Blog Post 7

      I learned a lot from these videos about the use of technology in the classroom. One of the things that I learned is that we are all learners. Everyone is a teacher/learner both the teacher and the students, and we can tie it together to a personal learning network. 
      Another great and valuable resource that I learned about was the Alabama Virtual Library. Students can go on this webiste and do research on the content area being covered. 
       I Movie is a great resource that students can use to create projects. One example of a project a student can create would be a book trailer. 
       I Pads seem to be a very resourceful tool in the classroom. Every type of learning style can use this type of technology. Even students with learning disabilities can use these in the classroom. 
      Lastly, The Top 10 Reasons to Use Technology in the Classroom gave some very good points about why technology is resourceful in the classroom. 
     1. Students love it.
     2. Emphasises Four Key Componet to Learning: active engagment, participation in groups, frequent interaction/feedback, connection to real world experts
     3. Professional Development.
     4. Makes life easier for teachers.
     5. Improve Test Scores.
     6. Helps Students with low attention spans.
     7. Learn from Experts.
     8. Encourages Completion of Homework. 
     9. Saves  Money.
    10. Removes Obstacles. 
     Some people think that technology is not good for the classrooms and that teachers will be replaced with technology. A quote by Sheryl Nussbaum- Beach says : " Teachers will not be replaced by technology, but teachers who do not use technology will be replaced by those that do. 
     I feel that technology is a very important resource in the classroom, and that teachers need to be up to date on how to use the latest technology in the classroom. Also, I feel technology is a  great way to keep the students actively engaged in the learning process. 

     

Project # 7 Part B

To My Parents: 

To My Students: 

C4C Summary for February

February 8, 2015

      Ashley is a student in Mr. Boylen's 7th Grade Lit Class. She wrote a blog about the synopsis of a book called "Deep, Dark and Dangerous".  Her synopsis stated that "the book was very good".  According to Ashley the book had a " great mystery twist , that made you want to keep reading" and  "she would recommend this book for anybody who loves a good mystery/thriller."

 I replied to Ashley's post by  telling her that I think she did a great job on her synopsis of the book and I loved a good mystery book with a twist also. One suggestion that I would give her, would be look in the thesaurus for other word choice ideas.

February 15, 2015

    Jamarr T. is a student in Mr. Boylen's 8th Grade LA Class.  His most recent blog posted on February 5th was a video about Conjunctions.  Jamarr and his two friends Tyler and Samson had to tell what conjunctions were and use examples of conjunctions in a sentence. They used the acronym FAN BOYS to help other students remember what the conjunctions were. 
Below is my reply to Jamarr's Post: 

 Janelle

Hi Jamarr, my name is Janelle! I am a college student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed your video regarding conjunctions. You and your friends did a great job explaining the definition of conjunctions. I think the acronym FAN BOYS is a great way to help other students remember the conjunctions. 

Feb 10, 2015, 1:50pm

 

  

February 22, 2015 

     This week, I had to comment on Kathleen's Blog. She is an Eighth Grade Student student in Ms. Leatherwood's Language Arts Class.  On February 20th, she wrote a letter to her dad. This letter was sad because her dad passed away almost 11 years ago.  In this letter, she discussed: her accomplishments , what she liked to do, how she missed him, and how she knew that he was looking down on her and was her guardian angel. 
Below is my reply to Kathleen's Post: 

Janelle Owens (Guest)

February 20, 2015 at 11:59 PM

Hi Kathleen,
My name is Janelle Owens, and I am student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I really admire you for your post. It made me cry. You should be very proud of your accomplishments. I know that you will go far. Keep your head up and never give up. Your dad would be very proud of you. I know he is watching over you, even though he is not physically here.
If you want to follow me, here is my blog address: http://owensjanelleedm310.blogspot.com/

March 1, 2015

This week I had to comment on Rachel's Blog Post. She is a  student in Mrs. Maslowski's High School Class in Illinois. 
This week the students in Mrs. Maslowski's class had to pick an important/inspirational figure from the Black History Month Photo Challenge Poster. They then had to find an image and write a reflection of why that person is such an influential person in Black History. 
Rachel picked Beyonce as an Influential Black Musician. She explained that Beyonce " provided such inspirational music and that she helped a lot of charities, and that nothing could stop her." "People all over the world, like listening to her music." 
Here is my reply to Rachel's Post: 

Janelle Owens on February 23, 2015 at 10:14 pm said:

Your comment is awaiting moderation. 

