When I Become A Teacher

Project Based Learning

Presentation1[1]

View more presentations from abrock3.

Efficiency Expert

WebQuest	Strengths	Weaknesses
Grow School Greens	Provides orderly bullets. It is easy to follow with an introduction, task, process, evaluation, and conclusion	A lot of text on the pages and probably could be explained in less text
Where is My Hero?	Steps thoroughly explained in completing the process.	Some of the pictures were unnecessary and could take focus away from the kids.
Underground Railroad	Good use of links and layout of the rolls to easily understand the information.	This page is a little lengthy and time consuming to read
Ice Cream	Good use of colors to grab attention. The process is explained very well.	Provides some unnecessary steps in completing the project.
Ancient Egypt	Short, sweet and to the point. Provides all of the information that kids need to complete this project.	A little bland, and doesn’t grab the attention of viewers

1. ch two of example WebQuests listed on the Elementary link are the best ones? Why?

I liked the Unraveling the Underground Railroad because it involved a bigger group and required research.

I also liked the Grow School Greens, it was a little lengthy, but I believe it is easily followed

 2. Which two are the worst? Why?

Ancient Egypt WebQuest because it was bland and wouldn't grab the students attention. The use of big words may be too much for 5th graders.

We all Scream for Ice Cream provided unnecessary steps and didn't provide the scientific knowledge that the kids should be learning during this experiment.

3. What do best and worst mean to you?
I believe the best provides the information to put together a great project. The kids wouldn't be too overwhelmed with too much information at one time. The worst would be not enough information or just irrelevant information.

DEJ #12

Quote- "The need to understand a new language of expression. The way we are educating is based on nineteenth-century ideas and methods. Here we are, entering the twenty-first century, and you look at our schools and ask, 'Why are we doing things in this ancient way?' Our system of education is locked in a time capsule. You want to say to the people in charge, 'You're not using today's tools! Wake up!"

Reaction- This statement is so true and I agree with it in so many ways. Schools are still teaching in ways that are basically irrelevant and obsolete when it comes to the world that we live in today. It seems silly to not use the tools that can be provided today. He talks about how it is still important to learn about the writen and spoken word, but it is also crutial to learn about music and graphics. I feel like this guy is reading my mind when it comes to the integration of technology into the schools. Integrating visual literacy into schools will be so crutial and will provide kids with the alternative way of learning they need to be a student in this day and age. This article really put my ideas in better words.

Link-

Cite-

Daly, James. "Life on the Screen: Visual Literacy in Education." 20th anniversary edutopia. (2008): n. page. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. <http://www.edutopia.org/lucas-visual-literacy>.

GlassGiant

DEJ #11

The argument made in this article was basically saying that not everyone who is a registered sex offender should be banned from using social networking sites. There are many people in the world today that are technically considered sex offenders that would never think about abusing a child sexually at all. In these situations, these people should be allowed to use social networking sites to be able to get employment. The author gives valid points as to why certain sex offenders should be granted use of social networking sites especially for job related reasons. I believe that it is a good idea to give sex offenders, in some cases, second chances and let them have social networking sites, because it is proven to not have a lot to do with the situation. Most sex offenders are so for stupid reasons and not because they all want to sexually abuse younger children. I am for giving them second chances, but it does have to be thought out as to what they actually did to become a sex offender.

Wikipedia Worksheet

Wikipedia: Basketball
1.Yes
2.Yes
3.Yes
4.Yes
5.No
6.No
7.No
8.No
9.No
10.No
11.No
12.No
13.Yes
14.Yes
15.Yes
16.Yes, the information looks complete about basketball.

Wikipedia: Friend, Not Foe

1. Did the class activity about Wikipedia and this article change your opinion about the value of Wikipedia to society in general and education specifially? I knew that Wikipedia wasn't an absolute credible source, but after finding out about the Wikiscanner I feel a little better about it. For use of educaiton, it is good for background information as long as you can find other sources to back it up.
2. Describe how you might direct students to use Wikipedia in your future classroom. I would tell them that it is fine to use Wikipedia, as long as they can back it up with other sites. Wikipedia can be a great tool, but can also be a bad one as well. Wikipedia is getting better at being more credible, but it never hurts to do more research with more sources.

