Caitlin Tucker's Blended Learning in the Classroom Blog
Click on the link to view this blog: http://catlintucker.com/
Find a post that interests you and describe it in a paragraph and tell us how it might change what you do or how you do it.
The Makers Movement is such a great instructional strategy and technique to get all students involved in the learning process. I think it is great that it allows the students to be the main focus in the classroom. The students become vital because they have to collaborate, communicate, think critically, and construct with other students. Therefore, they take ownership of their creations. I would love to create a makers movement in my classroom. Just recently, the students are learning about the Periodic Table of elements. I am trying to intricate this movement into my classroom. The following would be how I would do it: The students would all have different jobs within their groups: leader, mathematician, researchers, designer, and the organizer. The students use their strengths and combine them to create the finished product. Some will have to show their art skills, mathematic skills, and others with have to answer probing questions about the Periodic Table. After they are finished, the students feel very accomplished that they have come together to make this project entertaining and educational. I actually may try this next week ☺
I was interested in the short blog about “Shakespeare Trivia with Remind101.” I found it fascinating that one simple tweak in the curriculum, use of cellular devices, would strongly influence student engagement. I believe it is important, as an educator, to constantly look for new techniques and engaging activities for students—they must be interested in the content area in order to want to learn new material.
I have never heard of “Remind101” text messaging, but I will definitely utilize this technology within my classroom. These quick alerts allow students to look at their cell phone for a purpose. They are using their personal device to participate in education—I think that is great! More importantly, the alert was prompting students with a trivia question, urging them to research and explore further information to come across the answer. The teacher was brilliant to offer extra credit as some incentive for the students to go that extra step in completing the trivia questions. I would use the Remind101 system in similar situations. I would send out extra credit assignments, trivia questions, homework or project hints, due date reminders, and other educational information. The students would love received Remind101 on their personal cell phone.
In "Research Meets Gamification with a Google a Day" I thought this idea of a virtual scavenger hunt would definitely get students motivated to complete this activity. This would be an excellent activity if my students had to research a topic or a mathematician, and would be a great crash-course on researching. It would also help me evaluate how well my students research and I could then set aside more time or an extra help session devoted strictly to researching. This skill will be used by my students throughout their entire academic careers and aiding them to achieve mastery would be rewarding.
I also like the idea of taking this concept and changing it into strictly math problems. There would obviously be very little to research, but the idea of having 3-6 problems and then having students complete them while being timed could be very successful. Having the problems presented through some program on the computer or iPad, timing the students, and then being able to track their progress every time we do an activity like this would not only be engaging but would perhaps motivate students who like a little competition. Then as a teacher being able to track their progress and perhaps create a leader board as well as a most improved award would add some fun and excitement.
The article, “Prewriting: Why Should Students Go It Alone?” is about allowing students to collectively work together to brainstorm ideas about a certain topic. Desks were pushed together and students were given a prompt and a large piece of paper, in which they must write and share their ideas with their classmates. I think this is a great idea because the teacher gave students full control of their learning, in which they were able to explore a topic as well as question each other.
Allowing classrooms to be student-centered seems to be an up and coming teaching strategy. Instead of lecturing students and having them take notes, self-discovery and peer collaboration allows student to analyze and have a deeper understanding of the material. Lately in my classroom, I have been trying to incorporate a lot of “turn and talks” and “think-pair-shares” in which students must work with their classmates to analyze a skill. I am learning that it is okay to turn my classroom over to my students and allow them to take control of their own learning. In the future, I would definitely like to try this strategy.
I loved reading the post “Maker Movement: Let Them Build It & They’ll Learn.” I believe in giving students interactive assignments that allow them to be creative and think critically. Students enjoy using their hands and working with one another to accomplish a goal. I thought this project was cross-curricular and allowed the students to practice a technique that they have probably never down in art, which is designing and building. This project involves law of science and math. It also gives them a chance to think about the history of the Globe Theater and understand the life of the people of that time. This is a fun activity that involves all learning styles. In my own classroom, I enjoy giving the students one activity for every science topic and social studies topic we explore. Even though Ms. Tucker’s class is a higher grade, with enough guidance my students would be able to perform hands-on activities and accomplish the objective of the lesson.
