Project # 15 SMARTboard Instruction Part 2

Blog Post #12

1. Watch the video Math vs. Broccoli (2:21)

Think about what you have heard and write a two or more paragraphs following the requirements in writing a Quality Blog Post.

In the video Math vs. Broccoli, it discusses how the United States is in need of people who are qualified in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The video goes on to discuss how over 50% of the Economic expansion in the Unites States are STEM jobs. The problem is that students in Elementary and Middle school are failing math. This is a problem because 60% of new jobs will require skills in the STEM-related fields. Many teachers become frustrated with math related materials and by the 4th grade students begin to give up on math. The plan is to stop students from failing math “by changing what we teach and how we teach it.” This could be done by giving student’s visual interactive lessons and teachers will teach with digital lessons.

I believe that math is a very weak area for most students. Math does become very challenging in the fourth grade because that is when students begin using word problems. I believe if teachers used more visual interactive lessons the students will be able to get a better understanding of math. It is said that boys are better at math than girls, but I believe that it is now equal. Math is used in every area of your life. Math is a boring subject in when you read the problem on paper and complete it on paper. When taking my paper based Praxis test, the area in which I struggled the most was math. But once I took the test on the computer it was easy to complete the math problems. Math needs to be fun and exciting like science. Math should be more of a hands on subject because students are using their hands more.

2. Search the site Apple in Education
Find an app for math and discuss how you would you this app in your classroom. Sushi Monster is a great app which is compatible for iPhones and IPods’.

This game would be used in the math center on the iPods to help the students who are weak in addition and multiplication. The students would be allowed to practice on Sushi Monster before taking math drills. I would also use the game to keep up with the progress the students are making in the area in which the struggle. When student’s complete a level an email would be sent to me informing me if the students are ready for testing.

Teaching Science and Math

3. Read the blog post How to encourage Critical Thinking in Science and Math by David R. Wetzel. Get to know David Wetzel as a teacher. Write two or more paragraphs summarizing David R Wetzel blog post and your opinion on his post.

David Wetzel is science and math teacher for grades k-12. He also has taught in continuing education, adult education, and the integration of educational technology in teaching and learning. Dr. David Wetzel’s blog post How to Encourage Critical Thinking in science and Math discusses how teaching students to use critical thinking in math and science can be a very difficult. Students who are able to use critical thinking can “move beyond the basic comprehension and rote memorization. “ Moving students beyond this level will help increase their “awareness when calculating, analyzing, problem solving, and evaluating.” This will allow the students to think outside of the box or become more aware of their lessons.

Dr. Wetzel discusses how to help students gain the ability to use their critical thinking skills. He believes that the teachers should show examples and the students should follow the teachers lead. Dr. Wetzel believes that teachers should “practice what they preach.” Dr. Wetzel suggested that the teachers should ask the students higher ordered thinking questions to help the students gain the understanding of critical thinking. He believes that the teachers should avoid questions that are easily answered. Questions teachers should avoid are yes and no answers. Teachers should ask questions that are above the child thinking ability.

I believe that Dr. Wetzel blog was a great post. Math is a very hard subject for most students. In my opinion, if teachers challenge students critical thinking ability they would become better at math. If teachers would combine technology and critical thinking, students would rank higher in their math abilities. I believe that students are poor in math because the teachers are poor in math. Math is a boring subject for both the teacher and the students. In my opinion, math is missing critical thinking skills for both the teachers and students and technology in the classroom. When a teacher combines the two it will make the teachers and students interested in math.

Blog Post #11

Little Kids...Big Potential

Ms. Cassidy’s YouTube video of her classroom full of first grade students using the internet was a great sight to see. The students were able to use a variety of different technology tools such as: blog, collaborate, Skype, wikis, use videos, use the classroom webpage, and the Nintendo DS. The few tools that the students used in class daily taught them how to write with a caring voice (peer edited), chat with professionals, and surf the internet safely. Each student was able to use the web without the assistant of the teacher. The student’s blog was more of a portfolio for the students, parents, and teacher to refer back to.

Ms. Cassidy’s class using the internet at such a young age was just amazing. The student’s were not just learning but they were having fun while learning. It showed how passionate the students were about the learning process and in my opinion made them crave learning even more. The student’s were working in small groups, checking their blogs with fascination, and seeing people respond to their blog posts. The video just shows how teachers can use technology in a positive and safe way for the student’s to learn.