Wikipedia Questions

a. What is Wikipedia? Wikipedia is a multilingual, Web-based encyclopedia project, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation, a nonprofit organization.
b. How would you answer the question posed in this piece "How reliable can a source be when anyone can edit it?" My thoughts are that it can't be too reliable since anyone and everyone can post on the site.
c. Who do the creators of Wikipedia place their trust in when it comes to weeding out misinformation? The "Wisdom of Crowds"
d. Why did founder Larry Sanger leave Wikipedia? He left because he believed that is should give more authority to experts.
e. What would abuse or vandalism look like on a Wikipedia page? Someone posting irrelevant information about the topic.
f. What do the statistics quoted in the third paragraph of this piece reveal? There are over 2 million articles on Wikipedia today and in 280 different languages, with a total of more than 8 million articles. Wikipedia is is among the top 10 most-visited sites on the Internet around the world, aided by the fact that Google searches typically list Wikipedia entires on almost every search.
g. Why do you think Wikipedia is so successful? I think they are so successful because almost everything searched for on google, Wikipedia will have information about it.
h. Why might Wikipedia's creators not want to accept advertising? Wikipedia does not rely upon adversiting, but donations from visitors and other indirect commercial efforts.
i. How does Wikiscanner help increase the reliability of Wikipedia entries? Wikiscanner is a tool that allows the IP address of anonymous editors of the site to be easily checked out. This tool quickly exposed examples of self-interested editing by prominent businesses and governments around the world. Basically, this tool just makes sure the facts are coming from a reliable source, making Wikipedia more reliable.

Think Aloud

Think Aloud

View more presentations from abrock3

DJE #10

Quote- "When I did finally learn to read, my teachers didn’t have much to do with it. I was 11, and even my school-appointed tutors had given up on me."

Reaction- My feelings about this article are mixed. It is sad to see that someone with dyslexia not being able to get the help he deserved. What does this say about the teachers that are trained to handle kids with special needs? Maybe these teachers are not getting the proper training to be able to help the student learn to their full capability. There are many teachers today that I think to myself, how did they get to be a certified teacher. I do like the fact that the author conquered his skills by his self and went on to become a poet.

Link-
http://www.dyslexia.com/library/classroom.htm

Cite-

Schultz, P. (2011). Words failed, then saved me. The New York Times, Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/opinion/sunday/with-dyslexia-words-failed-me-and-then-saved-me.html

Website Evaluation

WHO?
1.Has someone taken responsibility for the content of this Web site?
Yes, the name of the guy who has taken responsibility for the website is Gerald Aungst.
2.Is information about the author or organization clearly stated?
Yes, they provide background information about the author.
3.Are there any links to in-depth information about the author or organization?
There is a couple paragraphs on the author, and there are many links to biography's of different explorers.

WHAT?
1.Is the information biased in any way?
The information doesn't seem to be biased. The website basically stats facts about different explorers.
2.Does the site offer more than one viewpoint?
The website offers views for teachers as well as students. They offer lesson plans for teachers and information for students
3.Does the site clearly state the topics that it intends to address?
The site does clearly state what each explorer did, as well as, give a link to a biography of the explorer.

WHEN?
1. it important that the information you're looking for be absolutely current?
It may not be necessary that the information is absolutely current depending on the reason, but the more current it is the better.
2.Is a reference date provided to show when the material was put online, or when it was last updated?
Yes, there is a date of the last update at the bottom of each page.
3.Do the links work?
Yes, I went to many biography's and the link took me to the page.

Double Journal Entry 9

Quote- "Despite early studies suggesting that Internet use leads to anti-social behavior, later findings indicate positive aspects of engaging in online socializing."

