Literacy Final

Add your literacy final study topic as a comment for all to see!

Internet Safety Continued

Doing:
I asked my 18 yr. old brother about what he knew about internet safety. He said,"Just don't be stupid on the internet. Put up blocks and filters, don't go to bad sites. Don't talk to people you don't know or add people you don't know to facebook and things like that. Just throw away junkmail and don't believe everything you read." After that we talked about internet safety with regards to stalkers and meeting people you talk to on the internet. We discussed things that the general authorities have said including how the internet itself isn't good or bad. It can be used for good or bad and it is our responsibility to use it for good.


The two best ideas that you learned about integrating technology from my peers’ presentations:
- Technology is a good place to brainstorm. After the teacher worked through the powerpoint the students brainstormed ideas and she wrote them right into her powerpoint. This was good for the kids to see their ideas mattered as well as organizing them in a good way.
-Giving examples. One of my peers did a presentation about clouds. She made a powerpoint that showed many different pictures of clouds. This is good because the kids need to actually see what they look like. It was a place where they could see many accurate examples quickly.

Personal Learning Theory

IP&T 301

Over the course of the semester we have learned a good deal about learning theories, behaviours, teaching, learning, etc. As a student and working towards a teacher as well as just being myself I thought that the things we learned were interesting and pertinent in helping me see things from different views, think about things in different ways, and to better myself in all realms.

Assimilation, fitting new information into existing schemas and accommodation were interesting concepts to me pertaining to learning. Children and adults have both have schemas-basic structures for organizing information. As we acquire new information and have new experiences we try to fit that first into an existing schema. If that doesn’t work we accommodate and create a new schema to file away our new found information. I thought this was an interesting concept because as teachers we can be aware that we are helping students to create new schemas all the time. Think of how many new schemas are formed in the act of learning to read and write!

As we help students learn and create new schemas we often use what is called scaffolding- support for learning and problem solving, usually given one stage at a time. I found that modelling is an excellent way to scaffold. As we model what we want our students to do we give them expectations to follow. It is also important to be aware of our student’s zone of proximal development. This is the zone of which children can master a task with appropriate help. With this I found it successful to push students enough to motivate them to work and figure things out to them, but not to the point where they became repeatedly frustrated because the tasks assigned were too hard.

As children, and teachers alike are successful their self-esteem and self-concept change. Self-esteem is the value each of us places on our own characteristics, abilities, and behaviours. It is an affective reaction- a judgement of self worth, for example feeling good about your baseball skills. If people evaluate themselves positively they have high self-esteem. Self-concept refers to an individual’s knowledge and beliefs about themselves, their ideas, feelings, attitudes, and expectations. It is a cognitive structure that is a belief about who you -for example, believing you are a good baseball player.

A new concept that I learned about this semester and think is very important as a teacher is self-efficacy. This is a person’s sense of being able to deal effectively with a particular task. So it has more to do with judgements of personal capabilities. There are four main sources for self-efficacy:

1. Mastery Experiences. These are our own direct experiences and also the most powerful of the sources. Simply put, if we are successful our efficacy increases, if we fail, it decreases.

2. Arousal. This is physical and psychological reactions causing a person to feel alert, excited, or tense. One way to evaluate this is our reaction when we are given a task. Are we excited, nervous, scared, etc. Emotions that we think are good, being psyched or excited, will raise efficacy while emotions we consider to be negative, being nervous in some cases, lowers efficacy.

3. Vicarious experiences. These are accomplishments that are modeled by someone else. As we identify closely with the model, efficacy increases.

4. Social Persuasion. This can be defined as a “pep talk” or specific performance feedback. This may not sustain efficacy over a long period of time however it can give a persuasive boost. This might include a coach giving an inspiring half time talk or acknowledging that a player can do something they are asked or a teacher encouraging her students to succeed.