I read the article “Prewriting: Why Should Students Go It Alone?” I think this was a very good way of getting students started with an assignment. Having students socialize and get talking with one another is so important in today’s world where face to face interactions aren’t happening as often. Students get hear other students perspectives and opinions, they may agree or disagree but it is getting students thinking. I thought this was a very simple and productive way for students to get started on an assignment.
This blog really spoke to me because my undergrad and initial certification is in English. I really liked the idea of getting students together to brainstorm when starting an essay. I find that many students always have a problem beginning their essay. Caitlin Tuckers strategy to have students’ writes on a big piece of paper not only with brainstorms but also with actual quotes and evidence from the text is a great idea and something I would definitely do in a classroom. I believe this strategy takes away the anxiety some students may get from having to begin to write an essay. When students felt stuck when writing they could go back to the paper and look at what they and their classmates came up with to answer the essential question for their essay. I also liked the idea of the teacher taking a picture of the paper and posting it on the class website so that students could also view it at home. After reading this blog I don’t think I would have students brain storm on their own, Caitlin’s strategy is more interactive for students and I believe more beneficial.
The Google A Day blog was the most interesting to me as a history teacher. I use constant questioning in the classroom to enhance the information I would be teaching. Before each trimester exam, I would have a Jeopardy game in the classroom to review the previous months information. By introducing a game style review, the students are engaged and having fun without realizing that they are learning and expressing their knowledge of the information. By establishing a game style, student would also be excited and interested in the topic. I enjoyed the blog because I realized I would be able to implement this into the classroom and it would bring upon a stronger interest in history.
In Kids Will Be Kids: 8 Easy Strategies for Engaging Students,Caitlin Tucker writes about different ways to engage older students. I found this article very informative and interesting. As an educator, I know the importance of student led discussion and learning, and many of the strategies covered in this blog get the students to lead in conversation.Students get a lot more out of their work when they "own" it, figuring it out on their own. Some other fun ways of engaging the students that are covered are acting skits out and going outside. Activities like these are often lost in the older grades, but implementing them would help with student engagement and the learning process as well.
The article I read was called Back to School Night 2.0. This blog contained great ideas of ways you can shake up your meet and greet with parents. I really enjoyed how she took a video of the activities she does in and outside of her classroom. I believe it gives the parents the chance feel as if they were there experiencing the activity with their child and they can see fist hand the enjoyment they got out of it. In today's technology boom in not only the classroom but work as well, parents are better able to communicate with teachers and local helpful resources in any areas of study. By showing parents different websites that can be used to increase understanding, your are bridging the gap between home and school while making sure students are always being exposed to beneficial material. As the next school year approaches I definitely plan on using some of her ideas that I read about in this blog.
The four corner conversations is such a great instructional strategy and technique to get break up the day. This technique gives student's a chance to interact with other peers while learning how to socialize appropriately. It also gives each student the chance to share their thoughts on either the previous night's reading, or homework assignment, or you let them have "free talk" and pick a topic discussed in a lesson you are currently teaching or have taught them before so they can discuss freely with their peers. This puts lets pressure on the student's and can engage the student's, especially if they are having a group discussion on something that interests them. As the teacher, I would walk around to each four of my groups and sit down on the floor with the and put my opinion in, without making my students feel intimidated and not want to share. Putting my personal opinion in is also a way for my students to view me not necessarily as an authoritative figure at that moment, but as someone who is genuinely interested In what they have to say.
Prewriting: Why Should Students Go It Alone? was very interesting and can apply to any grade level. Instead of the usual individual prewriting and frustration, the students collaborated and the students learned from one another. The "collective intelligence" of the classroom was not ignored. The teacher started by writing the essay prompt on the board. Then the teacher gave the students a large piece of paper, and the students were told to begin brainstorming the question given. The task became student directed. The students brainstormed together and truly learned from one another. Not only did the students collect evidence from the text together, but many students learned ways to brainstorm from their peers, a task that many students have difficulty with. The Students worked together and had interesting conversations with one another.The teacher later posted their brainstorm poster to the class webpage for the students to use as a future reference. This was a fairly low-tech, meaningful activity that the students enjoyed and were engaged and enthusiastic about.
