Blog Post 7 How Do We All Become Learners?
- List your strengths and weaknesses.
- What do you have to do in the net year and half to get ready to be a teacher using project based approaches to learning in situations where students have the tools they need to participate effectively in such instruction.
First I will go ahead and list my weaknesses. One of my weaknesses is that I did not grow up with technology so it is more difficult for me to understand the importance and variety of it. Most technology wasn't even invented yet, and what did exist we couldn't afford. We didn't even have cable television. We did have a Nintendo and I got a Game Boy and cell phone when I was a teenager but those were just toys that you play games on, not learning based or technologically advanced devices. Our parents were more focused on us playing outside than inside staring at a television. This point brings me to my biggest weakness. I do not want our kids to solely rely on technology for every aspect of their lives. I understand that it will help their learning and is a wonderful reliable resource for their education but what does that do for their social skills? If we, their educators, are teaching them to use technology instead of writing with a pencil and piece of paper doesn't that encourage the all time use of technology?
My strengths are that I have the ability to pick up on things pretty quickly. I can usually figure things out on my on with a little bit of time and thought. I also have the ability to realize that technology is a good thing for students and their education. As a teacher I have to show them the resources that are out there for them because technology is getting more advanced by the day. They will be more qualified to adapt if they get good practice. I will definitely use project based learning in my future classroom but I will also incorporate some pencil to paper or art project to go along with it.
There are many things that I need to do in the next year and a half before I graduate to prepare for project based learning. I have already learned so much and broadened my "technology horizons" just this year by coming back to college. This is my first semester back to college in 3 years and just in those 3 years a lot has changed academically. Almost all of my glasses are blended courses which means we have to do some work in class and other work online. This was not usually the case those three years ago. Just in this class alone I have been introduced to so many helpful online resources that I can and will use in my classroom. I am still learning and getting use to it but it is definitely getting easier. Once I let my guard down to learning this way it became less frustrating and more helpful. Being in the classroom during candidacy will also help me see how students learn best so I can learn how to adapt. Like I said, there are many things left for me to learn before I graduate but I will never stop learning. When I am a veteran educator I will still be learning and sometimes being taught by students.
How to make an audio of QR Code
I have seen these codes everywhere lately and have always wondered what they are and how they are made. Well this video taught me. This video showed how you or your students would record something and then make it into a QR Code. First they would go to www.recordmp3.org where they would press the record button and record until they were ready to press stop. Once they were finished they would click on use this recording and a URL would pop up. They would then copy that URL and go to www.QRcode-monkey.com. Once you are at this site you would paste the URL into the place where it says Enter URL and click Create QR-Code. Once that is clicked then your QR Code is made. In the video she copied and pasted it into a word document so the student or parent could scan it and listen to the recording. Anyone can get a QR Code scanner app for free. One of the great things about all off these websites and resources are that they are all free!
Ginger Tuck, GSES Kindergarten - iPad Centers
iPad in the Reading Center
First I want to say that I was so surprised and impressed that a kindergartner was already reading! She used iPad's in her reading centers to help students assess their reading. They would record themselves reading a book and then they would play it back and follow along in the book. This way they could recognize their mistakes and what they need to work on. I learned that giving your students freedom and letting them assess themselves is great way for them to practice and learn.
Poplet as a Center
I had never heard of Popplet before watching this video. It is a free app that you can download on any tablet. This is a simple and great resource for the lower elementary classes. The students choose a topic that they want to make their Popplet on and they type their subject into the center square. They would then create their web (the squares around the center square) by choosing images that relate their their center topic and put them in the squares. They would then add text to the square with a small description of the image. This teaches young kids to be able to read a book and transfer the knowledge into technology. It also helps with their typing skills. I think Popplet is a great stepping stone for children and their future presentations.
Alabama Virtual Library as a Kindergarten Center
The Alabama Virtual Library is a free app for all residents in the state of Alabama. The students will download the app and log in (the librarian and/or teacher will teach them these steps) to the elementary school edition since they are in elementary. Once they are logged in a search engine will pop up and they will type in the word they are trying to research. They will get these words from their teacher. When they search these words, images and a description will show up. Since they are in elementary they can actually play the description and an audio will read aloud to them and they can follow along on the screen. The teacher then has the students draw on paper the word that they researched. Once they practice this for a week or so she then made them start adding sentence to their drawings. This a a great activity that incorporates technology, typing skills, research, drawing pictures, and writing sentences.
Mrs, Shirley's 1st Grade Class: How to use and build a Board in DE for a Project Based Lesson
This video taught me about Discovery Education and how it is used in the classroom. The students will first log in with a user name and password to Discovery Education. They can watch videos about subjects that they will be doing their Board Builder on. Once they watch the videos they will write facts about what they learned. Once they are in Discovery Education and clicked on Board Builder they will then type in their title. There will be text boxes around the title where they can type in the facts about their subject. They can retrieve images and videos from Discovery Education and apply them into their boxes on their board. This site is very helpful with research and organizing your research.
Mrs. Tassin's 2nd Grade Class
These videos showed me more about Board Builders. They are basically power point presentations for children. It is a great way for students to research, organize, and present their work. It also teaches them how to navigate and search for things that they are looking for on their technology devices.
Using iMovie and the Alabama Virtual Library in Kindergarten July 7, 2014
One of the things I learned in this video is that kindergarten classes are already using iMovie and doing movie trailers. Last week we, as college students, had to use iMovie to do a movie trailer on a book. It wasn't difficult to figure out but it is very impressive that kindergartners are using this resource. It just goes to show that the younger they are the more adaptive they can be.
The Alabama Virtual Library is a free app for anyone in Alabama and teaches basic research skills. It also brings up kindergarten based articles and images for their research.
We All Become Learners
I really like that she brought up the fact that technology changes up the dynamics of learning. Everyone becomes a learner. Technology in the classroom is a new concept not only for the students but also for the teachers. Teachers and students are all learning together and teaching one another. I see that librarians are also involved in the new age of technology and teaching our students so they can be more prepared in the classroom. It seems like technology is bringing everyone together and getting everyone excited about learning.
Callie Barton
Hey Callie! I'm definitely see where learning all these new things can be difficult. I grew up with technology and it is hard for me sometimes! I also agree with you when you say you can see technology being great when used to help educate our children. Great post and good luck with everything!
ReplyDeleteWell done!
ReplyDeleteHello Callie! I enjoyed reading your blog post! I to agree that technology has changed a lot! You are very correct when you mentioned that students should not solely rely on technology alone! As future educators we should teacher to balance technology and brain power! It's amazing how young students are and, are mastering modern technology! Your post is great!
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