Hi Rachel,
My name is Janelle Owens and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed reading your post about Black History Month. You explained why Beyonce was an important figure in Black History and some great things she has done for charity. Beyonce seems to be a good role model for people to look up to. I like listening to her music as well. This week I will be posting to my blog about my Comments 4 Kids. You can follow me at :http://owensjanelleedm310.blogspot.com/
Janelle

Reply ↓

Movie Trailer

Blog Post # 6

What Can We Learn From Conversation with Anthony Capps?

Anthony Capps is a Third Grade Teacher at Gulf Shores Elementary School. He has done a great deal of work with Project Based Learning and the use of technology in the classroom. 

In the video Project Based Learning Part 1- Experiences of a Third Grade Teacher   
Mr. Capps  discusses how most people think " projects are at the end of a lesson to show what students learn. When in fact project based learning is to show students how to be excited because they are creating as they are discovering the knowledge."  He also went on to say that "a good project should have: An Authentic Audience, Student Interest, Community Involvement, and be driven by Content. " The most crucial part Mr. Capps said was " students need to be able to revise and reflect off of their work."
Project Based Learning Part 2  Mr. Capps explains how "students need a variety of experiences and that teachers should never limit students. Students should know what they are doing and why they are doing it. "
Icurio is an online search engine that is filtered for students. They can not only research but they can find media/video files also. I curio also has a storage area that students can create a folder and store content until they are ready to use it. Another cool thing about I Curio is that it has a directory subject that student can research for example famous historical figures.
Another great online tool is Discovery Education. It is a great site that students and teacher can use.  Teachers can view lessons and it gives you all the resources that you need for that lesson. It gives you the: objectives, materials, procedures, vocabulary, standards, and evaluation.  Students can use it for: homework help,  step by step tutorial in math, with other subjects like : English, Science, and Social Studies.
In The Anthony-Strange List of Tips for Teachers   Dr. Strange and Mr. Capps discuss a list of tips that will help teachers be successful in their journey.

1. Be a learner
2. Be flexible
3. Being a teacher is hard work.
4. Start with a goal
5. Make sure that ALL your students are engaged.
6. Make sure you take time and your students take time to : Reflect/Review/Share 

 Don't Teach Tech- Use It  explains the use of technology in the classroom. Mr. Capps discusses how students should "have a continuous use with technology.  The teacher should introduce one concept of technology at a time. Don't expect perfection the first time it is used.  The students work should be shareable and they should reflect on the technology that they used so they can master it for the next use. "

Lastly, Additional Thoughts about Lessons Mr. Capps talks about how lessons are 4 layers thick, and how all this combined makes up your cirriculum that you teach for the year. The four componets are:

      1. Fits the year

      2. Unit

      3. Week

      4. Daily

 

 I learned a lot from the video discussions Dr. Strange had with Mr. Capps. I feel that I have a little more knowledge about Project Based Learning. I also have some new tools like: Discovery Education and I Curio that I can use in my classroom. Which I feel will be very resourceful not only to my students but also to myself. 

My Passion Is:

My Sentence Is:

Blog Post 5 - PLN

 What is a PLN?

  
     PLN is a Personal Learning Network. It is a set of people or tools that you can use for help, consultation, collaboration, or other assistance.  
    I really like using  Symbaloo to develop my PLN. You can search for what you are looking for, and you can add your own address and customize it the way you want. You are also able to organize it in a way that you will be able to find what you need , when you need it.
    I started adding some tools to my PLN that I thought would be useful. As, I start exploring, I am excited to find new tools to help me grow as a professional educator.
      

