good luck with your 2nd semester!

Callie Barton

Project #14 Project Based Learning Plans

Project #14 - W6 Collaborative Group 5

My group and I came up with a project based learning lesson plan for a 3rd grade Science project involving weather disasters. Students will be divided into four groups and each be given a specific weather pattern : Drought, Hurricane, Tornado, and Flooding. We will talk with a meteorologist from the local new station and have Q and A with him or her via Skype. After the interview students will create a blog post describing what they learned from the interview and how their specific weather pattern has affected them if at all. Students will continue to research their patterns and present a presentation by the end of the week about their weather. Finally, they will create a disaster plan and submit them to their blogs. They will post their presentations to the local news website.

Lesson Plan

Rubric

Callie Barton

Blog Assignment #10

Blog Assignment #10

What can we learn from Mrs. Cassidy?

First Grader's in Mrs. Cassidy's class

Interview with Kathy Cassidy Part 1

Interview with Kathy Cassidy Part 2

Interview with Kathy Cassidy Part 3

Mrs. Cassidy uses technology as much as she can in her 1st grade class. She lets them post in their own blogs, she uses a webpage for elementary students, Wiki, Skype, videos, and even their Nintendo DS for education purposes. She sees technology as "it's here to stay, it's not going anywhere" so she is preparing her students as early as possible to be technologically ready for the future. Although she does get support from her colleagues, Mrs. Cassidy's approach to teaching seems to be out of the "norm" for teachers in her school, . I thought that was interesting since she said she doesn't really use technology for personal reasons and that she just got a Facebook account. I would think that teachers wouldn't try to incorporate something they are not familiar with into their whole teaching strategy. I guess this just shows that she is a successful teacher who is doing what she feels is best for her students and their future.

She said she started incorporating technology in her classroom about 10 years ago when she received 5 computers for her classroom. Instead of letting them collect dust or use them for basic uses she chose to take advantage of them. She said the students really enjoy using technology in the classroom, Instead of just writing something on paper for the teacher to see, they write in a blog for the whole world to see. There is something exciting and motivating about that to the students. This is also a great way for the teachers and the parents to see the students writing progress since all of their posts are in sequential order. Mrs. Cassidy said she sees technology as an opportunity and you are only handicapping the students and teachers if you do not incorporate technology in your teaching strategy.

I will use a couple of her techniques in my classroom. I really like the idea of all of the students keeping a blog. If it motivates the students and helps the teacher keep up with their progress then I could only see it being helpful. It also opens them up to communication with other students around the world. I think letting my students use Skype to communicate with other students their age age around the world would be really neat. They could learn about different cultures and learn to communicate more effectively. I will also have my students use internet resources for research and other projects.

One of the major issues that could arise when using technology is first and foremost safety for my students. I would have to implement strict rules and keep an eye on all of the students to make sure they are following procedures. I will send home a permission slip, like Mrs. Cassidy did, that lists the procedures just to keep the parents informed. As a teacher I will also have to keep in mind that some students may not have a computer or other technology devices at home. If that is the case then I could only keep the technology assignments in the classroom to keep it fair. I really liked Mrs. Cassidy's response to the question one of Dr. Strange's students asked about the students using technology for cheating. She looks at it as collaboration, not cheating. All the information that everyone has is from somewhere else, it is just presented differently. I also really liked her idea about all of the students having a separate student Facebook page instead of using their personal page for school work. As a lower elementary education major I will have less worry about the students using it for personal reasons. I will mostly have to worry about "the outside world" using it to get to my students.

All in all I believe technology can be a very useful resource for my students. It will better prepare them for their future. I believe it will motivate my students and make me a more successful educator. My students could actually probably teach me more than I can teach them. It will definitely be trail and error and a learning experience for not only the students but also for myself.

Callie Barton

Project #12 Smartboard Part A

Project #12 Smartboard Instruction Part A

Part A: Mastering SMARTboard tools:




Callie Barton

Project #4 C4T Summary 3

C4T #3 Comment #1 Post #1

Teachers Blog Post:

Melting Rates by Darren Fix



This is a good discrepit event to start a conversation on heat energy. Ice cubes are placed on blocks made of different materials (although students aren't aware of that). One ice cube melts at a much faster rate than the other. The block that melted the ice cube faster feels colder than the other. Students are quick to predict/assume that the warmer block would have melted the ice cube faster. This leads to a critical thinking discussion of how heat energy flows and the ability of materials to conduct heat better or worse than others.

My comment:

Good afternoon! My name is Callie Barton and I am an elementary education student at the University of South Alabama. I am currently enrolled in EDM 310 which is a project based learning class. I thought your video on melting rates was very interesting. The whole time I was wondering what each of the blocks were made out of. This would be a great introductory project based lesson for middle school science students. It grabs your attention and makes you start asking questions. It is important to start a lesson with a motivator, especially in middle school. Although this is middle school science lesson I could still use it in my elementary classroom. It is safe, interesting, and you’re never too young to learn!