I like the idea of getting students as involved as possible and breaking up the monotony of a classroom routine, but I always have difficulty actually carrying it out effectively. Either students don't care or get distracted/disruptive, in addition to the problem of how to incorporate subject matter. The Crowdsourcing and Four Corners sound like they could be used in a high school science class. Letting students take the lead in doing their own research and sharing information with each other would let them feel involved and force them to do more than copying notes. I can see this being helpful in the beginning of a new chapter as students are first seeing unfamiliar material. Instead of jumping right into something else after a test, I can have them do their own work and introduce each other to novel subject matter before we get more in depth in the following class periods.
A few months ago in March, Caitlin Tucker posted a blog titled, “Now your Google Docs Can Do More with Add-ons! In the blog post, Tucker describes what the add-on feature can do for your document with the new tool and where to find it. Tucker also shares with the readers how to add it to your Google doc along with giving her favorite ones to use in the classroom. Some of her favorites to enhance a document include the thesaurus and track changes (helps editing) to name a few examples. At Molloy, I teach several television production courses. In these courses, I utilize Google docs quite often. Before any production begins, the team has to write a script for the sitcom or talk show they are about to create. Each group collaborates on a Google doc to create their script. This enables students to work on the script from any location and collaborate with the group in “real time” meaning they can see the changes to the document live as it happens. When looking through the add-ons section, I found several useful utilities that I can point out to my students. URL shortener is good to use when emailing the script out to others where the add-on will create a short code to send out. I found Uberconference interesting because it enables users of the document to have a conference call. Lastly, Google doc add-ons have a Twitter curator where the user can search and embed tweets into their document. Give it a try next time you are using Google docs and see which add-on will work for you!
The "After 12 Years of Teaching Writing…an Epiphany!" post discusses how Tucker moved from mini lessons to flipped instruction. She would create short videos explaining the concepts. This gave the students more control over the pace of their learning. It also provided a support/reference for her students if they were continuing to have difficulties. It prevented repetition and wasted time in the classroom making room for more writing. It was important that the students had support from her and were learning DURING the process rather than after the fact. Tucker would sit with her students and edit as they wrote. It allowed for multiple edits before the final product was submitted. One important thing she realized was that her students were still learning how to write, and many did not come into her class with the basic foundation skills. This made her realize the importance of support throughout the writing process especially for those lacking in the fundamentals necessary of tackle the writing prompts. With technology, edits/feedback in real time is now a possibility, even from a distance.
I would try flipped instruction in my classroom, but in addition to the videos, I would also provide handouts of the slides and text. For me I am a handout person; I need to be able to underline, highlight, and write little notes. I am sure there are students who feel the same way. This addition would help me reach a larger population of my students who have different learning styles, especially in classes with special needs students.
The article “Kids Will Be Kids: 8 Easy Strategies for Engaging Students” is a great article. Caitlin Tucker points out the fact that ADHD diagnoses are on the rise across our country, “a 43% increase since 2003. The 8 strategies she talks about in her article are designed to make lessons more stimulating. The world of today is becoming more distracting with evolving smart phones, televisions, video games. Breaking the mold of monotonous instruction can be a valuable tool for making students take an active role in the learning process. All of these strategies are great ideas to change up the pace and to get students to focus. I can say first hand that acting out the plays in my English class for Shakespeare helped me learn the material far more than just reading the words. Also being able to go and learn outside was always a treat. Encouraging students to collaborate with one another can truly expand learning. As a teacher I embrace the call to keep students focused, even those who are easily distracted.
The post, "Creating a Google Apps Classroom", was something that I am familiar with. The post describes how using these apps in the classroom enhances students' learning as well as engages them in classroom activities. These apps are a new and exciting way to either present material or to create follow-up activities that students will enjoy creating. Google apps are a great way to implement the use of technology in the classroom as well as cater to several different learning modalities. I have found that the use of Google Apps teaches students organizational skills and familiarity with technology and computers.I plan to implement more of the Google Apps technology in my curriculum for the upcoming school year because my students will have their own personal iPads to use throughout the course. I am excited to learn about these apps and to teach my students how to use these apps for their own personal use.
