1. Discuss the impact your use of a resource like the TeacherWeb could have on your teaching style and on student learning. What are the strengths and weaknesses of using a resources like TeacherWeb?
Teacher Web is a great resource that will positively impact my teaching style and student learning. It allows me, as the teacher, to administer tests and quizes, and recieve quick feedback from my students. My students can use the links posted on the site for differentiation acitivities, and addtional practice. Teacher Web has many strengths. For example it provides students, parents, and teachers with a quick and easy form of communication. One of the weakness is that it is all on a computer screen. Some students may prefer to have a paper copy of such things as class announcements, or quizzes.
2. Discuss the development of your wiki and webquest in terms of how you see a wiki, and your webquest, impacting student learning. Compare your work spent on the development of your wiki to the perceived benefits students might get out of completing lesson via your wiki webquest rather than a traditional class session.
Wiki are great resources for any teacher to integrate into the classroom. Webquests on Wikis allow students to go back and review specific parts of a lesson that they did not understand. Rather than doing a lesson in class, a Webquest would allow students to complete a lesson on their own time. In a way the are much like online classes that college students can enroll in. Some of the benefits are: Students are allowed to do work on their own time, students can refer to the lesson over and over again until they understand the concept, students can use the online links to help them further understand a specific concept in the lesson.
3. What would be one or two changes you would make to this project that would make it more engaging, meaningful, or more practical for your future classroom use?
To make this project more meaningful, more time is definitely needed. I realize that this is not possible in this program, but it would be more beneficial as we could explore each resource in further detail. Despite this, the timing of it was great. Familiarizing ourselves with technology BEFORE we get into the classroom will be very beneficial.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Emerging Technologies in the Classroom
Flickr- http://www.flickr.com/
This is a great website that allows anyone to post their own personal photos for the world to search and utilize. All one has to do is type in a subject in the search box, and hundreds of photos will then pop up. Flickr will serve as a great resource for me as a teacher. As I'm teaching I can refer to different photos to help me explain people, places, animals, objects, etc. If there is a relevant photo on the site, I can have access to it. The best thing about it is, it's free! Not only is it a quick and helpful resource to me, but it will be helpful to the students as well. It provides students with real life images of the subjects that they are studying. Students could even be allowed to go on the site, and conduct their own searches, thus engaging them in the information gathering process. Flickr is such a great technology!
Global Virtual Classroom- http://www.virtualclassroom.org/about/1C.html
Global Virtual Classroom is a website that allows teachers and students to connect with other classrooms throughout the world. It is free to use, and all teachers need to do is register and select other participating teachers to connect with. Once teachers are in communication with eachother, they decide what kinds of projects the students will work on together. As I prepare lessons this could have a great impact on my teaching. I would need to coordinate times for possible video conferences with other classes, and I would need to make sure that all of the students are somehow engaged in the learning. This could help students learn a lot about other cultures, and how children from other parts of the world communicate. It would be a fun and exciting tool to use in the classroom.
Cenage Learning- http://www-geoimages.berkeley.edu/GeoImages/QTVR/QTVR.html
This URL is specifically geared for teaching geography. It is a great site that provides panoramic images of geographic locations that can be explored through the click of the mouse. Students can even explore behind objects in an image, thus allowing them to explore it almost as if they had been there. As teacher I will need to familiarize myself with the images before I use them, so that I can guide students in their exploration. This site can have a positive impact on student learning. Instead of reading about specific locations or watching a video on it, students can go there themselves, and explore what interests them. It serves as a tool for inquiry based instruction, where students are fully engaged and thinking about what they want to learn about. This technology will allow students to go on trips without ever leaving the classroom.
This is a great website that allows anyone to post their own personal photos for the world to search and utilize. All one has to do is type in a subject in the search box, and hundreds of photos will then pop up. Flickr will serve as a great resource for me as a teacher. As I'm teaching I can refer to different photos to help me explain people, places, animals, objects, etc. If there is a relevant photo on the site, I can have access to it. The best thing about it is, it's free! Not only is it a quick and helpful resource to me, but it will be helpful to the students as well. It provides students with real life images of the subjects that they are studying. Students could even be allowed to go on the site, and conduct their own searches, thus engaging them in the information gathering process. Flickr is such a great technology!
