Blog post 19: Using video for teaching and learning

Blog post 19: Using video for teaching and learning

http://ed.ted.com/on/JxnQJrV3

I enjoyed learning about TedEd this week. The lesson I created deals with graphic novels. I found a video on YouTube that describes the qualities of a successful graphic novel. I like the ability to add questions so that you can check for comprehension. The option to choose from an open answer or multiple choice is also a great option. Multiple choice options do not provide educators with insight into what the students feel about a certain topic. Inserting a video into the lesson is a great way for students to learn at their own pace which helps to make the experience more student centered. I really love the Dig Deeper option where you can add additional resources for the students to explore. This is a great option for students who feel like they need more resources as well as students who are very interested in the subject matter. I can definitely see myself using this learning tool in the future.

There are many ways video can be incorporated in teaching and learning in the 21^st century classroom. YouTube provides a vast amount of resources on virtually every subject matter created by others and made available online. Many times if my sophomore students are unfamiliar with words in our novel we will look it up on google and find a related video on YouTube. This is a great way for students to not only read the word but to be able to see it as well.

Students could make videos for various purposes in the 21^st century classroom. In my sophomore English, Reading, Writing, and Study Skills class my students could create videos of chapter analysis to share with the class. This would be a great way to get different perspectives on the novel we read in and out of class.

Students could also create videos of their group assignments. This would be a great way to document the collaborative process and could also be used as a teaching tool for future students. Students could chose roles and post video chat questions to a group chat.

Incorporating video in the classroom is a great tool for students and teachers alike. Teachers can find videos on many different topics that can enable them to learn new skills and abilities that will help them to become more effective teachers. This is especially true in incorporating technology in the classroom. 

Blog post 18: Using Google Photos for teaching and learning

Blog post 18: Using Google Photos for teaching and learning

There are many ways Google Photos could be used in my sophomore English, Reading, Writing, and Study skills class. Students could look for pictures that match their definitions for vocabulary words. Students create vocabulary word documents that include what they think the word means, the definition from a dictionary, a synonym, an antonym, use it in a sentence, and draw a picture currently in my class. I think it would be a great benefit for my students to include photos from Google Photos for my students that do not have very strong art skills. Google photos could also be used for the students who do draw well to save their drawings from class.

Another great option for using Google photos is to create an album for writing prompts. They say a picture says a thousand words. Not everyone gets the same story from each picture. I think using pictures as prompts for free writings would give students a novel way to explore their writing skills. After students write their assignment they could peer review each other’s assignments and see what similarities and differences they had in their writings using a peer review form.

Google Photos is also a great tool in the classroom to show students pictures of items they read about that they have not seen in real life. When reading the novel Blue Bloods in my classroom we came across words that had no real meaning to students like, ascot. We looked up the words and then searched google to find photos of an Ascot. This process helped students understand the meaning of the word better. Another word we looked up is daguerreotype. Students were unsure of the meaning even after reading the definition. Once we were able to find pictures with Google We made an able in Google Photos to serve as a reference for future classes. Once students saw the images they were able to use their background knowledge to remember times that they had seen daguerreotypes in their lives or in movies.

Google Photos provides teachers with a great source of images to assist in building knowledge in the classroom. Different Albums can be created for whatever need may arise. Google Photos is also web based so there is no need to carry a certain device around with you. One can access photos from anywhere.

Blog post 17: Google Photos assignment

https://goo.gl/photos/CyxoV3YSFvMwimZSA

These photos depict the power of words as well as change. Change is important for anyone to grow. Many times we and our students find this process difficult. These quotes are meant as inspiration.

Blog post 16: Self-directed Learning using Feedly

https://www.edutopia.org/article/50-writing-prompts-all-grade-levels-todd-finley

I read an interesting article on edutopia.org about writing prompts. I liked this article because it provided different writing prompts for elementary, middle and high school students. Some of the prompts were similar to prompts that I use in my sophomore English, reading, writing, and study skills class and some were new to me.

 "You can save one object before your house burns down. What is it? What makes that object important to you," is a prompt I have used in my classroom. This prompt is great because it allows you to get to know what is most important or valuable to your student. I usually change the prompt to you can only grab three items. I do this because one item usually has my students saving their cell phones, lol.