A teachers’ sense of efficacy is a teacher’s belief that he or she can reach even the most difficult students and help them learn. This is something that I believe comes with experience as well as willingness to reach out. It also comes with patience, initiative, and industry. Initiative is the willingness to begin new activities and explore new directions. In order to have self-efficacy as a teacher, one must take initiative in their work and in their students. Industry is the eagerness to engage in productive work. Reaching out to students and teaching in general is productive work.

Teaching is truly a great call. The more we are aware and increase our schemas through assimilation and accommodation the better teacher and person in general we will be. It is so important to always continue learning and to have the initiative to better ourselves.

YOGA

This semester we were asked to spend ten hours or more acquiring a new skill or trying something we had never tried before. Some of my friends do yoga and love it and I was interested in it as well. I had never tried it, or even really knew what it was like. So for my ten hour project I decided to take a yoga class here on campus. It was every Tuesday and Thursday nights as well as Saturday morning.

Yoga (Sanskrit, Pāli: योग, IAST: yóga, IPA: [joːgə]) refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India.[1] The word is associated with meditative practices in both Buddhism and Hinduism.[2][3] The goal of yoga may range from improving health to achieving Moksha. In Indian religions, Moksha (Sanskrit: मोक्ष mokṣa) or Mukti (Sanskrit: मुक्ति), literally "release" (both from a root muc "to let loose, let go"), is the liberation from samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth or reincarnation and all of the suffering and limitation of worldly existence (Wikipedia).

In the beginning my main reasons for doing yoga were first to be healthy, and second because I was curious about it. As the weeks went on I found that it truly was a source of release and an excellent way to find peace after a long day. I would go to yoga right after 6 hours of class and it would be so soothing. It pushed my physically in realms I’ve never been pushed in before. It also confirmed my belief that I’m quite possibly one of the least flexible people out there. The more I let myself go and really was engaged the more I got out of each session. At the beginning I thought that the breathing and things were not quite so necessary. However, after trying everything the best I could, I really improved. I loved the class and found that I really enjoy yoga. I in no means stopped after 10 hours and will continue to do yoga in the future.

Money Mastery Jeopardy!

Jeopardy Powerpoint

View more presentations from wildel.

Internet Safety

Reading:

• For my fourth article I read William C. Porter, “I Have a Question,” Ensign, Mar. 2001 that talked about what to do as a parent to have internet safetly in the house.


• The most important things I learned from the readings was to be aware. To know how to use filters, and teach children about the internet and that it is good but can be abused by some people and used for bad things.


• As a parent and teacher I will make sure my children know internet safetly. I will put my computer in a high traffic area and talk to my children about various internet safetly points. I want them to not be afraid of asking me anything.


• For my family and friends, I can simply encourage them to follow the same guidelines set out by church leaders about internet safety. It's important to stay up to date on technology, especially technology that our children and students are using.

Watching:

Watching the clips and personal accounts about identity and safety on the internet made it all much more real to me. It is so important that we take all the measures we can to help our children and students understand what is out there. We need to be aware adults and know what are children are up to.

Money Mastery!

My grade one class has been learning all about coins and their values, what they look like, how to add them, do problems with them, count them, etc. They finished their unit this week so I created a review jeopardy game all about coins. I used the school projector to play the game. The students really loved it and it was a great way to review. The teacher had never used the projector in the classroom so the students were especially interested. After I found out this was their first projector experience I wanted to use more technology and teach another lesson using technology.

Money Mastery!

The technology available to me in my cohort is a laptop and a projector that we can use in the classroom. I'm teaching grade one and the students are learning all about money, especially pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. For my technology lesson I compiled a "Money Mastery" jeopardy review game including facts and questions that will help the students with their money mastery. Since the unit is almost up it provides a good review opportunity as well as a little heathly competition while using technology.

Classroom Technology Inventory

In doing my classroom technology inventory I found that our classroom only has 1 computer for the teacher. It really isnt that good at all, the screen flashes the entire time and the moniter is hanging off the counter. It is also very slow. The only other technology I noticed in the classroom was an overhead projector. However after asking I was informed that there is a lap top that you can hook up to a projector in the room that the school shares. There are also video cameras available.

