Project 12b

Blog Post 11, NOLA

The driving question for this blog post was, "What can we learn about teaching and learning from these teachers?"

The first video was Back to the Future, by Brian Crosby. His video was about a project that he did with his students that integrated technology in many ways. He felt that curriculum has been narrowed over the years and that it is keeping students from having real life experiences. The main idea of his project was to send a balloon up into the air. His class did some reading and activities with pressure to get the project started. This got his students excited. He was able to get his students to incorporate various types of technology into his project. They embedded videos into their blogs, wrote about the science behind their experiments, learned to make wiki pages, used their class Flikr account to write stories about what it would be like to be the balloon, used free online software to design book covers, illustrated their stories with Flikr photos, did more work with their blogs, and made trading cards using free online software. Mr.Crosby also had his students write "high hopes," for their community, their school,and the world. Their blogs got many views which inspired them to ask other people from all over the world to write their own "high hopes." This taught the children to develop their own learning networks. The class also used google maps to track their balloon as it went into the air. By putting all of their work on their blogs, the class got to show off their work to other students. They are doing language intense activities which encourage them to read/write, to learn content, to clarify and share, and to tell a story. These activities encourage them to be creative, want feedback, articulate orally, connect globally/aware globally, want authentic audiences, and remember the science.

The second video was the Blended Learning Cycle by Paul Anderson. He turned his classroom into a video game. He moved from teacher-centered learning environments to one focused on students. He said the biggest obstacle he encountered was trying to get his students to learn independently. He designed each level of the video game around a blended learning cycle. He believes in the power of learning and questioning. He described blended learning as taking the compelling parts of learning: online, mobile, classroom learning and just blending them together in the classroom and using that technology in a powerful way. He said the five E’s of the Learning Cycle were engage, explore, expand, and explain all of which revolve around evaluation. He had a unique way of combining these methods with his quivars. Quivars stands for question, investigation/inquiry, video, elaboration, review, and summary Quiz. He uses the question part of this process as a hook to get his students interested. Next comes the students investigating by examining what is happening- you let the students experiment. You then use a video which frees you up for other things because the students can watch it independently. Elaboration comes when the students read about what they are doing or make diagrams for it. Then they review. He meets individually or with small groups and asks them questions to check their understanding. They can’t go onto the summary quiz until the teacher is sure they know what they are talking about. The quiz tests them on what they know and if they don’t know it, then they go back. He doesn’t think you’ve learned something until you can explain it to someone else. After they go through about five learning cycles, they have a unit test. The students do all the grading, but the teacher asks really good probing questions.

The third video was Making Thinking Visible by Mark Church. He had his students work in small groups to have a discussion about a video they watched. He wanted them to come up with a headline for what their unit was all about. He asked them to think about how their ideas/thinking were extended. He then wanted them to think about the challenge or the puzzle with the topic in general. He asked them to search for human origins. One of the students described his question as, "How could we sum up everything we have been talking about in just a phrase?" Every group had to have a couple of words to say behind their headline. Once they did their final project, he was going to ask them what the headline is now. He was doing this to get his students thinking how the story has changed and how their thinking has changed.

The fourth video was Building Comics by Sam Pane. He was teaching his students how to figure out what information websites might be after. He asked his students, “What kind of power does the internet give us?” He told them to be specific. They had a class discussion about this. He told his students that a digital citizen is a person who chooses to act safely, respectfully, and with responsibility whenever you are online. He then asked them to build a comic about their digital superhero. His class used a website which allowed them to do this. He showed his class how to make a superhero for about five minutes, and then let them do it themselves. He matched the lesson up with English language standards. The students are able to create a narrative between themselves and the superhero in order to put together a complete story. This project gave the students a sense of ownership. The students were able to analyze the situation that they were in and analyze the text structure of the comic book in order to build a complete narrative. He had his students take what he called a, “gallery walk.” This was his way of having them peer review. The children were very eager to share their comics with the class. The english language standards in his project were to write narratives to develop imagined experiences or events, analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to text, ask and answer questions.

