As I have started to teach a unit about space that I have taught several times before, I would like to redesign the unit to include more real world problems that my students can relate to. The students need to be able to share differences in the planets, talk about revolution and rotation and the changes they cause, and the moon's relationship with Earth. One area that I have explored to help my students relate is to investigate which planet would be the next best place for us to create a civilization.
In my search for supplemental activities, I have found that the information online varies greatly when it comes to measurements and information due to the problem of making accurate measurements. This is an obstacle when sending students online to find information. I will have to search and direct students toward certain sites to help them get accurate information. For example, I have been using the NASA website due to the fact that it seems to be up-to-date with newest findings.
One question that I have that I will be working on is continuing to facilitate the project while ensuring that students are finding accurate information and recording it correctly. One area that may get in the way is the difference in measurement styles, such as miles and kilometers. During class we will have to discuss the differences and why the two types are used in the same measurement.
Well, I am off to bring more real-life problems to help my students understand an abstract subject of space and the vastness of what we are talking about. As we started talking about planets for the first time today, the students were asked which planet was the largest in the solar system and a student replied that Earth was the biggest. We have a lot to learn about space, so off on our adventure we go.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Revisiting the GAME plan
Looking back since I started my GAME plan, I have made some progress and hit a few obstacles along the way. To start with, I have been looking for real world situations that can help my students relate with US history covered in fifth grade and using those to bridge prior knowledge and new material. As I have searched for virtual field trips and webquests, I have found a few that will work well with future units. However, I have not been as successful with my current lesson on the Vikings exploration. Time has played a big factor in this new endeavor. Maybe it's that time of the year, or maybe my searches have not been focused to include what I am really looking for. I have found a few sources, but they are not what I am looking for or do not cover the content in our curriculum.
So far in my search, I have found that there are some high quality sources and then there are some that leave a lot to be desired. With these two areas, one is ready to be used in the classroom immediately and the other would require more time that seems to be in a shortage currently. A few of the sources I have visited recently could be a great source with some time to bring them up-to-date.
The questions that has arisen with meeting the GAME plan is what is worth more: using a project that is well put together, but doesn't cover exactly what I am looking for; or adjusting or building on a project that is fair but covers the content.
Recently, I used a virtual field trip with a small group of students. I was very impressed with what the group could recall about what they viewed and the information that was covered. It was encouraging to add more to the curriculum for the students to experience and help build connections to their own prior knowledge.
So far in my search, I have found that there are some high quality sources and then there are some that leave a lot to be desired. With these two areas, one is ready to be used in the classroom immediately and the other would require more time that seems to be in a shortage currently. A few of the sources I have visited recently could be a great source with some time to bring them up-to-date.
The questions that has arisen with meeting the GAME plan is what is worth more: using a project that is well put together, but doesn't cover exactly what I am looking for; or adjusting or building on a project that is fair but covers the content.
Recently, I used a virtual field trip with a small group of students. I was very impressed with what the group could recall about what they viewed and the information that was covered. It was encouraging to add more to the curriculum for the students to experience and help build connections to their own prior knowledge.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
On with the GAME plan
In my previous post, I discussed my GAME plan for bringing more real-world problems and examples to my classroom in social studies lessons. As I continue to work toward this goal and enhance my lessons, I will update the progress as the process continues.
In order to move forward in my GAME plan, I need to look at the resources that will be necessary to move forward in the process. One important resource that will be needed will be different real-world situations that I my students can relate to in order to help them understand history. It is tough for ten-year-olds to relate to Marco Polo leaving home and walking thousands of miles to explore and find spices. When I take this and talk about the reasons that my students would be willing to leave their homes to walk for years, they start to relate with Marco Polo. Researching these ideas, and in talking to my students, I can bring more ways to understand what happened 'way back then'.
Next, I need to start looking at lessons to come and start relating new concepts to ideas my students understand and make connections with the ideas. As I look ahead, I am looking for ideas on how to relate the scale of the Milky Way galaxy and the planets that make up our solar system for science. The explorers in social studies are also on my radar of real-world scenarios.
-Melissa
In order to move forward in my GAME plan, I need to look at the resources that will be necessary to move forward in the process. One important resource that will be needed will be different real-world situations that I my students can relate to in order to help them understand history. It is tough for ten-year-olds to relate to Marco Polo leaving home and walking thousands of miles to explore and find spices. When I take this and talk about the reasons that my students would be willing to leave their homes to walk for years, they start to relate with Marco Polo. Researching these ideas, and in talking to my students, I can bring more ways to understand what happened 'way back then'.
Next, I need to start looking at lessons to come and start relating new concepts to ideas my students understand and make connections with the ideas. As I look ahead, I am looking for ideas on how to relate the scale of the Milky Way galaxy and the planets that make up our solar system for science. The explorers in social studies are also on my radar of real-world scenarios.