I enjoyed reading through all the blog posts and to see what she had to say about education. One of the posts that spoke to me the most was the Common Core: Explicit vs. Implicit Information. I think using technology now while teaching students because that’s what this generation is used to. She goes over what Explicit – clearly stated so there is no room for confusion or questions, Implicit – implied or suggested, but not clearly state and Inference – a conclusion made based on both information/evidence and reasoning. To illustrate what these words mean and how to use them in context she actually shows students three movie clips. She shows them Hunger Games, Fault in our stars and Ninja Turtles. While showing the clips she asks them to explain what’s going on while stating the implicit, explicit and inference. I think this is a great idea to use because the students can relate to these clips and is for their generation as a whole. It uses the common core words in a fun way rather than just explaining what they mean and how to use them.
I read the instragram sensory walk. I thought this was a great article because children now are all about technology. They are all on social media and post pictures and text of everything they see and do as a way to interact with people. I think the instagram walk is a good way to have children do what they like to do and learn at the same time. Children are experts at using instagram so using this to help them learn throughout a topic is a great way to engage them throughout learning.
I chose to read Caitlin Tucker's most recent blog: "Get Common Core Ready: Transfer Active Reading Strategies Online" in which Caitlin discusses the importance of teaching our students how to effectively annotate texts. I agree with her 100 percent that this is a truly invaluable skill set that every teacher should be working on with their students, regardless of content area. This is definitely something I will always reinforce within my English classroom because I feel that annotation is critical for the understanding of more complex texts.
Caitlin brings this idea one step further in her blog when she talks about teaching her students how to effectively annotate online or digital texts. She makes the good point that our students are reading both written and digital texts, so we should be teaching them how to understand both forms of text to the best of their ability. Especially with standardized testing moving to a more digital format, it is important that students can effectively understand these types of texts. I didn't have the opportunity to explore all the options she gives for digital annotation, but I did get to take a look at studysync and it seems like it would be a great tool that students could use to annotate digital texts. I would not hesitate to bring this application into my classroom.
I think these website are great way to help students take notes. My sister who is in 10th grade is asked weekly to create an outline of 2-3 chapters in her social studies book. She is in an AP social studies class and she hates doing these outlines. I think this website study sync would help her a lot not only with the insane amount of writing she wouldn't have to do, but with this site the students can be more organized and learn better. I also love the idea of creating a class instagram that pictures can be about nature or social studies things we are learning through out the lessons to put up and use the technology they love the most.
From Caitlin Tucker’s blog, I chose the most recent blogpost where she described how she was once so uninformed and lost when it came to technology when it came to teaching that she almost quit her job. She was very frustrated in the classroom and disappointed that maybe she had chosen the wrong profession. She was forced during maternity leave to teach online courses, which in a sense broadened her horizons a small amount. I thought it was great how when she made her first online post for one of her classes, the first three students to respond were kids that never participated in class. I myself sometimes am shy in class and never realized that in my online classes, it pushed me to be more assertive and talkative. It’s great how Caitlin was once so intimidated by technology but because of the response she got from her students, it inspired her to learn more. Although we all know that technology has done wonderful things for the classroom, there’s always the apprehension that it’s taking away from the traditional learning experience. I think Catlin’s perspective was really eye opening in that it really can bring out participation in ways the traditional teaching method can’t.
When I read the blog for “Instagram Sensory Walk” I found it very interesting. In our district we are constantly saying Instagram is not appropriate for the classroom because a lot of students take advantage of the social media site. This teacher decided to use Instagram to improve students writing. He felt that their writing did not have enough detail and sensory input to make the story of composition compelling and fun to read. He had students walk around campus and take pictures of what they saw, make a very descriptive caption for it, and then hash tag to a specific place where all students could see each other’s work. I find that this is a wonderful idea for an English classroom, however I find it difficult to relate it my content of mathematics. I may use it and change some things. I do not think I would bring my students out into the cold rain for my Instagram project. I would however want students, especially in a geometry class, to note that there are shapes all around us. They could take a picture of a tree and describe the different shapes that create the tree in the caption. The idea is fantastic and I would definitely try to incorporate it into my own teaching and lessons I create in the future. I feel using Instagram will be very engaging for my students.