Project # 3 Presentation

Blog Post #4

What Kind of Questions Do We Ask?  How Do We Ask? 

     Asking questions in a classroom is a very important process for learning. It is very important that you ask questions the correct way.  A lot of times according to Ben Johnson, teachers ask " Do you all understand?" teachers are really saying " this is your last chance to make sure you understand and if you don't, I am moving on to the next subject anyway."  "Teachers think that since they gave the student a fair chance to answer, they are absolve from any lack of understanding."
     Ben Johnson also states that "Kids figure out who is smart and who is not, and who doesn't care by the first few weeks of school. " The "smart" kids will always raise their hands just to answer even if it wrong. The other kids won't take the "bait". Many teachers defend this practice because they think that the "students having difficulties" will learn from the "smart kids" when actually this is untrue. The "kids that have difficulty or don't care are just daydreaming anyway."
      According to Joanne Chelsey in Asking Better Questions in the Classroom"Closed ended questions don't allow the student to go very deep in the thinking process. They can usually be answered in a few short words or phrases."  "Open Ended Questions provide multiple answers and provide active learning."  
    In reference to why we need to ask Open Ended Questions, lets look at 12 objects from Asking Questions to Improve Learning. 

1, To access learning
2. Ask a student to clarify a vague statement. 
3. To prompt a student to explore: attitudes, values, and feelings. 
4. To prompt students to see a concept from another perspective 
5. Ask student to refine a statement or idea. 
6. Prompt students to support their assertions and interpretations. 
7. To direct students to respond to one another.
8. To prompt students to investigate a tough process.
9. To ask students to predict possible outcomes.
10. Prompt students to connect and organize information.
11. To ask students to apply a principle or formula.
12  To ask students to illustrate a concept with an example.
     There are several strategies that you can use with questioning. One technique would be "Think, Pair, Share".  Other techniques that you could use would be: "Random Calling, Surveying, Student Calling, Value Feedback, and Extending". 
"Once you ask a question, pause for a few seconds and let the students think about the answer and then probe their minds. Also try to extend a response that another child gave. "
In Andi Sticks Video Open Ended Questions, she gave some examples of ways you could use "Open Ended Questions". Some examples she gave of ways to ask students open ended questions would be: 
"For what reasons?"
 "In what ways?"
 "Describe Detail"
 "Explain Detail"
 "Generate a List"
     I think that using these strategies provided in these videos would help students have a better understanding of questions. It wold also improve their learning by provided more elaborate detail. 

Search Engine Project #15

1. Quinturakids.com






   This search engine is designed for kids. Students can type what they are looking for in the search engine and in the cloud it gives them words or phrases to help them with their research. This search engine would be helpful for students doing research for class assignments or homework.  I feel that this website would be very resourceful tool for kids. If they get stumped in their research the words in the cloud can help guide them.

2. WolframAlpha.com












This search engine has a lot of various topics you can research. You can research anything from: Mathematics, History, Science, etc.  This search engine would be helpful because it gives you specific details for your topic. Like I searched Albert Einstein and it gave his full name, date of birth, where he was born, who his parents were, a timeline, and some major accomplishments. Also, this search engine is helpful  with math. It will give you examples and charts. In my opinion, if someone was wanting to do an elaborate research they would need to use a different search engine. This search engine works well to get specific answers to a question, just not elaborate research.

3. PicSearch.com




Pic Search is a search engine where you can find pictures from various websites. They have filters in place for children but it is not flawless. This search engine would be useful for  finding pictures for projects or assignments.

4. DogPile.com





Dog Pile is a search engine that you can research: images, videos, news, and even shopping. It is not filtered very well for kids to use. You would probably have to add a filter or monitor them to ensure that students are not looking at inappropriate things.