-Melissa
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Technology Standards
Recently, I spent time on the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) web site set-up to enhance digital learning and use of technology in the classroom. One section of the site is made for teachers and the technology standards called National Education Standards for Teacher (NETS-T). There are five separate standards for teachers for encouraging and teaching safe, effective use of technology.
As I read through the standards, I found some areas that I use effectively and some areas that I can continue to work on to enhance my teaching. The two areas I have picked to focus my GAME plan (see below) on include “engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources” and “design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity”.
GAME plan (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009)
Goal-
Action-
Montoring-
Evaluation-
Goal- My goal is to design lessons that explore real-world problems and are relevant to my students' lives and their learning.
Action- In order to meet my goal, I plan to re-evaluate the lessons in my classroom to incorporate these skills for my students. I also plan to research and evaluate problems that incorporate more real-world situations that my students can relate to with their prior knowledge. I will be using internet sources and technology programs to enhance the lessons taught. Some examples of these might be virtual field trips or webquests.
Monitoring- I will be monitoring my goal through discussions with my students and reviewing previous lessons with my students to find their understanding of the current curriculum.
Evaluating- At the end of the unit, our district requires the testing of the standards covered during that unit which will allow me to evaluate more formally the progress using real-world problems and situations in social studies.
-Melissa
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
ISTE | NETS for Teachers 2008. (n.d.). International Society for Technology in Education | Home. Retrieved November 12, 2009, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_for_Teachers_2008.htm
As I read through the standards, I found some areas that I use effectively and some areas that I can continue to work on to enhance my teaching. The two areas I have picked to focus my GAME plan (see below) on include “engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources” and “design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity”.
GAME plan (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009)
Goal-
Action-
Montoring-
Evaluation-
Goal- My goal is to design lessons that explore real-world problems and are relevant to my students' lives and their learning.
Action- In order to meet my goal, I plan to re-evaluate the lessons in my classroom to incorporate these skills for my students. I also plan to research and evaluate problems that incorporate more real-world situations that my students can relate to with their prior knowledge. I will be using internet sources and technology programs to enhance the lessons taught. Some examples of these might be virtual field trips or webquests.
Monitoring- I will be monitoring my goal through discussions with my students and reviewing previous lessons with my students to find their understanding of the current curriculum.
Evaluating- At the end of the unit, our district requires the testing of the standards covered during that unit which will allow me to evaluate more formally the progress using real-world problems and situations in social studies.
-Melissa
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
ISTE | NETS for Teachers 2008. (n.d.). International Society for Technology in Education | Home. Retrieved November 12, 2009, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_for_Teachers_2008.htm
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Final Thoughts for EDUC 6712
As Educ 6712 comes to a close, I am reflecting on what was learned and how that has affected my teaching. The literacy skills of the past, reading and writing, have evolved into the skills that our children will need to be successful in the future. With the amount of information available to everyone today, the skills have gone from reading to finding, analyzing, summarizing, synthesizing of information. Students need to filter through information, decide what is useful, and turn it into a product to be share. Inquiry is the direction we are taking to help students practice and master these skills.
Inquiry allows a student to take what they are interested in and turning it into a project to share with others, turning their learning into an opportunity to also practice communication skill that will be crucial in future careers. The assignment that was designed during the course of this class will allow my students to meet state standards in several areas while research a person of their choice. They will need to have opportunities to learn and practice these new literacy skills. The logistics of teaching the new literacy skills will require extra time in the computer lab and time during technology class to prior to the start of the research project.
My goal for the use of new literacy skills is to examine each unit that I currently teach and give my students a place to practice or use these skills. I will be, in fact, starting two new units this week in science and social studies and will have the chance to look at both. I have made a list of the new literacy skills to have on my desk while I am planning so that I can embed the skills as I do my lesson planning for the unit. I have shared this list with my colleagues so that as we are planning together in other areas we can ensure our students have chances to use the skills.
-Melissa
Inquiry allows a student to take what they are interested in and turning it into a project to share with others, turning their learning into an opportunity to also practice communication skill that will be crucial in future careers. The assignment that was designed during the course of this class will allow my students to meet state standards in several areas while research a person of their choice. They will need to have opportunities to learn and practice these new literacy skills. The logistics of teaching the new literacy skills will require extra time in the computer lab and time during technology class to prior to the start of the research project.
My goal for the use of new literacy skills is to examine each unit that I currently teach and give my students a place to practice or use these skills. I will be, in fact, starting two new units this week in science and social studies and will have the chance to look at both. I have made a list of the new literacy skills to have on my desk while I am planning so that I can embed the skills as I do my lesson planning for the unit. I have shared this list with my colleagues so that as we are planning together in other areas we can ensure our students have chances to use the skills.