Callie Barton

C4T #3 Comment #2

Teachers's Blog Post:

Scientific Method Box by Darren Fix



The way I ease my students to this somewhat complex concept is to expose them to the scientific method concept box. Students first make observations with their eyes about the box. After they share what they actually see (colors, words, numbers, and most importantly one side is covered up), they should come up with a question that they are wondering about. The question is “what does the covered side look like?” Students then generate hypotheses about the numbers, colors and words that make up that covered side. They then make more observations and see if there are any patterns in the data. They adjust their hypotheses as they continue to make observations. They finally get to uncover the side in question and compare the results to their hypotheses. For some students the results are expected and match their hypotheses. For others the results do not match their hypotheses. It’s a really good lead to a discussion that what is important in science is data that can lead to a conclusion regardless if the hypothesis is supported or not. In fact it is the unexpected results that lead to new scientific questions and discoveries that weren’t thought possible before. 

My comment:


Good afternoon!

My name is Callie Barton and I am an elementary education student at the University of South Alabama. I watched your blog on Melting Rates and found it very interesting as well as this video on the Scientific Method Box. I think this project is a great motivator for students to get their brain working and learning how to study and make hypotheses according to the data. I feel like students would respond well to this project because they are involved and it's like a puzzle that they have to figure out. This would also be a great project for them to work on collaboratively within small groups. Science is a subject that is all up to the teacher on how their students respond to it. You can make science fun and interesting or it can be difficult and boring. I guess that is with every other subject also but I feel like you can do more with science. I really enjoy your teaching methods and if I ever get the chance to teach science I will use these methods.


Callie Barton

Project #6 C4K Summary for October

Project #6 C4K Summary for October

C4K#4

Assigned Students Blog:

Mrs. Tharp's Class - Julia

Changes

Studies have shown that students need to get more then the usually recommended 8 hours of sleep. A college student for example, might have classes all day and end up with 3 hours of homework. That doesn’t leave the student with enough time to sleep. School should start later. In some high schools they don’t start untill 10a.m since another study was published showing that teens need 10 or more hours of sleep. To improve our schol system I think t would be wise to have shorter school days. Our school starts around 7:40 and gets out at 2:55. I like our time honestly, and the way our classes are set up makes the day go by faster and actually enjoy school.  Another thing we should be able to do is chew gum. Gum actually helps to keep people more focased and is mildly stress reliving. If people wouldn’t stick the gum to other people and school property that would make this idea a little bit more real. Another thing that I think is a good idea is no uniforms. Uniforms are expensive and uncomfortable most of the time. Letting people not wear a uniform would be better. In the winter, wearing skirts isn’t exactly warm. For the most part, the girls refuse to wear the pants. I mean I would, but I don’t own any and like i said, uniforms are expensive. The entire no shorts thing is kinda strange to me. If we didn’t have a uniform and could wear long shorts then I think it would be a little more logical.

My comment:

Hey Julia! 

My name is Callie Barton and I am an elementary education student at the University of South Alabama. I have been through all of these situations and I agree with you for the most part. I first want to start out by saying you have great writing skills and a good vocabulary. English is one of my favorite subjects so keep working on those skills and extending that vocabulary! As someone who loves to sleep I definitely agree with you on starting school a little later, maybe just an hour or so. Chewing gum was allowed at school until children started abusing their privileges and, like you mentioned above, starting sticking it where it doesn’t belong. Unfortunately some people ruin it for everyone and there is really no way for the teachers to know which students are being irresponsible. Uniforms definitely have their advantages and disadvantages. I only had to wear school uniforms for 2 years of my grade school career. In those two years there were their ups and downs. On one hand I loved that I did not have to pick out what I was going to wear for that day but on the other there was no variety. There were more rules about our uniforms than there were when we could wear our own clothes. If we didn’t have the right color belt on we would be sent to the office and have to call our parents to bring us a new belt. They eventually slacked off on how strict the rules were and we were able to add our own style to the boring uniforms. I am sure all school uniform policies are different at every school and I am not sure how they are 11 years after I graduated but all in all I didn’t mind wearing uniforms. If you really feel strongly about these things then maybe there is something you can do. Even if it is just writing a letter to the principal to express your feelings and concerns. If nothing changes then at least you know you tried. I hope you have a wonderful and successful school year! 

Callie Barton

C4K#5

Assigned Students Blog:

Miss Jacklin's Class - Koraima C.
Lunar eclipse
This morning I woke up really early to see the eclipse but turns out it was to cloudy. I saw nothing. I went for a run with my mom like we do every morning and saw a little faded red circle in the sky. When we ran down the hill I saw nothing again.  I wondered why at the top of the hill I could see a faded red circle in the sky but when I ran down hill I saw nothing. Then I had breakfast and went to choir at 7:30. 