Sports Across the Country

Go to my google site Sports Across the Country for a virtual tour of the homes of successful sports teams in the past year.

This tour can help children learn about teamwork. This skill is emphasized in the state core

Standard 6
Students will value physical activity for health, enjoyment, challenge, self-expression, and/or social interaction.

Objective 2
Recognize that physical activity provides opportunities for challenge, enjoyment, self-expression, and social interaction.
Celebrate successes and achievements by self and others.
Participate in activities that are personally challenging and rewarding.
Identify appropriate risks in activity selection.
Appreciate how physical activity can provide social interaction among people of varying ability levels in team activities.
Understand the role of constructive criticism or feedback in learning.

Location	Activity	Google Earth Content
1.Citizens Bank Park, Philidelphia, PA	Who is your favourite player?	Picture
2.Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI	Watch movie clip	Picture
3. Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA	Go to photo gallery	Picture
4. TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA	Read an article	Picture
Details of image overlay / path / polygon:	There is an image overlay showing the inside view of Boston's home court.

TPACK
The content for this lesson deals with sports teams across the country. The tour takes you to the home of successful American sports teams in the past year.

Pedagogy: You could use this in a physical education lesson to talk about teamwork. It goes along with the state core Standard 6: Students will value physical activity for health, enjoyment, challenge, self-expression, and/or social interaction.Objective 2Recognize that physical activity provides opportunities for challenge, enjoyment, self-expression, and social interaction.Celebrate successes and achievements by self and others.Participate in activities that are personally challenging and rewarding.Identify appropriate risks in activity selection.Appreciate how physical activity can provide social interaction among people of varying ability levels in team activities.Understand the role of constructive criticism or feedback in learning.

The technology I will be using is google earth. I will make a virtual tour where students can follow my pinpoints and fly around the country. This is useful because it is engaging for the students. It helps them learn and explore technology as well.

Digital Storytelling

It's a little on the quiet side, make sure you crank it!

Living and Non-living

Living or Nonliving
Time Frame:1 class period that runs 30 minutes.
Group Size:Pairs
Summary:Students look for living and nonliving elements on the playground.
Main Curriculum Tie: Science - 3rd GradeStandard 2 Objective 1:Classify living and nonliving things in an environment.
Materials:For each group of 2:Yarn for circle, 1 1/2 ft. Hand lens Thermometer. Student drawn data chart
Background For Teachers:An organism's habitat is the specific place that an organism lives. All habitats contain living and nonliving elements. Animals and plants are common living elements. Rocks and soil are common nonliving elements. Soil is comprised of many living bacteria and organisms. For the purpose of this activity, it will be considered nonliving. Other nonliving parts of a habitat include temperature, humidity, amount of sunlight and shade, shelter from or exposure to wind, and air quality. All of these features influence how an organism lives. Living elements change to nonliving elements through natural and unnatural processes. An example of this would be a tree. It is living if it continues to grow, however, if it dies or is harvested and turned into paper, it is nonliving. A sheep is living and wool yarn is nonliving.
Student Prior Knowledge:This activity can begin study of living and non-living things in an environment.
Intended Learning Outcomes:1. Observe simple objects and patterns and report observations. 2. Conduct a simple investigation. 3. Sort and sequence data. 4. Distinguish between examples and non-examples.
Instructional Procedures:Step 1. List the characteristics of living (i.e., growth, movement, reproduction) and non-living things in an environment.
Step 2 On the overhead or chalkboard, make two vertical columns. Label the columns living and non-living. Tell the students that all things in their habitat fit into one of these two categories.
Step 3. Use these headings and have the students list things in the classroom environment, classifying them as either living or non-living. Discuss the characteristics that identify them this way. (The chalkboard can't reproduce so it is not living. The plants on the window grow so they must be living.)
Step 4. Have each group of two students draw a T chart like the one on the board and label the columns living and non-living. Give a yarn circle to each pair. Explain that each pair will use the yarn circle on the playground. They will place the yarn circle in an area (flower bed, sandbox, tree, grass) and will record the living and non-living things they find inside the yarn circle. They should find four living and four non-living things within the circle. If necessary, they may move their circle to other locations. If they have to move their circles to other locations, they must record their move on their data sheets. Generate a list of potential organisms that the students may find. Remind students that both plants and animals are living organisms and may be used in this field research.
Step 5. Model examples of some things that might be collected on the board or overhead. Remind students that an important rule of the data collection process includes the careful observation of the organism and its habitat. There should be no digging in the soil or uprooting of plants. Hand lenses and thermometers are valuable tools for this activity.
Step 6. Prior to going outside, have students predict if they will find more living or nonliving elements on the playground. Record this information on the board..
Step 7 Take the students outside and give them 10-15 minutes to observe their organisms and collect their data.
Step 8 Encourage students to ask questions about their observations. (Are there more organisms in the shade or sun? Do plants grow bigger in shady areas?)
Step 9. Return to the classroom and compare and compile the data the students collected. Compare the results obtained with student predictions.
Step 10 Discuss why and where they found more living elements. Were there areas that the number of living and nonliving elements were similar? Why? What were some of the interesting or unusual elements the students found in the areas? Were they natural or man-made?