-Melissa
Sunday, June 28, 2009
EDUC 6711- Coming to a close
Nine learning theories and several new technologies later, we have come to the end of Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. We have discussed, learned, and reviewed the theories that were learned in college. Several of those theories have been an integral part of my teaching that I did not even realize they were there. A few had been set aside to survive the first years of teaching only to be renewed and worked back into everyday life as we discussed their benefits yet again.
The difference with the learning theories this time around was that they were connected with technologies to be integrated into the curriculum and enhance the learning of my students. One of those new technologies that I plan to use in the upcoming school year is the VoiceThread (www.voicethread.com). This program combines the visual presentation of ideas with the ability to interact with the topic at hand. I can create a 'slide show' about the events leading to the Revolutionary War and my students can add comments about what they have learned and ideas about why this was a significant event in the war. The program has many practical applications that can be used with or without the teacher present, creating an activity where the student is constructing their own knowledge with a guide to get them started (Orey, 2001)
Another piece of technology that we explored during this course was through a web site called Webspiration (www.webspiration.com). The site allows the user to create a concept map of a topic and then share it with those who are invited to view/edit the document. The concept mapping allows one to organize their thoughts and create pathways interconnecting those ideas (Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, & Pitler, 2007). The map could be shared with students during a lesson, or better yet, the students could build their own concept map of the material covered to organize their own thoughts.
For integrating the new technology learned into classroom practice, my goals include the use of two strategies covered in the material presented as known to improve student learning. The first goal stems from the tool that is shown to make the biggest difference in student learning; finding similarities and differences (Laureate, 2008) I plan to have my students use this strategy throughout the year. For example, find the similarities and differences for: the four Minnesota biomes, the soldiers in the Revolutionary War, the reasons that explorers came to the new world, etc.
The second strategy that I would like to incorporate in my teaching in the future is to use non-linguistic representations. Teaching science and social studies for my team, I introduce many vocabulary words that are not commonly used words for ten-year olds. I plane to leave a wall open to add words to throughout the year. The words would be clearly stated at the top and would accompanied by pictures that would help explain the word to give the students a visual to connect with the word (Laureate, 2008).
As I build my 'bag of technology tricks' I find myself thinking about where this could fit in my class. As it is always said, 'the possibilities are endless'. I can not wait to add more to my bag and practice using the ones I already inside.
-Mel.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program eleven. Instructional Strategies [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Thursday, June 4, 2009
As the last day of the school year is upon us, the learning continues. My students are cleaning out their desks and I am looking for a way to try out a program new to me before they leave. I did some experimenting this week with an online resource called Voice Threads, a way for students to communicate their ideas on a certain topic. I went looking for advice from my students on Voicethread.com to pass on to future fifth graders and found a program that has potential to take on many topics. I would like to produce some voice threads for next school year over the summer and get a better taste of the program over the summer.
My voice thread: http://voicethread.com/share/527452/
The voice thread's communication and interactive nature brings us to looking at the social learning theory and how it is used in today's classroom. Social learning theory is learning from and with others (Orey, 2001). I think we use this type of learning more often than we think we do. For example, my cookies are coming out of the oven flat and very chewy and 2 dozen ready for treats in the lounge tomorrow. What do I do? I call Mom. If that strategy fails, I move to another family member to help, or I move to the internet where I can get a Yahoo Answer from all over the country on how to fix my cookies. Socially, we seek the communication of others to enhance our own knowledge.
In the classroom, this translates into all areas of the curriculum. Teachers need to keep in mind that students will always be communicating with others, technologically or not. The skills needed to be successful in that communication are taught and practiced daily in schools. Students working in groups and safe social situations allow them to experiment with, practice, and hone the skills that they will need for life. As a teacher, I feel that I need to set-up those safe situations and monitor to ensure that they are working and supporting the students with curriculum and social skills.
Well, now that I have an answer to those cookies, I should probably get them out of the oven before they burn!
-Mel.
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved <6-4-09>, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
My voice thread: http://voicethread.com/share/527452/
The voice thread's communication and interactive nature brings us to looking at the social learning theory and how it is used in today's classroom. Social learning theory is learning from and with others (Orey, 2001). I think we use this type of learning more often than we think we do. For example, my cookies are coming out of the oven flat and very chewy and 2 dozen ready for treats in the lounge tomorrow. What do I do? I call Mom. If that strategy fails, I move to another family member to help, or I move to the internet where I can get a Yahoo Answer from all over the country on how to fix my cookies. Socially, we seek the communication of others to enhance our own knowledge.
In the classroom, this translates into all areas of the curriculum. Teachers need to keep in mind that students will always be communicating with others, technologically or not. The skills needed to be successful in that communication are taught and practiced daily in schools. Students working in groups and safe social situations allow them to experiment with, practice, and hone the skills that they will need for life. As a teacher, I feel that I need to set-up those safe situations and monitor to ensure that they are working and supporting the students with curriculum and social skills.
Well, now that I have an answer to those cookies, I should probably get them out of the oven before they burn!
-Mel.
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved <6-4-09>, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
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