I personally love the Four Corners instructional strategy because it gives the students the opportunity to be engaged in the class material but conversing with their peers and being social. This is a great way for shy students to become engaged in the material and talk about topics they are interested in with a small group of their peers. As the teacher, I would walk around to listen to the students talk and even join their conversations and have a little fun with them. This is a great way to see where the students are at in understanding the material- who needs more practice and who is up to par.
I personally enjoyed the blog, "Instagram Sensory Walk." Ms. Tucker found that her students were very capable of writing what an object looks like, but left a lot to be desired in other areas. In an effort to have her students gain the ability to describe objects among others, tastes, sounds, and smells, Ms. Tucker tried a new approach. She decided to incorporate social media that the students are most likely are familiar with, to make the lesson more engaging for them. Although the weather wasn't ideal, which caused the students to be less than enthusiastic, Ms. Tucker took them on a walk around the campus.
The goal was for the students to take pictures of objects around the school, post them on Instagram, and comment on each others' photos. Ms. Tucker had the students tag her in the photos and post a hashtag that she created, so the students could easily search for the photos.
I love the way that Ms. Tucker incorporated Instagram, a popular social media platform among students, into her lesson. I know that I would've been much more engaged in lessons, when I was a younger, if my teachers had used social media and technology. There is nothing I would change about the lesson. I thought it was ingenius.
The use of instagram as a sensory walk. She used this to enhance the children's senses in their writing which is very clever. Now the students know about technology and how the use of pictures can open a range of emotions. This was well done.
Caitlin Tucker’s video on Blended Learning caught my attention. Her integrated technology into her class had made a world of difference. I agree and would utilize technology in my future class. It is becoming prevalent now with the smart boards in most classrooms. I agree with Caitlin in the fact that students do not want to hear the teacher talk. Students who have technology available to them do feel more confident that they can find the answer if they are unsure. This does force the student to converse with their peers and engage together as a group. I do believe that students will be more involved in their work. I agree with Caitlin Tucker’s approach and would utilize it in my future teachings.
As I was looking through the blog, the Instagram Sensory Walk caught my eye. Students lives involve a great deal of technology, internet, and social media. Students had to take pictures of certain objects and describe them using their vocabulary. This is great for ELLs because it is visual. I would use this in my classroom as a way to describe and talk about the community or nature. Students would walk around take pictures and comment the purpose and significance of the photo. It is a great differentiated activity. For beginner ELLs, they will just take a picture and write 1 or 2 words to describe the picture.
I really enjoyed the post about “Getting Common Core Ready” transferring reading strategies online. Catlin Tucker highlights the importance and need for students to annotate texts that they are reading to deepen comprehension and boost creative thinking. Often time we associate note-taking with a skill learned in high school if not college, but it is becoming more and more prominent in elementary classrooms. Note-taking varies depending on the purpose and genre, however; it needs to be consistent and children need much practice and exposure to taking manual annotations. Ms. Tucker explains that more and more assessments are given online and so students need to be proficient note takers manually and digitally. She discusses several apps that can be used to gets students engaged with reading and thinking critically. I believe that note taking is a valuable skill that can be modified for kindergarten and first grade in that instead of writing they can draw pictures or use symbols, such as a light bulb for a great idea that came from reading. Other examples are putting a post-it labeled MI for Main Idea in the section of the book that addresses the main idea of the text. In upper grades students can make T-S, T-T, or T-w connections, as well as using context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. I look forward to incorporating this reading strategy more often in my classroom and modifying it address the specific needs of my students.
I read the article titled “Teachers Must Be Architects of Learning Experiences”. This article reinforced what we are now learning in our classes. It is explains that we should not be lecturing to the students, but actually having them engage in conversation and with their peers. It is more challenging to have them do this than it is to just talk to them, but the rewards are much greater. I would talk with the students rather than just to them. This is good advice for a new teacher to hopefully enforce in the classroom. Caitlin explains that she has been teaching for many years, yet she still has not perfected the job. It is not a job to be perfect at rather than constantly learn and adapt to the students and see what works and what is most rewarding for them.
I thought it was very interesting that Catlin Tucker almost quit teaching before technology was implemented into the educational system. I can't imagine teaching a classroom without technology. When I was in school, there was little technology used, and instruction was boring. In today's day in age, I think technology is the reason why students excel. It makes school easier in general.