Extensions:Students could take the questions they asked from their outdoor investigations and create a simple inquiry based hypothesis that could be answered with experimentation and data taking. For example, students who wonderred about plant growth in sunshine and shade could take soil and air temperatures in different locations and compare plant growth in those areas, coming to some simple conclusions.
Assessment Plan:Having each group create their own chart could be used for assessment. Each team member will need to be able to give reasons why their information is in the given colum using the science language for this topic.
Author:Jennifer Edwards
Created Date :Aug 08 2002 13:53 PM
In order to transfer information about living and non-living things from students working memory into their long-term memory I would use three strategies: concept map, loci method, and elaborative rehearsal.
Concept map:
The students will create a T-chart that will allow them to list living and non-living things. They will do this while they are on the playground finding the items, so everything will still be in their short-term memory. However making the list, and looking back on it will help them transfer their findings into their long-term memory.
Loci method:
This is a type of mnemonic link system based on places (locations) that allows you to remember long lists. In order to help students remember what is living and what is non-living I will have them use their sensory memory to make the list. They will picture themselves on the playground finding living and non-living things. So they will remember what something felt like, looked like, smelled like, etc in order to make their list. Categorizing according to location and senses will help reduce decay because anytime they are in one of those places or use their senses in the same way, they will remember living and non-living things.
Elaborative Rehearsal:
This is keeping information in working memory by associating it with something else you already know. In order to do this I will have the students use attention and perception in order to create skits about living and non-living things. They will use different stimuli and show why this helps to identify whether the object is living or nonliving.

Behaviourism

By increasing interaction with living and non-living things, students knowledge and understanding will increase.

Shaping is reinforcing each small step of progress toward a desired goal of behavior. It is important to not wait until the end product and then demand perfection, but rather to aid students along the way. I would include shaping in task analysis which means to break down a task hierarchically into basic skills. Together these would help the student achieve the desired result, while being reinforced they are doing the right steps to get there.

In this lesson plan I would assign a project where students would choose either a living or non-living thing. They would have to give information about it and prove why it was living or non-living, what is function is, etc. They would have to present their findings in a science fair type setting where they had the object and/or pictures of it, posters, demonstrations, etc.

In order to use shaping and task analysis we would first learn about living and non-living things and make sure we really knew the difference. Then children would select an object, decide if it was living or non-living and bring it to me for approval. Next we would talk about research methods and as a class begin to each research our objects. Then we would talk about what makes a good presentation and students would decide how they would present their object. Then we would actually have a day where each student presented what they chose and talked about it. By doing it in steps we don’t simply give the assignment and hope that they give us the finished product we are looking for.