Reaction- I know when my parents think of all of the technology that I'm using, they think that I am being anti-social, but it's actually the opposite. I love talking to friends and pretty much always have to stay in contact with them. Technology brings people together in so many ways it's so hard to believe. Texting, something almost everyone does, is such a great tool and is so convenient. The fact of being able to hold multiple conversations at once with people across the country is so crazy to me. Not to mention social networking and how we can basically follow people to see what they are doing, look at pictures and so many other things. Most people think when you are on your phone or on a computer that you are being anti-social, but in fact you are socializing more. There is a right time to use technology and a wrong time, but when used correctly, it can lead you to endless possibilities.


link-


Cite-

Owens, L. (2009, April 23). Internet & anti-social behavior theory unfounded. Retrieved from http://laura-owens.suite101.com/internet--anti-social-behavior-theory-unfounded-a111897

Go2web20

An interesting site that I found on go2web20 was a site called mobli.com. This is a social network website that could be used for posting thoughts, questions and ideas. If kids have questions, they could just go on there and post their quesiton to me. In the classroom, I could post a math formula and have kids post different ways to get to the answer. It is also a good tool, because the kids can be creative in making their site their own. They could even post to other friends that are in the class, so they don't always have to post to me. I would have to make sure that there is a privacy setting so that only the people in my class can see each others.

Andrew's Questions

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHZLanQ2SHRnazhvZk5Wbjc0VTJLaHc6MQ

Voki Philosophy

DEJ #7

Quote- Media literacy in the past tended to focus on alerting students to stereotypes, advertising, and propaganda and on protecting them from undesirable influences. Today's digital media literacy encompasses many additional topics, from using search engines, to creating Web sites and online profiles, to participating in social networking.

Reaction- There is so much to do on the internet these days. When the internet first started to get popular, a lot of people were unsure and had mixed feelings about the power of it. Like social networking, everyone assumed that it was bad because you can see all of your information and you could pretty much pinpoint someone’s location. The privacy aspect of social networking is something everyone should use in my opinion, because it can come back to haunt you if you don’t.  Most people now, when they think of the internet, they just think of social networking. That is one thing that needs to change in my mind. People should realize the unlimited resources and tools that can be used from the internet. When everyone realizes that, then that is when the internet will be used to its full potential. It will become more popular for school use, rather than just for research, such as a lot of things that we are learning in this class.

Link-
Cite-

Jane, D. (2009). Teaching media literacy. Educational Leadership, 66(6), 84-86. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar09/vol66/num06/Teaching-Media-Literacy.aspx

Magazine Cover

Deconstructing Arnold

Arnold, on this magazine cover, is obviously flexing and showing his muscles. He is intimidating with the sunglasses and the red background.
He makes me feel like if I were to purchase this magazine and read its contents that I would be able to get big and muscular like him. The color red is used to reassure energy and is proven to excite.
His looks make me feel like if I follow what it says in the magazine that I will be able to get cut like he is.
The values of this magazine are for mainly people who workout or want to workout and gain muscle.



Arnold, on this magazine cover, is looking more business with a suit and tie. He seems happy and confident. He is pointing to the viewer basically saying that the viewer could be happy and confident to.

He makes me feel like I can be successful, as long as I read the magazine.

The lifestyle brought up in this magazine cover would be business and being successful to me at least. The color blue is used to be more subtle and calm. Implying that making money and being successful is easy, even though it isn't.

The major difference between the two are the colors used. One makes me feel excited and full of energy and then the second makes me feel more calm. The target audience is obviously different between the two. The first magazine, the target audience would be people who workout and like building muscle. Then the second magazine, the target audience would be business men or people that are trying to be successful.

