Blog Post #5 Part 2

Final Summary of My PLN
Before EDM310, I did not realize the importance of having a Personal Learning Network (PLN). Now, I know how to expand my PLN and how resourceful it can be. Through my blog alone, I have been able to connect with so many of my EDM310 classmates. Because of our C4C assignments, we are able to help one another and connect through our blogs. The C4T and C4K assignments have also been very helpful in terms of building my PLN. By commenting on teacher/student blogs and sharing the link to my blog, I have been able to communicate with teachers and students all around the world. The more contacts you make, the better and more useful your PLN will be. Another way I have expanded my PLN is through Twitter. Through Twitter, I have connected with classmates and educators all around the world. Twitter is a great way to receive instant information and feedback. I definitely need to be more active on Twitter, but I see the potential it has for growing my PLN. As a future teacher, I think Twitter will be extremely beneficial. YouTube is another tool I have used in EDM310 to expand my PLN. YouTube has the ability to reach a wide range of people. By sharing my videos for EDM310 on YouTube and my blog, I have received lots of views and feedback. I hope my PLN continues to grow, and I'm glad we were able to learn about this great tool in EDM310.

C4T #4

Mrs. Sandi's Rubber Boots and Elf Shoes

Comment 1: "Poppies for Remembrance Day"
My final C4T is Mrs. Sandi, who is a Kindergarten teacher in Canada. The first post I commented on was titled "Poppies for Remembrance Day." Each year, Mrs. Sandi's students discuss why they wear poppies on Remembrance Day. She explains the significance of wearing poppies in honor of those who risk their lives so we can live in peace. Mrs. Sandi let her students make their own poppies by using red and black finger paint. In my comment, I introduced myself and explained the comments we do in EDM310. I also expressed how much I loved the poppy projects and the sweet lesson about Remembrance Day. At the end of my comment, I left the links to my blog and the class blog. Mrs. Sandi replied to my comment, and she explained how working with your hands helps you learn concepts as a young child. I will share Mrs. Sandi's photo of the poppies below.

Comment 2: "Starry Night Sensory Tray"
For my second post, I left a comment on Mrs. Sandi's post titled "Starry Night Sensory Tray." She created a sensory tray for her students containing blue and purple decorative sand, glass gems, plastic jewels, turquoise prisms, yellow gems, and silver bead garlands. Mrs. Sandi and her class have been talking about Van Gogh's "Starry Night" painting, and the sensory tray was a perfect representation of the painting. In my comment, I told Mrs. Sandi how much I love this activity. I also mentioned how simple, yet beautiful the sensory tray is. At the end of my comment, I thanked her for sharing. I will share Mrs. Sandi's photo of the sensory tray below.

Blog Post #14

In Albert Klein's Teaching Can Be a Profession, he states that teaching should be professionalized and treated with more respect. I could not agree more with Klein, because I think teaching is a very underrated profession.

To professionalize teaching, the following problems must be addressed:
-Academic training for prospective teachers
-Approach to recruiting teachers
-How teachers are rewarded
-Job Security
-Seniority

The first problem, which Klein addresses, is the academic training for prospective teachers. In his article, Klein includes a recent report from the National Center on Teacher Quality. The report found that 23 states cannot claim a teaching education program that provides solid math preparation, and fewer than 20% of training programs can equip candidates in the basics of reading instruction. These statistics completely blew me away. Educators should be fully prepared and trained before they are allowed to educate young minds. Does this mean that teachers should know the answers to everything? No. Should teachers have better training to become more successful educators? Yes. So, how do we provide better academic training? The NCQT Teacher Prep Review suggests that we should discard our system of ratings and provide a system of rankings. This new system would raise the bar for academic standards among teachers and provide more, well-trained educators.

The second problem Klein addresses is the approach to teacher recruitment. Currently, anyone who receives a college degree in education is qualified to teach. In a Washington Post article, Sandra Feldman suggests that the U.S. should adopt the same approach as Singapore, Finland, and South Korea. In these three countries, the system is much more selective. Only the top third of each graduating class are recruited into the school system. Yes, it is a way to cut out "mediocre" teachers, but I think problems will arise with this system. I do believe those who work hard should be rewarded, and those who don't should not be given the same amount of credit. But, I don't necessarily think that there should be a cut off or percentage of students recruited. Whose right is it to determine how many people can be recruited? There might be a really bright student who barely missed the top third cut off range. I don't think it's a fair system. I agree that the process should be more selective, and the program should be held to a higher standard. I just think the selection process should be done differently. Rather than selecting a set percentage of students based on class rank, I think each student should be carefully evaluated.