Positive Reinforcement is strengthening behavior by presenting a desired stimulus after the behavior. We would play a trivia or jeopardy type game as a class and go over characteristics and examples of living and non-living things. If the students got an answer right they would be positively reinforced by “money” just like in jeopardy. If they got an answer wrong they would lose “money.” This is an example of negative/removal punishment which decreases the chances that a behavior will occur again by removing a pleasant stimulus.

I would also use positive practice in the jeopardy game. Positive practice is practicing the correct responses immediately after the error. So I would design the game so that if someone got it wrong, the other students would still ‘beep’ in and give the right answer for less points.



Constructivism

Assimiliation takes place when people use their existing schemes to make sense of events in their world. Assimilation involves trying to understand something new by fitting it into what we already know.

Accommodation occurs when a person must change existing schemes to respond to a new situation. If data cannot be made to fit any existing schemes, then more appropriate structures must be developed.

Disequilibrium- In Piaget’s theory, the ‘out-of-balance’ state that occurs when a person realizes that his or her current ways of thinking are not working to solve a problem or understand a situation.

In assimilation we adjust the information to fit our thinking, in accommodation we adjust our thinking to fit the information. Both assimilation and accommodation will be used in this lesson plan in the hook activity. The students are to categorize everything in their surrounding environment as either living or non living. When they don’t know an answer they will have disequilibrium in their thinking. When disequilibrium exists we become uncomfortable and motivated to search for a solution through assimilation or accommodation. In some cases they may use what they know about living and nonliving things to correctly categorize into their already existing schemas (assimilation). If they come across something that does not seem to fit existing schemas, they may have to alter their schemas (accommodation).

Schemas are basic structures for organizing information and concepts. Piaget identified three types of schemas: behavioural, symbolic, and operational.

Behavioural schemas are mental representations of physical actions. Infants using grasping, kicking and shaking schemas to explore and make sense of their environment. The students in this lesson will use behavioural schemas such as smelling, touching, listening, tasting to make sense of living or nonliving things.

An operation is a mental action; a mental manipulation carried out to solve a problem or to reason logically. Students will use operational schema to classify living an nonliving things when they are out on the playground.

Discovery learning is where students work on their own to discover basic principles. It is used in this lesson when the children go outside to discover living and nonliving things and why they are what they are. Children will touch, smell, and interact with their environment to come to conclusions.

Classification – grouping objects into categories- is an operation mastered in the concrete operational stage. For this 3rd grade lesson plan is a great place to focus on classification. The entire lesson is about classifying living and nonliving things. As a class we might go further in depth and talk about why a certain characteristic classifies an object as living or nonliving.



Social Constructivism

Cognitive apprenticeship is a relationship in which a less experienced learner acquires knowledge and skills under the guidance of an expert.

This can also be known as more knowledgeable other, where the one with the knowledge teaches and instructs the other. In this lesson I as the teacher will be the more knowledgeable other as I teach the students about living and non living things. At the start of the class we list things in a T chart as either living or non living. After the students learn what the difference is we correct them together. As the more knowledgeable other help guide them in this activity.

Cultural tools are the real tools (computers, scales, etc.) and symbol systems (numbers, language, graphs) that allow people in society to communicate, think, solve problems, and create knowledge. Using a T chart to sort living and non living things would be an example of symbols. As well students could use computers and resource books to further investigate and find examples of living and non living things. I may have them take pictures of what they find outside and make a presentation in which they would need to use cultural tools.

Zone of proximal development is a phase at which a child can master a task if given appropriate help and support. In this lesson as a class we discussed and decided what is living and non living. Without my support and instruction the students would not have known how to differentiate the two. However by guiding them and not straight out giving the answers, I help them to come to the right conclusions.