             4. YouTube.com

This is a really good search engine to find educational videos. You just have to be careful, some of it is not filtered. If you use this website, you need to preview the content before showing it, just to make sure that somebody hasn't added anything inappropriate.








5. TheBestKidsBookSite.com         

  This search engine lets you browse books by: title, character, or topic. Another great feature is it has a search/browse for crafts. A teacher could look up books based on her lesson ,and then find a craft to go with it.




6. DuckDuckGo

This search engine doesn't track you. You are able to search : meanings,images, places, and videos.  Duck Duck Go seems to be a good search engine, when I did a search it seemed to have all appropriate material. I am sure it is not flawless though.

 7. SciSeek.com

 This search engine is useful for people find information about science. You can search by web, video, or pictures. Some things when you search can be inappropriate so students would have to be monitored if they used this site.This would be a very good website for teachers.

8. NationalGeographic Kids

This search engine is great for kids. They can search, find pictures, play games, and learn about the world.  This website seems to be filtered pretty well. Seems to be a great website for kids.

C4T#1

Mr. Sladkey's Blog Page

February 1, 2015

     I was assigned to Mr. Sladkey, who is a high school Trigonometry Math Teacher in Naperville, Illinois.  Mr. Sladkey's most recent blog post was titled " Math is always better when you do more than just WATCH'. 
Mr Sladkey wants students to "be more involved in learning instead of just watching" He feels that students can "learn better when they can manipulate and visualize it". 
     In this blog post, the students were assigned to make a Ferris wheel to help give the students a visual handle on the basic trig ideas. They made their Ferris Wheels out of Pipe Cleaners. The students went through questions and moved the Ferris Wheel to match the questions. Mr. Sladkey said it "went well" and "the test scores were better than last year. "  Mr. Sladky ended his post by commenting that
 " he knows that he he learns better when he can feel it, touch it, manipulate, and visualize it."  
Enclosed below is my reply to Mr. Sladkey's post:

Mr. Sladkey,
     Hi! My name is Janelle Owens. I am student at the University of South Alabama enrolled in EDM310. We are creating a class blog. I will be summarizing my visits, and will publish my comments to my blog on February,8,2015. 
     I really enjoyed reading your blog on "Math is always better when you do more than just WATCH". I agree with you that students can learn better when they: feel it, manipulate it, and visualize it.                
     Especially with math, I feel that students can comprehend the concept better when they use a manipulative and are actively engaged. I plan on using manipulative s to help teach my students. Thank you for sharing. 
Janelle Owens

Class Blog Spot 
Email Janelle Owens,
Twitter


February 8, 2015

    Since Mr. Sladkey hasn't published anything new in his blog recently, I went back to December 12, 2014. That was the most recent post since the one published in January of this year.  In this post, Mr. Sladkey was working with his high school algebra class on percents. He wanted to "give more meaning to the percents the students were working with". Mr. Sladkey allowed each student to pick something that they liked off of Khols.com. They were able to pick a coupon with a percentage off that they liked. The coupons ranged from 15% to 30% off. The students were then ask to reduce the price by the amount of the coupon. Then they had to take the new price and add the 8% tax to the price. The students were to go to the Padlet website and add the picture of the item they chose and to show all their work. Mr. Sladkey really felt like the takeaways from the assignment was " they learned the material without a lot of problems", " they had a choice in what they wanted to work on", "they were able to recall the facts easier because of this project", "they were engaged and worked diligently", and "they were accountable and could see all their work. "
Enclosed is my reply to Mr. Sladkey's Post:

      I think that this is a really awesome idea. It gets the students involved in giving a meaning to numbers. Sounds like they were really engaged in this activity because they had a choice and they weren't just sitting there trying to work out problems. You really make math come alive! :)
     I feel it is really important for students to be actively engaged. They really seem to learn the material better, when they are actively engaged. I really hope to come up with some great ideas like this when I start teaching.