My comment:

Hey Koraimac! My name is Callie Barton and I am an elementary education student at the University of South Alabama. I first want to say that I really like your name; it is very unique. I love that you and your Mom get up early to run together. It is a fun, healthy way to start your mornings. Not to mention great bonding time with your Mom. It is a bummer you didn’t get to see the lunar eclipse but at least you got to see the faded red ring. There will be another lunar eclipse on April 4, 2015 so mark your calendar! You may get to see it a little better next time. Good luck with your school year! 

Callie Barton

C4K#6

Assigned Students Blog:

Paula Naugle's Class - Austin V. (I was assigned Eric S. but he did not have a post)

Dot Day

When we did Dot Day with PreK I was buddies with Devin. The first activity was the colAR app. We had to put a drawing under a camera with the app downloded to make it 3D. The second activity was the “trace your name for PreK with bingo dots”. The third activity was to sort by color with puff balls and Fruit Loops. The fourth activity was Twister. The PreKers loved Twister. Then we did a Skype with Laurie Ann Thompson. She is a author that just published a new book called Be a Changemaker. The last thing was that we had to walk PreK down to their P.E. class. I loved Dot Day.

   

My comment:

Hey Austin! My name is Callie Barton and I am an elementary education student at the University of South Alabama. I loved reading about all of the activities your class did with Dot Day. I actually just learned what Dot Day is in one of my classrooms. For our Dot Day activity we did paper mache into a dot and got to paint it however we wanted to. Have you ever done paper mache? It is fun but very messy! In your pictures it looks like you all had a great time playing and working together with your classmates and the Pre K students. Twister was always one of my favorite games to play when I was growing up. Good luck with school and I hope you have a great year! 

Callie Barton


C4K #7

Assigned Students Blog:

Jalen - Pt England School

How to make a kete

Here is a movie about how to make a kete I hope you enjoy.

Jalen - How to make a kete

My comment:

Hey Jalen! My name is Callie Barton and I am an elementary education major at the University of South Alabama in the United States. I really enjoyed your video on how to make a kete. I am a college student and I am just now learning how to make movies/videos. I liked your background music. Did you pick that? It makes you want to dance! I have never heard of a kete until I watched you video. You did a great job with your animations and showing how to make one. Keep up the good work and hopefully one day I will be able to make a video as well as you did!

Callie Barton

Blog Assignment #9

Blog Assignment #9

What Can Teachers and Students Teach Us About Project Based Learning?

Seven Essentials for Project Based Learning

This article went into depth about project based learning and was a very interesting read. I really liked that there was an example of an actual teacher giving a project based lesson to her students with an explanation below. There were two criteria's and seven essentials for project based learning listed in this article.

A project is meaningful if it fulfills two criteria:

1. First, students must perceive the work as personally meaningful, as a task that matters and that they want to do well.

2. A meaningful project fulfills an educational purpose.

Seven Essentials of PBL:

1. Need to Know
    To be successful as a teacher in project based learning you may have to adjust your teaching style or presentation of the project. It is very important the way a teacher engages their students and introduces an assignment. In the article it said that most students feel like they get assigned "busy work" and is pretty much meaningless to them. We need to change that and find ways to get them motivated.

2. A Driving Question
    After you have engaged the students and introduced the topic, it is important to lead a classroom discussion. This gets ideas flowing and many different questions, answers, and communication started. In this discussion it is important to give the students a driving question that creates focus. A good driving question will give the students a sense of purpose and a challenge.

3. Students Voice and Choice
    Once the students are interested then the teacher will explain the requirements for the assignment. Make sure that there is technology involved and also include a product of the students choice. Teachers may provide a limited menu to avoid the students from being overwhelmed by choices. I would definitely give my students some choices since I always felt overwhelmed as a student when I didn't have guidelines/choices. If someone would like to come up with their own product I wouldn't mind as long as they ran it by me first so I could approve.

4. 21st Century Skills
    PBL is all about collaboration, Make sure that collaboration is central to the project and have students in small teams of three or four. Have them get in their groups to start planning and discussing responsibilities. It is important to walk around and observe to see how well the group is communicating with one another and as individuals. One of the topic's this article brought up is that collaborating, critical thinking, and the use of technology will serve them well in life. I love that teachers and the education system is now looking at education as preparation for life and I definitely agree that those three skills will help in their future.

