Project #8

Blog Post #6

I read the article, Three Ways to Ask Better Questions in the Classroom, by Maryellen Weimer. After reading this article , it made me think about the kind of questions, I want to ask my students. Before reading this article, I did not think about how important good questions are. Maryellen Weimer pointed out that good questions make students think. Good questions encourage students to participate and think about their questions and answers. She recommended three actions; that can help improve teacher questioning.

1. Prepare Questions- Some teachers come to class without prepared questions. Their questions are, whatever comes to their mind, at the time. So, it is important to come to class with prepared questions. It is important that these questions are clear and make your students think.

2. Play with Questions- Playing with the question means leaving the question unanswered, and using strategies that help encourage students, to think about the question. Then, answer the question later.

3. Preserve Good Questions- It is okay to save good questions. Sometimes, students ask good questions. Those questions can be used, in other classes, to help students create more good questions.

I watched the video, Questioning Styles and Strategies, it featured Dr. Harvey Silver and a fifth grade class. The students responded to the comprehension menu questions.

A comprehension menu was prepared that consisted of four questions for each learning style. These learning styles are: Mastery, Interpersonal, Understanding and Self-Expressive.

In the video, there were many techniques demonstrated that will help keep students engaged. Also, these techniques will help students continue to expand their thinking. These techniques are:

1. Technique Provisional Writing and Cueing

2. Think Pair Share

3. Random Calling

4. Surveying

5. Student Calling

6. Value Feedback

7. Extending

8. Wait Time

9. Learning Log

10. Clarifying

11. Physical Representation

As a future teacher, it is important that I develop effective questioning practices. Good questions can help students understand and learn information. I think that it is important for me to ask good questions so, that my students can see the importance of asking good questions. Also, good questions will help to keep my students engaged. My students can see that questions help us to think and questions help us to learn. Good questioning can set students on a great path to asking more great questions.

Blog Post #5

iCurio

iCurio is a digital curriculum resource for all K-12 curriculum. It provides great content for personalized learning. The resources are designed around the state and Common Core Standards. The information is designed to help students learn in their own way. iCurio gives teachers more time and flexibility to create engaging lessons that fits their student's individual needs. iCurio will help with my instruction, by helping me find lesson plans that will fit the individual needs of my students. Also, these lesson plans will help to keep my students engaged.

Project #7 My Sentence Is...

Project #7 My Passion Is...

Project # 3 Presentation

C4T #1

For my first C4T, I was assigned to read Mrs. Beth Knittle’s blog, Beth's Thoughts on Technology in the Classroom, the post was on BLC 2013 Conference Notes, were notes that she had taken at a conference in Boston. Beth Knittle listened to a speaker named Dr. Weinberg. He spoke about technology not changing education. Dr. Weinberg's discussion was about education has not changed, but learning has changed. Furthermore, he discussed there is a need for web literacy. Beth's thoughts are that questions need to be asked, and we need to accept challenges. Beth discussed how she likes to read other people’s notes. Because it shows how people listen to the information given to them, but they take away different things from the speaker’s discussion.

Next, in Beth’s notes was Research, Inquiry, and the Common Core: A Collaborative Journey and Smack down. The speakers were: Joyce Valencia, Shannon Mc Clintock Miller and Michelle Luhtala. Their discussion included that 80 percent of your time must be done on common core that is to be shared by all teachers. Reading for pleasure and passion and creativity should make up for 20 percent. Close reading and a variety of tools were looked at in helping with the common core. The next discussion was on The Future School. Beth admits she did not take many notes. The speaker’s name was Brad. Beth’s notes included that if children threw out their notes at the end of the year, we are not helping students. The speaker used sketch-notes in his presentation. Brad held a spontaneous discussion. He uses an app called Paper by 53. There were note-taking strategies discussed like: sketching. Sketching can be used to keep students interested while they are taking notes.

My name is Shernaye. I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed your post about the BLC Conference you attended. My major is Elementary/Special Education. I hope to use the tool of sketching that you wrote about. I think that it will be a great visual aid tool for my students while they are taking notes.