Global Virtual Classroom- http://www.virtualclassroom.org/about/1C.html
Global Virtual Classroom is a website that allows teachers and students to connect with other classrooms throughout the world. It is free to use, and all teachers need to do is register and select other participating teachers to connect with. Once teachers are in communication with eachother, they decide what kinds of projects the students will work on together. As I prepare lessons this could have a great impact on my teaching. I would need to coordinate times for possible video conferences with other classes, and I would need to make sure that all of the students are somehow engaged in the learning. This could help students learn a lot about other cultures, and how children from other parts of the world communicate. It would be a fun and exciting tool to use in the classroom.
Cenage Learning- http://www-geoimages.berkeley.edu/GeoImages/QTVR/QTVR.html
This URL is specifically geared for teaching geography. It is a great site that provides panoramic images of geographic locations that can be explored through the click of the mouse. Students can even explore behind objects in an image, thus allowing them to explore it almost as if they had been there. As teacher I will need to familiarize myself with the images before I use them, so that I can guide students in their exploration. This site can have a positive impact on student learning. Instead of reading about specific locations or watching a video on it, students can go there themselves, and explore what interests them. It serves as a tool for inquiry based instruction, where students are fully engaged and thinking about what they want to learn about. This technology will allow students to go on trips without ever leaving the classroom.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Engaging Students wtih Concept Mapping Activities
Concept mapping is not new. I remember using concepts maps when I was in elementaty school. What IS new is the way in which children can use and access them. The old way of paper and pencil works, but thanks to Kidspiration (http://www.inspiration.com/), a new and exciting website, students can record their ideas digitally. The website offers predesigned concept maps in which students essentially fill in the blanks. There are many ways that teachers can use this technology in the classroom. I will identify just at few of the ways that teachers can integrate this technology into their curriculm. I will also discuss how concept map acitivities will impact student learning, and how I can learn more about it to be able to integrate it into my future classroom.
Kidspiration offers many ways that tecahers can use concept mapping in their lessons. Some of the most innovative ideas that I found included reading and writing, math, and science lessons. For a reading and writing unit, a teacher could use a concept map to have their students characterize characters in a current literary work that the class is studying. (Charlotte's Web is used as an example on the website.) In science, students can use the maps to illustrate the relationship and properties of different substances, like water, ice, and vapor, for example. In math students can use concept maps to show the connections between numbers, as well as utilize the online manipulatives to help them understand a concept.
Concept Mapping would impact student learning in a very positive way. Because it is a visual activity it would very beneficial for visual learners, but in reality all students could benefit from it's use. I especially think that the use of concept maps on the computer through Kidspiration would be extremely beneficial. It allows students to work on their own in an engaging way. The editing process would also be extremely easy to do through the computer instead of using pencil and paper.
In order to utilitize concept mapping via the internet in my classroom it is essential that I familiarize myself with these programs. I can do this by going online directly to the site, and registering for the software. Before I actually utilized it in a lesson plan, I would need to do a test run to make sure that it works in my specific classroom. I feel that this would be an extremely useful resource, and would not be a waste of time for my students or myself. What an exciting new way to help students learn!
Kidspiration offers many ways that tecahers can use concept mapping in their lessons. Some of the most innovative ideas that I found included reading and writing, math, and science lessons. For a reading and writing unit, a teacher could use a concept map to have their students characterize characters in a current literary work that the class is studying. (Charlotte's Web is used as an example on the website.) In science, students can use the maps to illustrate the relationship and properties of different substances, like water, ice, and vapor, for example. In math students can use concept maps to show the connections between numbers, as well as utilize the online manipulatives to help them understand a concept.
Concept Mapping would impact student learning in a very positive way. Because it is a visual activity it would very beneficial for visual learners, but in reality all students could benefit from it's use. I especially think that the use of concept maps on the computer through Kidspiration would be extremely beneficial. It allows students to work on their own in an engaging way. The editing process would also be extremely easy to do through the computer instead of using pencil and paper.