DEJ #6

Quote -“If you pulled it off the
Web, that means it was an early version
written very quickly for immediate
use on the Web. I would bet I wrotethat version in a very few minutes.”
Reaction - This quote is an actual quote from the journalist, Brinkley. This quote made me think a lot about the information that I pull from search engines on a daily basis. Who is to say that a lot of articles that show up in our searches aren't written in few minutes? I understand papers and magazines have to have deadlines to get their products out on time, but if the information isn’t helpful or useful then it shouldn’t be released in the first place. Brinkley didn’t do research on why Theodore Roosevelt was in the picture behind Bush. That picture was there because when Theodore Roosevelt was President, he conveyed the same ideals that Bush was speaking of in his speech. Maybe if Brinkley had more time, he could have done his research and found out why the picture was there in the first place. The he could have wrote a better article on Bush, and Americans would have understood his speech a lot better.

Link-


Cite-

"A Seven Power Lens On 21st Century Literacy." noodletools. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2011. <www.noodletools.com/debbie/l

1. What is going through his mind in this photo?

2. Is he really concerned about a serious topic or just thinking about anything else?

3. Considering the Article Title, why do Americans automatically assume that the nation is in trouble when looking at the expression on his face?

Photograph 1

1. What decision did they just make, that they are walking with such confidence?
2. Why isn't there more security by Obama?
3. Who are the men walking with Obama?

Quote:

“I am referring to the fact that the multimedia environment of the Web, as well as much of what we experience through our computers, requires students to think and communicate as designers and artists.”

Reaction

Thinking about this quote, I’ve come to realize that computers actually do make us think creatively as designers and artists. The photo story project for example, we all wanted to be creative and the video itself that we created is considered art. Even when we blog or tweet, we are using our heads to compose and think of something creative so that it will stand out to people who read it. I do agree with Jason when he considers technology an art form. We can use it in so many ways as in being creative and voicing our opinions. Technology is a form of art in my opinion.

Link:

Cite:

Ohler, J. (2000, October). Art becomes the next r. Educational Leadership Magazine, 58(2), 16-19. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vCKbHYY-gzXtLXnLak8i_hoV7TPAOfxNIamNrkWW3Pc/edit?pli=1#

Digital Story

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6Kn2wF1Y0A

My digital story project is based around a quote from John F. Kennedy, "Let us think of education, as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream, which fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength of the nation." My main point was to focus on some of the past, but realize what the future may hold. I really like the photo story project and I know when I am a teacher, I'll be using this tool. It's really easy and fun to compose and I know students will enjoy it.
I believe that the ISTE.NETS-T and my video both promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, and creative processes.
I feel like teachers can use this tool as a tool for research and instead of writing a paper, this would be a useful alternative that is more fun than just writing a boring paper.
Wanting to be a math teacher, I could certainly use this tool to put up multiplication problems and have the kids try to answer the questions fast before the next question pops up. There are so many ideas that can come from this great idea and I can't wait to explore more possibilities.

Double Journal Entry 4 Digital Storytelling

Quote:

Digital stories need to be used to strengthen students’ critical thinking, report writing, and media literacy skills.

Reaction:

A lot of current teachers may not agree with me, but I do believe that as technology moves forward, digital stories should take the place of research papers. Now I don’t feel this way, because I don’t feel like kids should know how to compose research papers, I just feel like digital stories are just a part of the media in today’s society. Composing a digital story does make students think critically and helps them learn in different ways that are more exciting than just a boring paper. A rare amount of people would like to sit down and right a paper for school, but if the assignment is to make a video about a research topic, students would actually enjoy doing their assignment and they would still learn just as much if not more.

Link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIkJnwD8OxE

Citation:

Ohler, J. (2005). The world of digital storytelling. Retrieved from http://www.jasonohler.com/pdfs/digitalStorytellingArticle1-2006.pdf

Cartoon

Learning Styles

After taking the learning styles test, I have come to realize that I am an Aural learner. I've never really thought about what kind of learner I was before taking this test. This tool is really accurate, becuase I could relate to a lot of the methods. Some of the methods of an Aural learner are to attend class, class discussions and to talk to other people about new ideas. Honestly this explains me pretty well. I do not like missing class like a normal college student. Using VARK has really opened my eyes to what kind of learner I am.