The next few problems Klein addresses go hand in hand. To professionalize teaching, there must be a change in the way teachers are rewarded, seniority, and job security. Klein says that teachers are "interchangeable." Because of this, he explains that the only fair way to make distinctions is by basing everything off of seniority. This creates a problem, because time does not measure performance quality. For instance, a teacher who has been in the system for ten years is not necessarily a better teacher than someone who has only been in the system for five. It simply means they have more experience. Klein made a very true statement when he said, "Job security and seniority dictate the way our schools operate." Job security is a huge problem in the teaching profession. Teachers are laid off based on the amount of time he/she has been in the school system, rather than their performance level. At the same time, there's really no incentive to increase performance, which is a serious problem. Teachers are given the same pay, regardless of how great of a teacher he/she might be. This article discusses the teaching salary, and it also explains why teachers should be paid differently. All of these problems make it practically impossible to get rid of an incompetent teacher. Once you are tenured, your job is basically set in stone. Albert Shanker, one of the most influential teachers-union leaders, explains that a radical change has to take place in order for these problems to be solved.

I think Klein pointed out some great issues in his article. I completely agree that all of these problems need to be addressed in order to better the teaching profession. After reading this article, I see why so many people think becoming a teacher is so "easy." I don't think educators are given enough credit, and I am hopeful that this will change one day. Great teachers should receive the recognition they deserve.

C4K Summary for November

C4K #8: Breena
Breena was my first C4K assignment for the month of November. She attends Brampton School, and she is in Mr. Wigmore's class. Breena's post was titled "The Cursed Sculpture." She wrote a story about her and her friend, Chloe. It was about a sculpture she saw when she was eating smores with her friend by a fire. I commented and introduced myself. I explained how we comment in EDM310. I told her that I enjoyed reading her story, and encouraged her to keep up the good work with her blog posts. At the end of my comment, I left the links to my blog and the class blog.

C4K #9: Amaya C.
Amaya is a student in Mrs. Mena's 5th grade class. She lives in Chula Vista, CA. Amaya's blog post was about Compare and Contrast. In her post, she compared and contrasted herself with her mom. She shared many of their similarities and differences. In my comment, I introduced myself and explained how we leave comments in EDM310. I told Amaya how great her post was. I also told her a few similarities and differences between my mom and me. I encouraged her to keep up the good work and wished her good luck with the rest of her school year. At the end of my comment, I left the links to my blog and the class blog.

C4K #10: Veteran's Day Holiday- No C4K this week!

C4K #11: Emily
Emily was my final C4K for the month of November. She attends Kingsland Middle School in Kingsland, MN, and she is in Mrs. DeBuhr's 6th grade class. I commented on her 1st Quarter Review blog post. In her post, she talked about the many different things she has already learned this year. For example, she listed vocabulary words and National Days, such as Teddy Bear Day, National Dessert Day, and Elephant Appreciation Day. She also wrote a little story using a vocabulary word in her post. She discussed one of her goals, which is to read 40 books by the end of the year. At the end of her post, she asked the reader to leave a comment about his/her own goals. In my comment, I told her one of my goals and encouraged her to keep up the good work with her reading goal. I also introduced myself and discussed EDM310. I wrote about how I enjoyed her story, and I also mentioned how much she already seems to know after just one quarter. At the end of my comment, I left Emily the links to my blog and the class blog.

Blog Post #13

Instructions

What educational apps are available to us as teachers? In EDM310, we have thoroughly discussed the benefits of iPads in the classroom. Find at least five educational apps for the grade you desire to teach, and summarize them in your blog post. Answer the question in a post that adheres to the standards found in the ACCRS and in Writing A Quality Blog Post.

My Post

My dream job is to teach Kindergarten. I think Kindergarten is a great age, because they are so eager to learn. Assuming I will have iPad access in my classroom, I hope to have a center set up where my students can play and learn from different apps. Thanks to Top Ten Kindergarten Apps for Little Learners and this blog post, I have discovered many new apps available for Kindergarten students. I will summarize my favorites below.

1) Sight Words List- Learn to Read Flash Cards and Games
I will definitely be using this app in my classroom. It allows you to create your own word list for flashcards, and it also provides pre-made, age appropriate lists. In Kindergarten, children are learning to read and focus on sight words. With this app, students would be able to improve their reading skills at their own pace.

2) Word Wagon
This is another app that will improve reading skills. It is a game where animated animals reinforce spelling words visually and verbally. It deals with phonics and combining different letters to make new sounds. I had never heard of this app before, but I think Kindergarteners would love it. It's a fun game for them to play, and they learn something along the way!

3) Teach Me: Kindergarten
Teach Me: Kindergarten is a fun app specifically designed for Kindergarteners. The purpose is to enhance early math and spelling skills. This app offers age appropriate learning activities, where the kids can earn "rewards" for correct answers. I researched this app, and it has great reviews. I think this would be a great app for my Kindergarteners to use.

4) Grow Your Garden
Grow Your Garden is an adorable app where students can work on their mental addition and subtraction skills. In order for your garden to grow, you must correctly answer different addition and subtraction problems. When a plant receives enough water, it moves to a virtual garden to keep track of the child's progress. I think this app would be a very fun and engaging way for students to learn math.