Caitlin Tucker's blog entitled "Get Common Core Ready: Transfer Active Reading Strategies On-Line" is very interesting as it addresses the need to shift the instructional strategies of highlighting and annotating text from regular text to digital on-line text. Students are taught the traditional way of highlighting and annotating text such as underlining key words and phrases, highlighting key plot details and using post-its to write down their thoughts, connections and feeling about the text and place it in the book that they are reading. Tucker correctly points out that students need to be taught to apply the same active reading strategies to digital text as more and more text moves into the digital realm. Tucker highlights two tools for helping students accomplish this - StudySync and Diigo. StudySync has a wide range of text available on-line that students can access to read and annotate on-line. Diigo can be used to post supplementary readings that can be linked to the class website which can help students make connections between two paired texts. Once the annotation is completed, students can submit their work on-line for teacher review. Tucker states that "If students have not been given the opportunity to regularly read and annotate texts online, they will not have the digital reading stamina or active reading skills necessary to be successful on these Common Core aligned exams." As more and more reading takes place on-line, students will need to be taught this and to master the crucial skill of being able to highlight and annotate text on-line.
I was interested in the Voxer blog post, which, as Caitlin Tucker says, capitalizes on her students' obsession with their phones and technological devices. Voxer seems like a very useful technological tool teacher can implement into the classroom. It is a live messaging app that is similar to a walkie talkie, except you can send both text and photos. Voxer users can send messages to one person or groups of people. People can live chat and view their message as well as respond right away, or they can save it for a later more convenient time.
I would love to use this Voxer app in my classroom. I feel like I could really take advantage of my students' obsession with their phones and I could use it as a reminder for important assessments or as a reminder to study. I can use it for extra help or as a group discussion. I believe it would be very helpful in the classroom and very functional since most students have phones. I think students would find this app cool and fun, engaging them and keeping their attention.
The Four Corners instructional strategy is a great way to start class discussions. It incorporates everyone so that students don't have the pressure of constantly raising their hand in class but rather can bounce ideas off their peers and see what opinions they have on the topic. Having students engaged is the most important and rather then talking at them with information we should check for understanding and see how much students can figure out on their own without the teacher interrupting. By having a class discussion in groups the teacher would now have the opportunity to hear from multiple students instead of calling on one for the answer.
I read the 5 Tips To Keep Students Learning When Extreme Weather Strikes. I think the 5 concepts are all concepts I will be using in my classroom. I think all of them are a great way to stay truly connected to the students and parents whether it be a snow day or simply after a hard lesson. I think it gives the students a better and different way of learning and doing their homework. If they have any questions they do not have to wait for the next day to ask the teacher, you can simply "remind" the teacher or a Google hangout to make sure you are grasping the homework. Being able to stay in contact with your teacher is key. I wish they had this when I was in school!
I read Caitlin Tucker's "Get Common Core Ready: Transfer Active Reading Strategies Online." I found this post to be informative because with the latest ebook trend, students are now reading digital text more frequently. In the foreseeable future, schools are moving towards integrating iPad and other technology into the classroom. When the students have access to any form of text on an iPad or computer, it is important that they can incorporate the same analyze the reading the same way they would with a printed text. Tucker provides two websites students can use that will allow them to highlight and make notes for themselves: StudySync and Diijo. These two sites have their perks. These websites have a large variety of literature so they can be beneficial for any classroom. I definitely will be browsing through the websites to see what content is available.
I was very interested in the Thesis Statement Throwdown".I loved the whole idea. First she puts the prompt for the the essay not the board. After that she puts the students into small groups and tells them to get to work. After a few minutes she choses two groups to put their statement on the board. AS they are writing the statement she plays music.Once the statements are on the board she begins her work and this is the idea that I really like. She edits each thesis statement and talks her way through or thinks out loud as she works, so the students can hear how she is responding to the work in a positive way–strong vocabulary, parallel language, and clearly stated assertion–and what needs to be added, removed or edited. After this a winner is declared. I love the idea of "thinking out loud" while correcting students work. I also like the idea of the competition with the music. These are ideas that I will definitely incorporate into my classroom. I believe this strategy will be both fun and engaging for the student sand will love to be a part of the whole process.