Scaffolding according to Vygotsky is support for learning and problem solving. The support could be clues, reminders, encouragement, breaking the problem down into steps, providing an example, or anything else that allows the student to grow as an independent learner. So first off in the lesson we look at examples of living and non living things and try to categorize them as such. In order to do that we break down living and non living and decide what each of those terms mean. Using that basis we can draw conclusions and inferences first together as to what is living and non living. As the lesson goes on the students themselves will be able to correctly categorize without near as much help as they had at the start.

The relationship of the learner and the more knowledgeable other is a gradual release of responsibility. The knowledgeable other provides models, demonstrations, and corrections, as well as a person bond that is motivating. The performances required of the learner are real and important and grow more complex as the learner becomes more competent. The learner receives scaffolding and external support from the other. In this lesson I first really help the students, and am a major assistance in guiding them to the right answers. As the lesson goes on and they learn the concepts in a variety of ways they become more responsible for their knowledge. They don’t need so much help from me.

Storyboard

Here's our storyboard for the 12 days of Christmas..

Here's our lesson Plan:-Discuss what traditions are, how the differ around the world and what traditions still exist today-Introduce traditional songs (specifically Christmas)-Have students draw and color the various days of Christmas (1-12)-Have students scan in their pictures and order them according to the song using Windows MovieMaker-Record students singing the song and add it to the movie (this will help students learn about the poem nature of song lyrics)

Technology aspects:- this project allows students to explore movie making, scanning and collaborative with digital storytelling.- Technology benefits this project because it allows for a smooth transition between pages and can be set to the timing of the song.

Pedagogy aspects:-This is an example of illustrating an existing song (traditional song; add-on song)-This exemplifies nurturing pedagogy because it allows children to be creative, contribute to the project and add variety to assignments.

Content aspects:This movie fulfills the following core standard objective:- Standard 1Oral Language-Students develop language for the purpose of effectively communicating through listening, speaking, viewing, and presenting.- Objective 2Develop language through viewing media and presenting.a. Identify specific purpose(s) for viewing media (i.e., to identify main idea and details, to gain information, distinguish between fiction/nonfiction).b. Use a variety of formats (e.g., show and tell, drama, sharing of books and personal writings, choral readings, informational reports, retelling experiences and stories in sequence) in presenting with various forms of media.This is a fun way to teach media to children in the context of a fun, familiar song.

TPACK Questions

The content I am focusing on in my science lesson is is about the tilt of the earth and how it rotates. Because of both these things we get different constellations in different seasons. I am using stellarium and it is a good fit with the content because there are many different features that allow you to explore different features of the night sky. Stellarium is also entertaining and allows children the opportunity to explore and see constellations that they might not be able to see otherwise.

The Tech Savvy Teacher Uses Stellarium!!!

Utah Core Curriculum-Grade Three


Objective 2 Describe the movement of Earth and the moon and the apparent movement of other bodies through the sky.

Describe the motions of Earth (i.e., the rotation [spinning] of Earth on its axis, the revolution [orbit] of Earth around the sun).
Use a chart to show that the moon orbits Earth approximately every 28 days.
Use a model of Earth to demonstrate that Earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours to produce the night and day cycle.
Use a model to demonstrate why it seems to a person on Earth that the sun, planets, and stars appear to move across the sky.
Science language
students should use:
model, orbit, sphere, moon, axis, rotation, revolution, appearance

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/images/imageshtml/earth-tilt.gif

The Tech Savvy Teacher Explores the Night Sky


We all go to school during the day, when the sun is out. How, then, can our students have a real-life experience observing the night sky at school? Our class found the answer using a brand-new technology tool called Stellarium. This program is another great reason to be a Tech Savvy Teacher!
As part of our unit on space and the solar system, our class has been learning about the rotation and revolution of the earth and moon. Because of the tilt of the earths’ axis, we have not only seasons, but seasonal constellations in the night sky as well. This phenomenon is difficult to observe at school—unless you have the help of a handy tool like Stellarium. Using Stellarium, our class first observed the rotation of the earth around the sun in both normal time and fast motion. Next, we saw how our position on Earth affected our view of the night sky.

http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/~barnes/ast110_06/ea/01p7a.jpg

The best part of our classroom space exploration, however, was watching the apparent movement of the constellations across the night sky throughout the year. From our paper star charts, we noted that certain constellations are visible during the night only at certain times of the year.



