Personal Reflections

Class has gone well so far. I really like the creation & use of the blog. I also found learning about Photoshop very interesting and helpful. Most notably though, with regard to what we have discussed and learned about so far in class, I have enjoyed learning and thinking about ways to incorporate more visual and inquiry-based learning in my own classroom. Even though I work with children who often struggle to learn inside and outside the classroom, these two types of learning perspectives really help to activate their background knowledge and get them interested in learning about a topic.

I have found the website creation rather challenging. I have no experience with area and I am struggling to sit through an online video in order to learn how to create my website. I learn best when I am taught by a teacher, not an iTunes video or a yahoo tutorial. For me, I signed up to take this course to expand my knowledge and teaching tools in the field of technology but did not think that I would need to watch so many online tutorials to do so. I believe that the more I gain from hands-on experience and teaching, the better I will be able to apply these new tools within in my classroom.

Video Games in the Classroom?

I really enjoyed reading the Innovative Educator's blog about "Game-Based Learning Site for Innovative Math Educators". These games seem great! In large classroom, games like these may serve as a solid solution to busy work using a pencil and worksheet. The games will monitor correct/ incorrect answers while students play. Teachers who have mixed level classes, could work and teach a lesson with one group of students, while other children hone their skills while playing an interactive scholastic game. I have two 7/8th grade Algebra classes this year, but they are both full of mixed levels. Each class has contains students who have a full year of algebra behind them, some students have only taken pre-algebra, and some students need advanced algebra/ geometry instruction. I could certainly use a website like this in my class as an instructional tool.

Visual/ Inquiry Learning

I have used both visual and inquiry-based learning for several years in my classroom. I am a special education teacher and I have found that this type of alternative teacher/ learning method can sometimes bring the best out of my students, no matter what their learning disability may be. For instance, I displayed the two images posted here on a SlideShow presentation for my 5th grade World History class about a week ago. I used the pictures as part of in introductory lesson, discussing history in general. I verbally asked, as well as posted the following questions (on the SlideShow) to my students: (1) What do you think is happening here?, (2) What is this a picture of? (2), (4) Why are there so many statues (soldiers) together?, (5) Who do the statues represent?, (6) What questions to have about these pictures?, and (7) What do you find interesting?

The responses, follow-up questions, and amount of wonder that came from such a simple lesson plan. For my students, who struggle so much at times attending and believing in themselves as learners, a lesson that uses inquiry-based and visual learning promotes growth and a positive outlook with regard to World History.

Photoshopping...oh the possibilities???

I am a middle school World History teacher. I thought that this jpeg image might be an interesting way to get my students thinking about Ancient Civilizations. This image could provide a way in which my class could begin to explore and recall background knowledge about World History, especially ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. I might ask a question like, "What is going on in this picture?" And then I could follow it up with another question like, "What are those three images on the map?" The picture is different and kind of odd, but my students are very young for their age and have short attention spans. What better way to capture their attention than with a hook like this!!!

A Little Bit About Me

-Click the image above for a better view of my Wordle creation.

My Target of Focus

Connecticut Social Studies Standard 3 (Historical Themes, Grades k-4) is my target of focus for the semester. I hope to not only learn more about visual learning, digital imagery, and the impact of technology in class, but also have high hopes in incorporating what I learn in grad school so that I can transfer project ideas into my teaching. Some of the ideas that I would like to try in class include: (1) using a class blog to promote writing, (2) using tools like Wordle and Inspiration to increase visual learning, and (3) creating a website for my classes to use in order to find HW assignments and project help when they are at home and need help.

Universal Design for Learning Concept Map

The main message from the reading was the need to be flexible. Education and learning today requires so many different perspectives. A blackboard, a pencil, and a piece of paper is no longer the only way to teach children. Students today need a variety of teaching strategies in order to help them succeed. Each and every child today learns in a different way and technology can help to meet the needs of all types of learners.