Welcome to week 7!
This weeks class was interesting in that we discussed a flipped classroom. While this might sound quite Feng Shui, it really has little to do with classroom arrangement and everything to do with flipping the instructional sequence. Why not assign the instructional portion of your class for homework and use class time for hands-on assignments? Sounds great!
The problem comes in the implementation. In the experiences I have in my current teaching assignment, only about 30-40% of student complete their homework on an average night (that may be generous, but hey, I'm the social studies teacher and not the math teacher). There are also other difficulties with technology at this point. Many of my students don't have available technology at home and as such, couldn't access the lessons from a podcast or other web based media site.
Bottom line, at present, the flipped classroom wouldn't be feasible in my current teaching assignment. In the future, if all students had a netbook, ipad or other tablet device, I see promise!
Part 2: Social media
Let me start out by saying I am not the most creative person in my marriage, more less my school. I learn by seeing and doing. So, the only things I have experienced using social media in the classroom was a teacher that tweeted his class topics and assignments daily. This works well, but the communication is only one way. Email is currently the media format of choice for communication other than phone and face to face communication.
I am torn about how much social media I want to use in my classroom. The reason being is I want to be unavailable from 4:00 pm until 7:00 am the next day. With social media, sometimes it is difficult to ignore it or turn it off. Facebook, twitter and other social media alerts on our smart phones make it difficult to block it all out and have time with your family.
Have a great week!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
DOK level
In evaluating an assessment that I used in my classroom recently, I had my students create a quilt piece for a slave quilt. The purpose of this activity was to show their understanding of the purpose of a slave quilt (slaves couldn't read, so needed to see visual symbols to guide them. They next part of the project was to identify what they drew and what it meant to the slaves. They were also to analyze the use of quilt pieces and draw a new symbol that they think would have communicated something to the runaway slaves. This would be level 4 on DOK. They are analyzing and creating.
As far as why do we need to teach higher order thinking, this is where students show they are learning and creating.
As far as why do we need to teach higher order thinking, this is where students show they are learning and creating.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Quad D Week 5
Week 5 assignment
For week five I am to talk about the level of rigor and relevance of the learning in my classroom over the last week. While there are days that are more teacher centered than others, most weeks we get into Quad-D at several times during the week. Today, for example, I presented the students with a handout listing the advantages and disadvantages for the North and the South before the Civil War. We discussed how each of the ten items on the list were important for the North, but some had greater importance or significance than others. Therefore, the students ordered them from 1-10 in order they believed they should be placed. They then justified their reason for ordering each choice why they did. At other times the students completed a diary entry detailing life in Western Virginia and discussing changes to the Virginia Constitution during the 1830 constitutional convention.
I am continuously looking for ways to get my students into Quad-D.
Have a great week!
For week five I am to talk about the level of rigor and relevance of the learning in my classroom over the last week. While there are days that are more teacher centered than others, most weeks we get into Quad-D at several times during the week. Today, for example, I presented the students with a handout listing the advantages and disadvantages for the North and the South before the Civil War. We discussed how each of the ten items on the list were important for the North, but some had greater importance or significance than others. Therefore, the students ordered them from 1-10 in order they believed they should be placed. They then justified their reason for ordering each choice why they did. At other times the students completed a diary entry detailing life in Western Virginia and discussing changes to the Virginia Constitution during the 1830 constitutional convention.
I am continuously looking for ways to get my students into Quad-D.
Have a great week!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Week 4 Blog
This weeks blog is about an App that we use with our classes. Probably the App that I use the most is PowerPoint. I use it on a daily basis in my classes. I have also had students use PowerPoint to create slides on West Virginia. They used myhistory.com and google to research a topic and gather pictures for their slides. As far as the SAMR level, it would definitely be a minimum of Augmentation, but I believe my students took it to the modification level also. They took what they found and modified it to meet their needs.
One program that I see used daily in my school is Destinations. Since I am in a begging level SPL class, they are primarily completing assignments at the augmentation level of SAMR. Some of the students with approaching Lexile levels of 200-300 do have activities that require them to analyze basic information and provide their interpretations. That would be the Analyzing and Evaluating levels of Blooms.
Have a great week!
This weeks blog is about an App that we use with our classes. Probably the App that I use the most is PowerPoint. I use it on a daily basis in my classes. I have also had students use PowerPoint to create slides on West Virginia. They used myhistory.com and google to research a topic and gather pictures for their slides. As far as the SAMR level, it would definitely be a minimum of Augmentation, but I believe my students took it to the modification level also. They took what they found and modified it to meet their needs.
One program that I see used daily in my school is Destinations. Since I am in a begging level SPL class, they are primarily completing assignments at the augmentation level of SAMR. Some of the students with approaching Lexile levels of 200-300 do have activities that require them to analyze basic information and provide their interpretations. That would be the Analyzing and Evaluating levels of Blooms.
Have a great week!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Happy week all!
This weeks post asks me to talk about 21st Century learning skills in my classroom. Now I know we have discussed there is a difference between skills and tools, so I hope I have this clear.
I am gearing up for my Tech Steps project for my students. My students are going to be using I Pads to research a place for Governor Tomblin to lure a foreign company to build a plant. So students will be using Google and other search engines to look for counties with the available flat land and infrastructure to support a plant.
If my understanding holds, the I Pads would be tools and the searching would be skills. My students need to have the skill of being able to use the tool to get the information out that will benefit them.
If my understanding is incorrect, just let me know. The reason I am taking this class is to learn how to implement technology skills and tools in my classroom. The last technology class I took was during my teacher prep and we were taking video on Sony Mavica cameras with a CD ROM recording. That was a huge step up from the Sony Handicam I was using with 8 mm cassettes!
#ntti2012
This weeks post asks me to talk about 21st Century learning skills in my classroom. Now I know we have discussed there is a difference between skills and tools, so I hope I have this clear.
I am gearing up for my Tech Steps project for my students. My students are going to be using I Pads to research a place for Governor Tomblin to lure a foreign company to build a plant. So students will be using Google and other search engines to look for counties with the available flat land and infrastructure to support a plant.
If my understanding holds, the I Pads would be tools and the searching would be skills. My students need to have the skill of being able to use the tool to get the information out that will benefit them.
If my understanding is incorrect, just let me know. The reason I am taking this class is to learn how to implement technology skills and tools in my classroom. The last technology class I took was during my teacher prep and we were taking video on Sony Mavica cameras with a CD ROM recording. That was a huge step up from the Sony Handicam I was using with 8 mm cassettes!
#ntti2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Technology Problems
My assignment this week is to blog about a technology problem I have had recently. It seems most of the problems I have had recently have been involving connectivity. Twice frequently with my iPad and today with a windows based laptop I lost my connection. In each case I could fing no physical problem, like a switch being toggled. My solution in each case was to reboot the device. I am unsure if it is just the changing wifi addresses as I move throughout the school or some other issue, but I was able to solve the problem each time!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Week 1 Post
Well, Ive had the IPad almost a week and have enjoyed it personally. Im still trying to find ways to use it in the classroom. It can obviously be used to do research. It could also be used for journaling, blogging, Edmodo, and creating. From reading Steve Jobs biography, I know creating is one of the biggest differences between the iPad 1 and 2.
I look forward to learning more about the creative side of the iPad, as this is where we really get into the quad D learning!
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