5. Inquiry and Innovation
    Once learners find something that is interesting to them I feel like just them being interested in it is motivation in itself. Everyone has different interest and topics that they enjoy and if you are doing something that you do not enjoy then the experience is dull and meaningless. Students will get more out of a project that is interesting than one they don't care about. Once they are interested in the topic and they start researching they usually get excited about what they are doing and they want to know more. Like the article said, "As learners find answers, they raised and investigated new questions." One question leads to another.

6. Feedback and Revision
    Having the students critique one another is also very important in collaboration. It makes the students aware that not only are they being "graded" by their teacher but also their peers. Peer critiquing is more about learning and working hard than it is for an actual grade. I feel like the person critiquing learns just as much as the one who is being critiqued. Creating a rubric for a guideline is important for the teacher and the students. I feel like people will put more effort into something if they know other people, especially their peers, will be critiquing their work..

7. A Publicly Presented Product
    Instead of just grading their projects it is important to show your students that they did these projects for more than just a grade. Have an exhibition night and invite an audience to come see the students work. Make the students feel proud of their hard work and show the meaning behind it. If they know that their parents, peers, and community are going to  observe their work then they will try harder and it will mean more to them.

Project BasedLearning for Teachers

This short video reiterated in a summary what I learned in the article discussed above. When giving a Project Based Learning lesson you should give your students an extended period of time to answer a driving question. The question should be deep and require the students to complete an end product to share their learning with others. Common core standards are aligned with college and work experience, application of knowledge, and is evidence based. PBL is inquiry based, open ended, and is problem solving. Not only will the students be meeting the standards but they will be learning valuable skills such as collaboration skills, communication skills, critical thinking skills, and career and life skills. With the growing of technology it also plays a huge role in PBL. There are so many resources out there and teachers are finally starting to encourage their students to use and take advantage of the many resources we have available. PBL also gives the students more control of their learning. I feel like project based learning is a wonderful way of learning for the students and the teachers. If we didn’t learn to evolve and adapt our teaching to the world around us then we would only be taking away from our students and their future. 

Project - Based Learning and Physical Education

The title of this article spiked my interest as soon as I read it. When you think of project based learning you do not think to incorporate into physical education; or at least I don't. In this article they took the seven essentials for project based learning that we discussed earlier and applied a physical education lesson to it. High school students were given the task to create the best exercise plan for middle school students. To do this they first needed to engage in research online and in person. They then had to come up with driving questions so they could begin work. They were split up into groups and each group was allowed to choose their own PE unit, They not only had to show that the lesson would meet the standards but they also had to showcase it by podcasts, video, demonstrations, etc. This project requires collaboration skills and presentation skills. Because it is an open ended task the students are constantly having to asked more questions. When it is complete they would have to present their projects to an audience.

In some ways I feel like this is a great idea but on the other hand I feel like sometimes students just need a break from thinking. They spend all day sitting, listening, and thinking in all of their other classes. I know it was a relief sometimes just to go to PE, play basketball, and that be the only thing I had to think about. I think it may be a good idea to come up with a project based learning lesson at the end of the semester for a final grade. That way they can have their "carefree" time and have a project at the end of the semester. 

PBL - High School Math

In this video they talked mostly about the challenges teachers are having incorporating project based learning into their classrooms. Not only is it an adjustment for the students but even more for the teachers. They are having to come up with brand new ideas and completely change their curriculum. This process could be harder for the educators that have been teachers for many years. Sometimes it is harder for people to change when they are already successful. Why change it if there is nothing wrong? The world evolves and we need to evolve with it; that includes our education and how we teach it. 

This is the first video I have seen where the students are asked their opinion about PBL. It is very important to get the students perspectives since they are the ones who are affected and can really give feedback. As we heard from the video, the math teachers are having to work extra hard to incorporate PBL into their lesson plans. They can not apply it to every assignment so they are incorporating it as much as they can. They are working hard and collaborating with one another to be successful. I have noticed in all of these resources that collaboration is one of the most important aspects of project based learning. Not only is collaboration required in the projects that the students are doing but more importantly for the teachers. They have to put their minds together and collaborate on new ideas; that is the only way project based learning can be successful.

What Motivates Students?

This video was all about students feedback on what motivates them to do good in school and what rewards mean the most to them. It was so cute to hear what motivates them to do well in school. Most of their motivation was to get good grades so they can get good jobs when they grow up. Smart kids! One of the boys motivation to do well in school is so he will not get grounded and he can go to all of his baseball games. Another one of their motivation was simply just to be recognized for working hard and doing a good job. It is very important to give feedback either way but very important when a student exceeds at something.

Rewards and/or a reward system is especially great for the elementary classroom. It teaches them a good work ethic early on and that when you work hard and do good things in school then you will be rewarded. Unfortunately you will not be rewarded with candy in college but you will be rewarded in good grades; which is more important. It is important to keep your students motivated and at this age rewards (candy, pizza party, special privileges, etc) are a great motivator. 

Callie Barton