NVR 2 L8 - Journal Entry #3

Quote:

For most of the history of the language, English speakers took a lackadaisical approach to spelling; the notion that a word should always be spelled the same way is a much more recent invention than the language itself. The standardization of English spelling began in the 16th century, and although it is unclear at exactly what point our spelling became set, what is certain is that ever since it happened, people have complained that the rules of spelling, such as they are, just don’t make sense.

Reaction:

I will be the first one to tell you that the English Language does not make much sense at all. I feel like it should be easier to compose sentences without being grammatically incorrect. On the other hand, I don’t feel like we need to start teaching “text” language as a primary language. Yes, there are some exceptions like not hyphenating a word or making two words like dog house into doghouse.  Personally I spell everything out and put comas where needed, but when I text I rarely put apostrophes. People text acronyms and abbreviate words to save their selves time. I like  that  Naomi Baron said that the number of “textisms” will decrease as technology moves forward and develops better keypads for texting.

Link:

Source:

Shea, Ammon. "The Keypad Solution." New York Times. 22 Jan 2010: n. page. Web. 7 Sep. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/magazine/24FOB-onlanguage-t.html>.

Poll Everywhere & Wordle

In our activity with Poll Everywhere, everyone had to create a question then post it to our blog so that everyone could see the question. Then we had to reply to 5 other students questions by going to their blog. After we recieved responses, we copied our question and answers to Wordle. That tool let us be creative with the layout of our question and answers.

The teacher that used the Wordle for spelling and vocabulary recieved great feedback from his kids. The kids in his class seemed to really enjoy using computers for school work. The teacher that used Poll Everywhere in the classroom had terrific results with his kids. The kids were so shocked that they could use their cell phone to answer a question. Both of these tools can help children learn as well as use technology to its full potential.

Double Journal Entry 2

Quote:

Technology enhances our ability to manipulate our communication with others. As the arsenal of control devices continues to grow, we increasingly come to see language not as an opportunity for interpersonal dialogue but as a system we can maneuver for individual gain.

Reaction:

I love the fact that we can control communication with technology. We don’t think about it, but when we get a text message, we don’t have to reply. Or when we get a phone call from someone we don’t want to talk to, we can just simply ignore the call. The words “manipulate” and “maneuver” are good words describing what we are capable of with technology. I don’t like how the “whatever” shift is becoming more common in today’s society. My opinion on the matter is that I feel that language classes should always be mandatory no matter where technology takes us. Accidental spelling errors are one thing, but when someone cannot compose a proper sentence is where I draw the line.

Resource:

Baron, N.S. (2009). Are digital media changing language?. Educational Leadership, 66(6), Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar09/vol66/num06/Are-Digital-Media-Changing-Language%C2%A2.aspx

Link:

What was the name of your High School?

My Poll

Click here to take my poll

"Education Needs a Digital Upgrade"

Quote: "When we criticize students for making digital videos instead of reading “Gravity’s Rainbow,” or squabbling on Politico.com instead of watching “The Candidate,” we are blinding ourselves to the world as it is. And then we’re punishing students for our blindness."

Reaction:

My reaction to this particular statement is that I agree with the fact that schools are oblivious to change in today’s society. I believe that schools should be focusing more on technology, because that is the future. The fact that schools enforce the “no cell phone” policy is not accurate with today’s society. Studies show that 65 percent of grade school kids will end up working for a job that doesn’t exist today, which entitles that schools are teaching kids material that will be irrelevant to their future. School systems need to open their eyes and realize that technology is moving forward everyday and instead of pushing it away, they should embrace the gift of technology and use it to their advantage. 

Reference:

Heffernan, V. (2011). Education needs a digital-age upgrade. Opinionator, Retrieved from http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/education-needs-a-digital-age-upgrade/?hp

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cxyH1qgKZQ&NR=1

Introduction

My hometown is Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. My major is Math Education grades 5-9. I believe that children learn in a kinesthetic way. Most kids like to be "hands on" with learning. When teachers can make learning interesting and fun instead of boring, that is when the students will have the most success.