The fifth video was Project Based Learning by Dean Shareski. In this video, three teachers worked together to combine history, English, and information processing and embedded the principles of project based learning to create a unique learning experience for students. Project based learning helps to create engaged learners with deeper understanding. The teachers had to convince their administration that what they wanted to do with the students could really be beneficial for them. The kids use technology as a tool to bring the content to life in their classes. Their idea gave them the luxury of time: time to blend ideas into content, time to go deeper into learning, and time to provide quality feedback for students. They are able to give students multiple perspectives. The students love the projects and enjoy doing them.

The sixth video was Roosevelt Elementary's PBL Program. The video described project based learning as in depth learning that integrates thematic instruction based on real-world problems using research based projects and presentations. Project based learning helps to take away the fear of public speaking because children get used to it at an early age. They like to have the students make a lot of decisions on their own to create in themselves a sense of power. The teachers put trust in their students and give them ownership of their work which makes the students accountable. Students learn to work independently, cooperatively, how to solve problems, how to communicate with each other, and to support each other. It also helps children to learn in different ways because it incorporates many different intelligences and learning styles.

What we learned from these videos was that teaching with technology can be done in many different ways. These videos showed us that projects should encourage learning from students and that technology can be used to make classroom projects fun for students. These videos really showed us the diversity among techniques for project based learning, but with the same consensus that it is something we should all try with out own classrooms. We all enjoyed getting to see how experiments worked out for these teachers in their own classrooms and hope that we can someday develop such amazing projects as these.

Blog Post 10

What can we learn from Sir Ken Robinson?

This week we were assinged to watch Sir Ken Robinson's video, Bring on the Learning Revolution, and I must say, it was truly inspiring! Such importance is contained in this amazing speech, reminding us on how fast we are moving without giving regard to the qualitative development which is very much needed for mankind. Mr. Robinson speaks on the idea of allowing students to explore and identify their skills, talents, and abilities. I love this thought, because it is too common now a days in society that we do what is "accepted", rather than being and doing what we love. I like his statement on how education should be an organic progress. I like this, because as a student, until recently I have always been conformed to paper and textbooks. I was too scared to write and say what I wanted to. What I have learned from Ken Robinson is to enjoy what you do. My passion is to teach and I believe that I will enjoy it. As a teacher, I will have bigger boundaries than I do as a student. I will be the one to inspire other people, and I'm sure they will inspire me as well.

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Project 12A

Blog Post #9

What can we learn from Mrs. Cassidy?

For this weeks blog post, we were asked to watch the videos by Kathy Cassidy. These videos are a fantastic way to show teachers how technology can look within their classrooms. Teachers are often concerned that using technology will isolate students. Her videos illustrate how technology can be used to encourage the social development of our students. I like her use of blogger in the classroom, just like ours in edm310. Blogging is a great way to get students to work for not just a classroom audience, but a world audience! I will definitely use Blogger in the classroom. The parents may not like their children being online so young, but I will handle it the way Mrs. cassidy did, with parent permission forms. I think the students will love to use technology in the classroom. I believe it will improve they way they write and communicate with others. Starting it so early in the classroom will also prepare them for upper grade levels such as high school.

Video Book Project #9

Project #14

Project Based Learning Project 14

In this class of 20 students, there will be 5 groups of 4 students, chosen at random by, me. This project is for second graders, familiarizing them with shapes. Each group of students will be assigned a shape. Also, each student will use an iPad, provided by the school, to take pictures in the classroom of objects, of the shape assigned. Once the students have taken at up to 8 photos of their shape, the children will switch iPads among the group and assess whether or not the correct pictures of the proper shapes have been taken. Once the assessment is complete, the students will use the iPads to upload the pictures to their blogs and write 1 sentence about each picture they took and how it resembled that shape. Finally the students will make a photo story book using Flickr pictures. Once they are done with this project, they are going to present it to another second grade class in the school via Bridgit.

Blog Post #8

For this post, we were ask to find 21st Century Learning and Communicating Tools. At first I was overwhelmed at the thought of there being more to learn than we already have in EDM310. After taking a deep breath and doing some research, I was able to find lots of great tools to use in the classroom that I hadn't used yet. Technology is such an important part of the education system, so I think its good to have multiple tools to use and teach with.