Mrs. Knittle latest blog post was titled, How To Change Education, she recommended a video to watch, Ken Robinson, How to Change Education from the ground Up. She went on the discuss the changes that teachers are faced with like: curriculum, common core and the brand new testing of PARACC, evidence collecting, new technology and district and state standards. Mrs. Knittle discussed that she liked Mr. Robinson's video because he stressed that teaching is an art form. Furthermore, Mrs. Knittle encourages teachers not to lose focus when starting a new year, and she encourages creativity and the joy of learning for both the students and the teacher.

Mrs. Knittle, I liked reading your post, HOW TO CHANGE EDUCATION, I enjoyed watching the video you linked Ken Robinson on How to Change Education-from the Ground Up. He had a great talk on how to help your students to learn. When I become a teacher, I have to remember the importance of engaging my students. Some of my teachers were not engaging. Mr. Ken Robinson had interesting points on the state of education. I agree; the real focus on education is sometimes lost. When I become a teacher, it is important for me to remember that education is about educating individuals.

Blog Post # 4

The first post I read was, 1st Graders Create Their Own Read-Along Audiobook .

I was a curious about how the students would create their own read along audiobook. For me as a future educator, podcasts can be great with helping with storytelling, keeping students engaged and helping students to learn. Before taking this class, I had heard the word podcast. However, I thought it was audio that took someone forever to put together and put online . After reading this post, creating a podcast does not seem as difficult as I thought. I learned that using scripts can be a great way to keep students engaged in following along with the story. Also, the students liked to listen to their voices and being involved in the creative process.

The second post, was Landwitches Flat Stanley Podcast, students created a podcast that was inspired by their reading of the book Flat Stanley by Jim Brown. The students and their teacher created their own podcast version of the story. I enjoyed listening to their voices and their descriptions of the places they visited. I learned that I can use the importance of teaching students to read with expression. In these podcasts, they help with bringing out the creativity in the students.

The third post, was The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom by Joe Dale, his video provided great information for a future teacher like me about the benefits of podcasting with my students. I liked to see that the students were involved in creating and listening to these podcasts. I did not know that these podcasts can have such an impact on the students; that they talk about them outside the classroom with their families. I learned that I can make my podcasts available at all times for my students. Also, podcasts can be a great way for me to show my students that their podcasts can listened to by people all over the world.

Blog Post # 3

The positives were that my group members each contributed to the group and individual assignments. They offered suggestions, and their suggestions were positive. The group members’ work was submitted on time. Their work was organized. The workload was distributed equally. Yes, there was clarity. My group members were very clear on their assigned parts. I would offer suggestion privately by email, if there are major mistakes in their writing. I would not want to embarrass them. For punctuation and grammar, I would tell them on their blog. I will use both approaches, because there are positive ways to help my peers with their writing.

After viewing the video, Peer Editing and the slideshow Peer Edit with Perfection Tutorial, I learned that I do not know much about peer editing. In the past, I have given my work to classmates to look over. However, the term of peer editing is new to me. After looking at the word, peer editing, I still did not get the connection of it is editing by your peers. The other things that I learned from this material are: Editing is making suggestions, compliments, comments and changes to writing. You are helping to change your peer’s work. It is always important to remember these steps when editing a peer’s work. These steps are: Compliments, Suggestions and Corrections. It is important to remain positive. The first step is Compliments. When editing your peer’s work, always start with a compliment, using examples like: I loved your topic; I think you used a lot of good details. The second step is Suggestions. Suggestions give the writer exact details on how to make their writing better. During this process, it is important to remain positive. Suggestions offer the following: details, word choice, organization, the length of sentences and topics making sure that the author stays on the topic. The third step is Corrections. Corrections check for grammar and spelling mistakes, missing punctuation and incomplete and run-on sentences.

In the video, Writing Peer Review (Peer Critique) TOP 10 Mistakes, these students were great in demonstrating the top 10 mistakes of doing a peer review. I like how the students demonstrated what not to do. By watching this video, I recognized that I have been peer reviewed by Pushy Paula and Off-Task Oliver. This video is a great visual aid tool in helping to explain to students the correct way to do peer editing. Writing is a form of communication, and having someone critique your work, may make you nervous. Nevertheless, by having a positive peer reviewer, it can help make your writing better.