5) Toca Store
Toca Store is an interactive game that teaches children about spending money. Students are able to put their playful imaginations to the test and create their own virtual store. Through this app, they are able to be creative and work on their math skills at the same time.

Project #12 SMARTBoard Part B

Blog Post #12

What assistive technologies are available to us as teachers?
Robin Hinson and I collaborated on Blog Post #12. Together, we found different assistive technologies available to us as teachers, and we organized our information into a Google slide presentation.

C4T #3

Mr. Kaechele "Concrete Classroom"

Comment 1: How to Get Students to Own their Learning.
Mr. Mike Kaechele is a high school Social Studies teacher in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is a strong supporter of Project Based Learning, and he wants his students to be in the driver's seat of their education. The first post of Mr. Kaechele's that I commented on was about how we can help our students take control of their own learning. He discusses "The Water Project," which is a project he did with his class, and you can read about it here. So, how do we get our students to own their learning? Mr. Kaechele says, "Challenge them with real work for real people for a real purpose." He believes we, as teachers, should get out of the way and allow our students to take control. In my comment, I introduced myself and talked about EDM310. I thanked him for sharing his project, and I also discussed how important it is to have meaningful projects. I explained how much we are learning through EDM310 about Project Based Learning, and I expressed how much I enjoyed looking over his project and blog.

Comment 2: #MyParty14 Results
Mr. Kaechele's students participated in a project dealing with the political process. Each student created their own political party based on issues that mattered to them. You can read all about the project here. The top ten commercials of the school were shown to local congressmen, along with a stump speech. Mr. Kaechele's students came in second place for the statewide competition, but his class was able to get excited about politics and issues that matter. In my comment, I told Mr. Kaechele how much I enjoyed reading the post and watching his students' commercials and speeches. I also shared that it was a great way to get students excited and involved in the political process. I explained how I would have loved to do something like this when I was in school. I thought this project was a great way for Mr. Kaechele to show his students that they do have a voice.

Project #10 Interview

Blog Post #11

What can we learn about teaching and learning from these teachers?

Back to the Future
I found this video very encouraging. I have often wondered how difficult it would be to teach children who are second language learners. After watching this video, I believe I will be just as capable teaching second language learners as students who primarily speak English. In the video, Brian Crosby discusses different activities he does with his students. I personally loved the balloon activity. I thought it was a very fun and creative way to teach students about pressure. Mr. Crosby uses Blogger, Wiki, and other online resources in his class to engage his students. They are able to use technology to connect with people all over the world and to improve their language skills at the same time.

Blended Learning Cycle
I had never heard of the Blended Learning Cycle before watching this video. I learned that it takes the compelling parts of online, mobile, and classroom learning to blend them all together in a classroom. Paul Anderson explains Blended Learning Cycle by using the acronym "QUIVER." This stands for question, investigation/inquiry, video, elaboration, review, and summary quiz. Mr. Anderson does a great job incorporating technology into his teaching. I really like the Blending Learning teaching style, and I hope to use it in my classroom someday.

Making Thinking Visible
Mark Church explains how his students create headlines for driving questions in this video. I think this is an interesting way to make students think and enjoy learning. Once the students have researched their topic more in depth, Church asks them if they would change anything about their headlines. It's a great way for teachers to see what their students have learned.

Sam Pane 4th Grade
In this video, Sam Pane's students create digital superheroes who protect the internet from hackers and cyber bullying. I think this is a very fun way to teach internet safety. The students discussed safe and unsafe internet situations with Mr. Pane. Then, they were able to create their superheroes on the computer. It was very obvious how excited the students were about creating their own projects. I definitely want to use this idea to promote internet safety in my classroom.

Project Based Learning
In this video, three different teachers discuss how they have restructured a typical day in their classrooms in order to incorporate Project Based Learning. Rather than going to three different classrooms for three different subjects, the students stay in one classroom all day. One teacher shares that the students are able to bring content to life by using technology. The teachers say that their students learn so much more because they are given more time to teach them. This was a new concept to me, because none of my classes were set up this way. At first, I thought it would never work. After watching the entire video, I see that it is a very interesting and effective teaching style.

Roosevelt Elementary's PBL Program
Throughout EDM310, I have learned so much about Project Based Learning. Roosevelt Elementary is a true testament to what PBL is all about. At Roosevelt Elementary, they teach their students how to become independent learners. They are taught at a young age how to think and speak for themselves. They ar able to collaborate and learn many other social skills that will help them throughout life. I think Project Based Learning is a great way to get students excited about learning. Roosevelt Elementary definitely proves this in the video.

Project #14- Project Based Learning Plan 2

Group 3 TT11

"Zoo Animals" Project Design Overview
Project Calendar
Project Rubric

We used the PBL Essential Elements Checklist to evaluate our project.