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.

Learning More About Today's Learners

Christine Greenhow's article, Who are Today's Learners?, truly brings up important points to consider as educators begin a new school year. The information she discusses, as taken from the research of Spires, Lee, Turner, and Johnson (2008), makes so much sense. Education too often assumes so much as each new school year begins. They assume this child can or cannot do this. And now it seems that these assumptions are being made with respect to technology. Students can be tech savvy no matter where they come from, how old they are, or how much money their family has. Having students who are starting off a new school year complete a short technology inventory makes perfect sense. Teachers use inventories in math and writing and tutorial to get a grasp at individual and class levels at the beginning of a school year. Why not use a similar tool to get a grasp of ones technology knowledge and ability?

The student recommendations, as noted by Greenhow, in the article also caught my eye. The students called for engagement and preparation with respect to technology and its use within schools. It is awesome to get an idea of what the students want, but it also important that the children realize that they are not necessarily entitled to get what they want. The requested less technololgy restrictions, but they probably won't win that battle. However, some of their suggestions seem perfectly honest and important of note. Incorporating more technology based learning within the classroom can only help promote attention to work and active learning. Why not have more teachers and educators give that idea a shot. Any way to get students to be more focused and interested in the idea of learning the better!

Teddy Bears Go Blogging....Has Given Me Some Insight & Ideas!

Reading Brenda Sherry's article about how she infused blogging into her classroom has really pushed me to take a long hard look into incorporating a similar practice within my own middle school classroom. I am strongly thinking about using a blog in a history class this year to promote writing instruction, as well as to connect my students with another history class in my school. Some of Sherry's ideas were very interesting and may proved to be helpful in getting my class a new perspective about writing. Writing can be difficult for some and painful for others, but through establishing a fun outlet which blends writing, learning, and the Internet, I hope to get my history class more excited about history.

However I do recognize the need to teach Internet safety. It will be vital that I obtain authorization from my school administrators as well as the family/ guardians of my students. I will also need to look further into the privacy restrictions and think about whether to make the blog public or private. I am leaning towards private and may only use the blog within the classroom to start, so that I can better help my young students navigate this new tool.

I think the HistoryBlog (or whatever name I give it) will be a valuable teaching tool. It has so many possibilities and branches to explore. Not only do I hope it will provide a new pathway into incorporating writing into my class curriculum, but I know it can also teach technology skills and team building skills to my students. Through grouping students together, they can work as a team to respond to a post. I love Sherry's use of her blog to promote and teach tolerance of other cultures. I am not sure if I will follow her in that particular route, but I would like to have another history teacher in my school join along with me in this HistoryBlog endeavor. If the two classes can communicate through the blog I think it will make the project more meaningful. Not only will the students share information, ideas, and projects among classmates but also among peers in other classrooms. I just cannot wait to start and hope my students will be as excited as I am to participate in this year long blogging adventure.

Resources

-The Teddy Bear Project: http://www.iearn.

org/projects/teddybear.html

Parents and the conversations that they have with children

I just recently read The Innovative Educators post, "Back to School Questions for Innovative Families to Ask Their Children", and it got me thinking about how the students I teach interact with their parents once they arrive home from a long day at school. I always spoke with my parents about my school day, if only for a few minutes, when I was a little kid and I hope this practice is still going on among families today.

Just a few of the questions that were encouraging are noted below:

1) What did you teach others?
2) What unanswered questions are you struggling with?
3) How did you change the world in some small (or big) way?
4) What’s something your teachers learned today?
5) What did you share with the world?

*http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2009/08/back-to-school-questions-for-innovative.html?showComment=1252028427117#c4785946619265686318

Teachers are always prompting students to think and go beyond what they feel comfortable with. If parents do the same thing, even if only by asking one simple question, then their children will only benefit from the conversation and engagement. I will definitely start to come up with more questions over the course of this new school year and when I speak with the parents of my students I will be sure to bring this idea up. I hope that they can use questions like these to better find out what their kids are up to while in the classroom and how they are growing as individuals

and learners.

These were the days...

Cannot believe that it has been over two years, but what great fun we all had at the wedding!!! Having all my closest friends there made the whole evening even more complete than I could ever have believed.

Test Post

This is my first blog ever. Very exciting!!!