Skype Interview with Ms. Cassidy

During an interview with Ms. Cassidy set up by Dr. Strange, she discusses the importance of techniques in her classroom. Ms. Cassidy discusses how she started working with technique in her classroom ten years ago. When she first received the computers, programs could not be downloaded unto the computers, so she then decided to use the computers the only other way she could. Her first step was setting up a class webpage, which opened up the door to all of the other technology tools she uses in her classroom.

During the interview Dr. strange asked several questions about technology, the support of the administrative, and teachers’ involvement in technology. Ms. Cassidy discussed with Dr. Strange that her administration really has not been negative or positive. She went on to discuss how “teachers are handicapping their students” if they do not take the time to understand technology. She also believes that “technology is not going anywhere.”

Watching the interview with Dr. Strange and Ms. Cassidy really opened my eyes to how even an Elementary school teacher needs to be more aware of the uses of the internet and it’s tools. Many of those first grade students were doing something that I just learned how to do this year. My main use of the internet was to just Google a topic or definition. Now that I have been in Dr. Strange class I have learned that it’s more to the computers then just Google. Technology is evolving and I hope to evolve with it. My passion is to become an elementary school teacher. Now I hope I can include technology in my class if not like Ms. Cassidy then better.

C4K Summary October

Learning English in Fuenlabrada E1A blog post written by Mauri was a post, which described an actor from Doctor Who. In the post the student gave several brief description of his favorite actor. The student began the post by asking everyone to leave a post if they could guess the actor. He then gave the main feature which would make it easy for someone to guess the actor such as; hair color, age, eye color, where the actor lives, and if he has a girlfriend. The post was written to help students learn the English language.
Mauri post was well written for a student learning the English language, while using technology. I discussed with him how the question was changeling because I never seen Doctor Who. After reading his post, I had to do some research on the show and the actors. Once I found the pictures of the actors I was able to narrow my answer down with the clues, which was given to me by Mauri. From the clues given my answer was Matt Smith.

C4K October 24 Casey’s blog was a post of listing which was complied with her favorite things. She began her post first by speaking to the world. She than listed the nine items and the answers located next them.

Casey’s List
Favorite Thing to do on the Weekend: Hang out with friends
Favorite Movie: The Blind Side
Favorite Book: Percy Jackson Series
Favorite Person: Not sure…
Favorite Subject in School: Math
Favorite Song: Believe Me – Fort Minor
Favorite Holiday: Christmas
Favorite TV Show: The Big Bang Theory
What do you want to be when you “grow up”? Baseball Player

Georgia Responses:
Casesy post was very creative and I truly loved answering the questions.
Favorite Thing to do on the Weekend: Spend time with my boys
Favorite Movie: The Avengers
Favorite Book: The Bible
Favorite People: Husband, David, Jeremiah, and Alan
Favorite Subject in School: Math
Favorite Song: Until I Pass Out-Uncle Reece
Favorite Holiday: Christmas
Favorite TV Show: The Walking Dead
What do you want to be when you “grow up”? A teacher

C4T October Summary

All They Wanted

Mrs. Becky Goerend is a fifth grade teacher from Iowa and she has been teaching for six years. She loves attending conferences on assessment. During the conference Solution Tree PLC in St. Louis, Mrs. Goerend (Mrs. G) received a big slap in the face. Many of your students would ask her "How long does it need to be?" and in her mind she knew the question really meant “How short can it be to get by, Mrs. G?” other students caught on and began to blurt it out. She realized then that her students needed more writing examples. Without the conference Mrs. G would not have never know that her students needed more visuals. Mrs. G admitted that writing was not her best area, but she knew she had come up with a way to make it a strong area for her students. Her first steps to improving her students writing was to have more models posted and implement “Mentor text.”

Mrs. G post hit right at home for me because writing has been something that I have always struggled with. Many times, I will check and rewrite my work until I have completely ran out of things to correct. Mentor text sounds like a great ideal just by the title of the activity. Mrs. G did not go into details on how the Mentor Text works, but I am checking her blog periodically to get more details. One great tool an English teacher shared with me is to first read it out loud, next read it backwards, last share it with a friend or two.
Another Lesson from the Garden

In Mrs. G’s post on Another lesson from the Garden discuss how spring season has finally arrived and new plants are sprouting and old ones are dying. During this time Mr. G suggests that you “clean out the old plants so the new ones can grow.” She talks about how this technique could also be used in our “lifestyle.” Mrs. G states “If we allow the old to protect the new little plants, it shelters them from the cold for a while and after time the old must go for the new to grow.”
As a teacher, I feel that Mr. G is correct. With the metaphor that Mr. G used I applied it to my students and transition time. When it’s time for student to move on for the old activity into a new one, a teacher should implement transition. This allows the students and teacher to be free to grow (calm down) light shine on them (star students), eat (lunch), and rest (nap time).