One prompt I would like to incorporate in my Journal writing portion of my class is “What things do you conscientiously do to feed your brain?” I think this writing prompt will help me know what type of activities I can introduce my students to help them to conscientiously feed their brains. I will keep you posted on how well this works in class.

My favorite writing prompt I found listed under elementary writing prompts. “I wish my teachers knew that . . .”. This is by far my favorite writing prompt because my students all have different needs, fears, and insecurities. I have laughed and cried with my students as we read their writing out loud in class. They never cease to amaze me with their kind words for what their classmates share. This exercise builds a sense of community in the class.

http://2cents.onlearning.us/?p=5046

In his blog titled” A Couple of Things about the Election,” David Warlick discusses the differences in population density and education levels of voters in our recent election. Through his research he discovered that the denser the population was the more likely voters were to vote for Hilary Clinton rather than Donald Trump. He also noted that if the voter had some college education they were more likely to vote for Hillary Clinton. This affect grew with the amount of education the voter had. I am not sure how accurate his research is though based on the faulty polling information that we witnessed during this election. If his data is correct then it only shows how important education is today, especially in rural areas.

Blog post 15: Using LiveBinders for teaching and learning

 Using LiveBinders for Teaching and Learning

There are many ways teachers can use LiveBinders in and out of their classrooms. LiveBinders seems to be a great organization tool, collaboration tool, and a convenient tool to organize and access pertinent information no matter what subject you teach.

For teachers who teach more than one subject this would be a great tool to organize lesson plans for the different subjects taught. This can come in particularly handy if you need a substitute on short notice. You can simply upload documents that the substitute can show on the projector. It is also relatively simple to add links to content online such as YouTube videos or even educational websites that would help any substitute keep the students learning and engaged in your absence. This tool is helpful whether you teach pre-k or high school biology.

Teachers could also use LiveBinders for group assignments. In my sophomore English, reading, writing and study skills class I would help my students set up LiveBinders to keep their different assignments organized by tabs. They would have one tab for study skills. This tab would include websites to help develop stronger study skills as well as pictures the students find online that help them to create a personal study space. The next tab students could also keep the week’s journal topics up to date so that they could start early if they need more time writing.  The next tab would be their Reading tab. This tab would include sub tabs for character analysis, vocabulary, and chapter summaries.

I think one of the best uses of LiveBinders for my sophomores would be to create a binder named BEST WORKS. This would be a digital best works portfolio. Students would be responsible for uploading their personal best works from the class. I would meet with students once a month to evaluate their selections together and discuss the improvements made as well as any concerns I or the student might have.  This process would help students develop a strong sense of self and help them to identify improvement in their work. The best works portfolio allows students to meet with the teacher for one on one communication.

There are countless ways LiveBinders can be incorporated into your 21^st century learning environment. One great option for educators is to upgrade your account so that you can have Private Binders, as all regular account binders are open to the world.

Live Binders

http://www.livebinders.com/play/play/2114261?tabid=b4be116c-d2c6-776b-f6c8-7fbff3296fa6

Blog Post 14: Final Lesson Plan Ideas

The subject my lesson will focus on is Sophomore- English, Reading, Writing, and Study Skills.

The learning goals for this lesson will be for students to use vocabulary that they have learned while reading their novel "Hex Hall" in different ways. Students will create a graphic novel of a chapter in the book.Once complete they will add their work to a class presentation.

Students are interested in the novel that we read in class. Students work with the novel vocabulary by defining the word, writing a synonym and antonym, using the word in a sentence, and drawing a picture. Students show a lot of interest in drawing depictions of the vocabulary words. Students constantly ask to share their artwork with the class. Creating a graphic novel will allow them to use their vocabulary in different ways while at the same time providing a presentation to their peers about what they got out of the novel.

Students will use Prezi to create their individual group chapter presentations. Prezi will also be used to create a class book presentation. Prezi is a web 2.0 tool that allows for easy collaboration.

Students will use a Pinterest board to upload pictures that they create about the chapter. Pinterest allows for shared boards that each member can add their contributions to.

I do not have a concrete list of activities or the chronological order they will go in yet.

Student learning will be assessed by using a project rubric so that there are clear expectations on each step of the assignment. Students will also be assessed by their peers with a peer evaluation form. One half of their grade will come from the peer assessment and the other half will come from their group project meeting the expectations the rubric provides.