I looked at the article that was about- teachers must be architects of learning experiences. It explained how we as teachers should have our students actively engaging with other peers during the class. A teacher should not just lecture to their class all the time because students do not find this interesting and at many times boring. Students learn a lot when they collaborate with others and hear their thoughts and ideas about a subject. It is important as a teacher to talk with their students and not just to them. As a new teacher this article gave me good advice that I will implement in the future.
The first post really grabbed my attention, Drive Higher-Order Thinking with RSA animation. I really liked the idea of teaching a topic through animation. For example the post discussed how the students were learning about Fahrenheit 451. They were put into groups with different jobs like one student created the script, one student drew the cartoon and another student filmed the cartoon being drawn. They took the portion they were learning and essentially brought it to life. I would definitely use this type of teaching in my class because some topics in Social Studies are better taught with pictures and visuals and this is a great alternative to just showing pictures. This is a great alternative to get the students more involved in the classroom.
I read the post "5 Tips To Keep Students Learning When Extreme Weather Strikes." Considering the amount of snow we have been getting, I thought this would be an interesting post to read. All five tips (Text Your Students and Parents, Use a Google Community to Connect Students, Flip Your Instruction Using Your YouTube Channel, Use Web Tools to Design a Virtual Lesson, and Offer Virtual Office Hours with Google Hangout) were great ideas to incorporate should bad weather strike. I especially found texting your students and parents using Remind to be an extremely good idea. This could be used even during good weather to remind them of important dates or assignments. I will definitely incorporate this tip into my classroom. I will also try to integrate the other four as well as these are all great ideas! -Lauren G.
I though a lot of Caitlin Tucker's ideas were innovative and useful. The post I chose to focus on was "Thesis Statement Throwdown." Tucker stated that she finds a lot of students have trouble creating a solid thesis statement, so she turned it into a competition. She divides her class into small groups, and puts an essay prompt on the board. She gives the teams a few minutes to create the best thesis statement they can, while playing fun, competitive music. After the allotted time, two groups are randomly selected to put their thesis statements on the board. Tucker then corrects and edits each statement, verbalizing her thoughts as she goes, and eventually a winning statement is chosen. I really like a lot of things about this approach, but I would agree with Cathy in that I love her thinking out loud approach while she corrects the students' work. This provides some transparency and gives the students an idea of what exactly their teacher will be looking for when she reads their papers, as well as what she likes and doesn't like. While some of English-focused Tucker's ideas might be hard for me to implement as a biology teacher, I did think that this was a strategy I would be able to use. I think this could be a fun exercise as students begin a research project or paper. It could also be expanded to the lab components of the course, as students just starting out in the sciences typically have trouble constructing a hypothesis for their experiments, and this would be a fun way to teach them how.
I was very interested in the blog about Memes. I think it speaks to students who love to see, post, and share memes on social media. As a teacher I can certainly make a project out of Memes. Some have already done so and they were great ideas related to a novel that the class read. The idea of making Memes connect to themes is not only relevant to students but transforms into something purposeful in a classroom. The good thing is a teacher can use this in their classroom without even knowing how to create a Meme(there is already an instructional video online about it to show the students). I have also learned more about how to use Google images from reading the blog. I was not aware that their was an advanced search option to find the right picture to use. It is truly amazing the technology used to motivate students and to create a fun classroom project. I will one day use this idea. -Gina A.
I really enjoyed the Thesis Throwdown Idea from Feb 10th post. It incorporates a variety of instructional strategies including using music, group work, competition, etc. It also allows students to critically think, and to think under pressure, which when preparing for an exam can help immensely. The teacher also dissects the thesis and helps build it stronger. All of these factors help teach the "common core," and whether or not you agree with common core, these instructional techniques help develop stronger writers and stronger students.
I was very interested in all the ways Caitlin Tucker blended learning with technology. The two ways that really caught my attention were the use of instagram and creating memes. I like the way she caught her students attention by posting a sign with incorrect grammar and asking them to pay attention to find the error. The students will be responding after school hours but its great how this clever way of using social media can keep them engaged. She also gave them an assignment that would require them to post any grammar errors that they encounter. I really love that idea! Also, the use of memes is a creative way for students to express themselves and have a chance to voice their opinions. It's so exciting to learn about all these fun, interactive ways of teaching and learning.