Special Blog Post

A world where grades will be left behind

In the article, written by Mary Beth Marklein it discusses Udacity, an alternative way of getting an education founded by Sebastian Thrun . He believes in the next thirty years Udacity will be in full force. Udacity will consist of free learning, no tarries, no failing grades, and lessons which look like Angry Birds. Udacity will be taught by some of the world’s greatest professors around the world. Mr. Thrun is not only the founder of Udacity, but he is also the vice president of Google and a Stanford research professor. He is best known for his part in building Google’s driverless car.

During the process of creating Udacity, Mr. Thrun felt as if he had taken the red pill, and seen Wonderland. He discusses how there are two pills a red and blue one. The blue pill would take him back to the typical classroom and the red pill would take him to wonderland. In so many ways I feel like Mr. Thrun because being in EDM310 my eyes have been opened to a whole new world of technology. Being in EDM310 has made me even more want to get into the school system, so I can use all the tools I have learned in class.

Mr. Thrun believes that "You want learning to be as much fun as it is to play a video game.” I agree with Mr. Thrun. From experience, when students are engaged in a fun learning in environment, they tend to take in the learning process easier. In my opinion, a teacher should teach with what attracts the students. Many students in lower levels are attracted to working on the smartboard. Many of my pre-k lessons are done on a smartboard and they tend to go better than when a lesson is done without the smartboard. Technology is the new classroom and I believe as a teacher, we should evolve into being the professors on the other side.

Green screen movies Project #11

Blog Post #10

I'm a Papermate. I'm a Ticonderoga.

I’m a Papermate. I’m a Ticonderoga. I believe the post is trying to say what you put into your education is what you get out of it. In my opinion, the pencil is the metaphor of how cheap and complacent we are with the technology aspect of education. Mac is the metaphor for how we need to evolve in technology in our schools. I believe the cartoon is trying to state that we need to move with technology in the education life style and not let it move without us. It’s time to put down the old things and pick up the new and that is writing with technology.

Why Were Your Kids Playing Games

In Mr. Spencer’s blog post he discusses how his principal was upset with the fact that he allowed his students to play games. The principal was more concerned with the memorization tests and the teacher doing what he needed to do such as “Drill and Skill Consulting Group” in order for the students to pass the test. Unknowingly, to the principal and students, Mr. Spencer was doing just that. He was teaching memorization by using what the student in his class learned best by and that was a game.

Mr. Spencer’s post Avoiding Social Network in some aspects go hand in hand with Why Were Your Kids Playing Games. In my opinion, letting your students play educational games is a great learning tool. A teacher should teach how the students learn and many students are learning through technology. A teacher should be able to have a very professional conversation with a student. Many times most students do not complete their homework because the parents and the students were confused on the assignment. If the student or parent was allowed to connect with the teacher through the internet I believe more students would turn in their homework. We also have to remember that teachers are human too and we should have every right to have a life outside of school as long as we keep it professional at all times.

Dr. Scott McLeod

Dr. Scott McLeod is an amazing writer, blogger, and teacher. He has received several awards for his technology leadership work. He is the founding director of UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE). Dr. McLeod is currently working as the director of Innovation for Prairie Lake Area Education Agency 8 in Iowa. He is an author of a book (What School Leaders Need to Know About Digital Technologies and Social Media) and co-creator of a video series (Did You Know? Shift Happens).

Don’t teach your kids this stuff. Please? In my opinion, Dr. McLeod posts states that many people do not use technology because they are so fearful of the “bad things” that could happen. Dr. McLeod allows his students to use technology because he is aware of where technology is heading. So while everyone else is being foolishly uneducated about the good in technology, Dr. McLeod allows his students to explore the good side of technology. I believe Dr. McLeod was trying to say that there’s more to technology than just sexting and cyber bullying. I believe he was trying to say that students are able to use the creative ability with technology. The world seems so different when you learn through technology. A normal lesson becomes more interesting with a little technology included in it. In the future, having some technology will be a great asset to a wonderful career.

Smartboard project #14 part 1