The first tool I have researched and decided to talk about is QR codes. QR Codes are very user friendly and would be great for students at all ages to use. It would also make the classroom more interesting and learning more fun. An example of a QR Code is the barcode that is a square with little squares in it.
It is very simple to make your own personal codes for the classroom. In Derral Eve's video, How to Create QR codes, he shows you exactly how to create them. An example of using these codes in the classroom would be having a scavenger hunt around the room. They must find the first code to get the first question they are to answer. They then must go around the room and find the remaining codes and remaining questions. You could also put a math problem with the QR code and have them solve the problem when they scan the code. The students would scan the qr codes with a tablet provided to them by the teacher. There is an app for CQ codes that is free that every student would have to download. Also, every student in the classroom should have access to a tablet provided by the school board for them. This is a very fun way to have your students involved in the classroom and make them excited to learn!

Another tool I came across was planboard. This tool is very useful to teachers, because it keeps them organized. Planboard helps you easily plan and view your academic year. It's quick and easy to add items for each class. It allows you to ensure your students have the knowledge they need to be successful by integrating and tracking standards. You can choose from a selection of Common Core State Standards, Ontario Curriculums, TEKS or create your own custom standards. It allows you to collaborate between teachers worldwide to create the best lesson plan for a particular subject. You can also easily find public lesson plans by searching for keywords or the exact standard codes that they need to meet. Adopting new technology can be difficult. With Planboard Assistance, whenever you run into a problem or need help figuring out a feature, your own personal support assistant will be available to help you, live or via Email. This is a great tool that all teachers should use and get associated with!

C4T #2

This week's C4T I read Diane Dahl's blog post, What does neuroplasticity research suggest about the potential of all students to master the 4Cs? In this post, Dahl states that, "The discovery that learning changes the structure and function of the brain has the potential to transform education in both profound and practical ways—if we can, once and for all, dislodge persistent misconceptions that obscure this promise." She talks about how the brain responds to what we hear, see, and do. Each brain responds differently, depending on one's experiences in everyday life. All students have the ability to learn when they have the right support and environment. She also talks about what society sees as "natural talent" or "inherited traits." Dahl responds to these assumptions with this, "By taking a constructive view “of genes as phenomena that enable rather than constrain behavior” (Sylvester, 2010, p. 18), we can move forward to create policies and schools that help equip all students with the 4Cs they need to succeed in school and in the workplace." To read more on this post, you can visit the link provided above.

My Reply:

Hello, I am a junior at the University of South Alabama. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post. I did not know the brain responded in such ways. I was one of many in today's society that believed in "natural talents" and "inherited traits." I like how you state that every student has the brain power and potential to learn. I too believe that learning never stops, and you can teach an old dog new tricks. I will be sure to use this method in my classroom in the future. I have written a summary and will be posting this response in my own blog if you would like to check it out at, harrisamberedm310.blogspot.com, and our class blog at edm310.blogspot.com. Thanks for the great and helpful post.


This weeks C4T, I had the privilege of reading another one of Diane Dahl's blog posts. Dahl's most recent post is, Engaging Brains: How to Enhance Learning by Teaching Kids About Neuroplasticity. She writes about enhancing student commitment and has this to say about it, "Explicitly teaching students about neuroplasticity can have a transformative impact in the classroom. A central facet of our work as teacher educators is teaching about how the brain changes during learning. Many teachers have told us that these findings have had a positive effect on their expectations for their students and on students' perceptions of their own abilities." Dahl believes that learning changes the function and structure of the brain, and that it will engage students. Dahl also talks about strategies for engagement, and states, "Lessons and activities about the power of brain plasticity can take many forms for students of all ages." Dahl furthers on with some great points and information on this topic. To read more, visit the link posted above.

My Reply:

Ms. Dahl, your post is very fascinating. You have many wonderful tips and ideas on how to expand education and student achievement in the classroom. I am an undergraduate student at the University of South Alabama, and am reading upon your blog for my EDM310 technology class. I have written a summary and will be posting this response in my own blog if you would like to check it out at, harrisamberedm310.blogspot.com, and our class blog at edm310.blogspot.com. Thanks for the great and helpful post.

Project #13, plan #1