In order to utilitize concept mapping via the internet in my classroom it is essential that I familiarize myself with these programs. I can do this by going online directly to the site, and registering for the software. Before I actually utilized it in a lesson plan, I would need to do a test run to make sure that it works in my specific classroom. I feel that this would be an extremely useful resource, and would not be a waste of time for my students or myself. What an exciting new way to help students learn!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom
Recently I took Garner's Multiple Intelligences quiz. My results indicated that I am primarily a kinesthetic and an existential learner- I actually scored 80 on each of these two categories. For this posting I will focus on kinesthetic learners, and discuss some of the core characteristics of these types of learners. I will also describe what these types of learners enjoy, and how I can support these students in my classroom. Lastly, I will discuss why it is important to include various types of intelligences in my classroom. My information comes from the surfaquarim website at www.surfaquarium.com.
Some of the core characteristics of students with kinesthetic intelligences are that they tend to be concrete learners. They are also coordinated, task oriented, and sensory learners. As I review these characteristics I recognize that I am task oriented; I learn best by actually doing something. Additionally, I am a sensory learner, meaning that I tend to learn things best through my senses.
Kinesthetic students enjoy hands on projects and learning opportunities. They prefer learning centers instead of seat work, and enjoy interacting with their surroundings. Often they posess strong fine and gross motor skills. These students are not considered hyperactive, although they may appear to be so.
There are various ways that I can support these students in my classroom. I can provide centers, games, drama activities, and music. In addition, I can use manipulatives, and engage my students in hands on activities. It will be essential that I keep these students active throughout the day. There are many technologies that I an incorporate into my instruction such as the computer mouse, levers, pulleys, digital probes, and physical education equipment. These are just a few of the many available resources.
As a teacher of students with various intelligence types, it will be imperative that I adapt my instruction to meet their needs. For example, a kinesthetic learner may require the use of math manipulatives to understand how to subtract, whereas a student with a linguistic intelligence may only understand this concept if they are allowed to write out the problem in words on a sheet of paper. It is important that I get to know my students' learning styles so that I will be able to prepare meaningful differentiation activities in my lesson plans.
Garner's Multiple Intelligences quiz is a great way assess a student's learning preference. I am a kinesthetic learner, and I tend to learn through concrete activities, and my senses. As a teacher I can support kinesthetic learners in my classroom by providing hands on activities, and incorporate many different forms of technologies. It is my hope that teachers everywhere are adapting their instruction to meet the intelligences of all of their students so that everyone has a chance for success.
Some of the core characteristics of students with kinesthetic intelligences are that they tend to be concrete learners. They are also coordinated, task oriented, and sensory learners. As I review these characteristics I recognize that I am task oriented; I learn best by actually doing something. Additionally, I am a sensory learner, meaning that I tend to learn things best through my senses.
Kinesthetic students enjoy hands on projects and learning opportunities. They prefer learning centers instead of seat work, and enjoy interacting with their surroundings. Often they posess strong fine and gross motor skills. These students are not considered hyperactive, although they may appear to be so.
There are various ways that I can support these students in my classroom. I can provide centers, games, drama activities, and music. In addition, I can use manipulatives, and engage my students in hands on activities. It will be essential that I keep these students active throughout the day. There are many technologies that I an incorporate into my instruction such as the computer mouse, levers, pulleys, digital probes, and physical education equipment. These are just a few of the many available resources.
As a teacher of students with various intelligence types, it will be imperative that I adapt my instruction to meet their needs. For example, a kinesthetic learner may require the use of math manipulatives to understand how to subtract, whereas a student with a linguistic intelligence may only understand this concept if they are allowed to write out the problem in words on a sheet of paper. It is important that I get to know my students' learning styles so that I will be able to prepare meaningful differentiation activities in my lesson plans.
Garner's Multiple Intelligences quiz is a great way assess a student's learning preference. I am a kinesthetic learner, and I tend to learn through concrete activities, and my senses. As a teacher I can support kinesthetic learners in my classroom by providing hands on activities, and incorporate many different forms of technologies. It is my hope that teachers everywhere are adapting their instruction to meet the intelligences of all of their students so that everyone has a chance for success.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
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