Image from stellarium

We got to see the constellations in action as we fast-forwarded through time in Stellarium. With the click of a mouse, we visited the constellations of the summer sky, such as Lyra and Ophiuchus.

Image from Stellarium

Next, the constellations visible on a winter evening appeared for our viewing pleasure, and we watched Canis Major follow Orion across the sky.

Image from Stellarium

Stellarium even showed us the different constellation images superimposed on the stars, so we got to see how the abstract groups of stars represented pictures of people, animals, and objects.
The program Stellarium brought the night sky into our classroom in broad daylight. Our class traveled through time and even turned off the light of the sun using this handy-dandy technology. Try using Stellarium for your own space unit. It will take you on a grand tour of the sky!

Observational Learning Report

Once I knew about this assignment of observing a teacher I began to really notice how my teachers presented their material and what strategies they used. I really paid attention to what I liked and what I didn’t like. I also tried to notice what classes I was more likely to participate in and which classes I was more likely to sit in the back quietly. As the week went on I realized that I really enjoyed one certain teacher’s strategies and style of teaching.

This class starts at 7:30 A.M. So as we all walk into class, this teacher has an extra duty to wake us up and get us excited and actively participating. I feel like she does such a great job in this. When we walk into class the day’s schedule is written up on the board. It is organized chronologically as well as including different symbols. There is a symbol that means “definition” and one for “A activities.” (I like that the symbols are on the board so we know where to record them in our notes. It keeps us so organized.) So when we look at the board we know when we’re going to do an activity, learn a definition, watch a video, or anything else that we will do that day. I think this is such a great strategy because it helps both the teacher and the students to know exactly what to expect.

Another great teaching strategy this professor does in general is keeping us actively engaged. We are always doing hands on activities, moving around, playing games, using props, media, and a variety of ways to learn the material. I learn the material way better if I am applying it in some way rather than simply being lectured to. For children especially this is so important. I also enjoy class so much more when I am involved in the learning.

The class is about multicultural education, especially English Language Learners (ELL). I don’t know much about this topic and I really enjoy the way the information is presented to us in so many forms. We do activities, listen to lectures, read articles, listen to radio clips, watch movie clips, have class discussions, talk about different scenarios, answer each other’s questions, and the list goes on. I think this variety is such a good way to present the material. As a teacher presenting this material or any other class, I feel that it is such a good idea to teach using such diversity.

SPACE PACK

This week we learned a new term: TPCK. This stands for technological, pedagogical, content knowledge. As a teacher it is very important to have all three types of knowledge. We can use technology to become a way more exciting and efficient teacher! In class we used temperature probes that plugged right into the USB port. By warming up and cooling down the probe we made letters and tried to write our name. We also were introduced to other science programs like stellarium that will be great resources to use in the classroom. 

New Teacher Tools!

This week we learned about RSS feeds and web 2.0 tools. I was particularly interested in the RSS feeds! Rather than searching for the same things on the internet everyday, we can set up our blogs so the information from our favourite websites comes right to us! I also liked the goodreads and the delicious sites. As a teacher this is such a great way to share information with other teachers. Also you could set up a goodreads website for your class and see what books the students are reading at home. All of these tools will be so good to have as a teacher!

Once Upon a Time

This is my very first experience with blogs! I am super excited to learn all about blogs and other technological advances. As of right now my technological use includes email, of course facebook, a lot of google, wikipedia, youtube, the byu website, and any other random and interesting places I find myself intrigued by.