I fell in love with the blog post of having students create "Theme Memes" in the classroom. Students on their spare time go online and look at different memes that connect to their personal interests and lives, so why not have students make some in the classroom. It is a good way of assessing the students' knowledge of classroom content, and allows students to engage themselves in something that they are familiar with and enjoy. I would use the idea in my Spanish class, especially when students are learning new vocabulary and grammar structure in the target language. Students can use Google Drawings to create their very own Theme Meme and put it on Google Drive so that I can assess all the memes for assessment.
"Get Common Core Ready: Transfer Active Reading Strategies Online" was a very interesting post. The reason I chose to read this post is because ebooks are something that is becoming well-known throughout all schools. Instead of reading out of an actual textbook, students are starting to read more off some sort of technology, whether it be on a computer or an ipad. Pretty soon, with the way technology is going, almost everything will probably be technology based but at the same time, while this is a great advancement, it is important to still make sure students are receiving the same amount of information or retaining it the same way they would, if it was through an actual paper textbook. The StudySync website is a great one to also allow students to use because it provides them with a large amount of different pieces of literature and the opportunity to make notes/highlight things.
I thought Socrative was an innovative way to bring technology in the classroom, get the students involved and also promotes collaborative discussions at the same time due to its interactive applications. Teachers also can see what parts of the lesson students may be struggling with, especially the students who are not as vocal as others. I know in a few of my high school, college and current grad school classes we were invited to use our cell phones or tablets that we had on us to take part in a quiz or a lesson. It was a way to check that each student is participating and not playing on their phones because everyone in the class has to sign in before they play. Teachers can set up a mix of multiple choice, true/false, and short answer quizzes; quick questions and polls to maybe start the lesson or mid-lesson to keep everyone on task; an exit ticket, something that is becoming increasingly popular and effective for teachers to see what worked well and what needs to be fixed. I definitely took note of this website and absolutely plan on incorporating this into my future lessons. It's truly a great teaching/learning tool--kids are learning without entirely realizing it. This website has instant feedback. It also not only grades the students material but also shows their answers and what questions they got wrong. It is a wonderful tool to see which questions may have some confused or what may be too easy or what needs to be further clarified. This is a great website!
The post that interested me the most was the post called Back to School Night 2.0. This was a great read fr me because Back to School Night is something I have not experienced yet. This blog contained great ideas of ways you can shake up your meet and greet with parents. I really enjoyed how she took a video of the activities she does in and outside of her classroom. I believe it gives the parents the chance feel as if they were there experiencing the activity with their child and they can see fist hand the enjoyment they got out of it. In today's technology boom in not only the classroom but work as well, parents are better able to communicate with teachers and local helpful resources in any areas of study. By showing parents different websites that can be used to increase understanding, you are bridging the gap between home and school while making sure students are always being exposed to beneficial material. As I am excited to implement some f these ideas at my first Back to School Night.
I really thought the "Take back an Email" post would be something interesting and informative for students to read. Theres so many times that students accidentally send something with a typo or without attaching a document. Although it is not something that will change their ways of thinking, or the way I teach, I always believe in teaching things that are going to be useful and beneficial for the students future. In addition, this post showed other remarkable things that can be done in google. For example, Google drive. I have used google docs many times in the last year, and I believe that it is going to change the way we learn and collaborate together. Therefore, I believe this post was a very informative source of information that I will one day share with my own students.
I really liked the Padlet post. Padlet is a virtual post-it note board that allows teachers and students post text and pictures. You build a wall and you can put anything you want it. The teacher can post questions and the students can answer them using Padlet. It’s an interactive way to allow students to participate using technology. Caitlin Tucker gave great examples on how to use Padlets. The ideas I like are using it for inquiry (asking questions), finish the story (post a story line and ask students to continue t with words and pictures), and vocabulary development (post words on the board and ask students to add definitions and pictures as a class). I think Padlet is a good way to have students interact using technology. I will definitely use Padlet in my future classroom to reinforce concepts we have learned.
Danielle Collins says... Using this to have students reflect on themselves creates fantastic self criticism, and constructive criticism. And having the students chose when they want to look at it lets them control when they may need that extra reminder for their future, or during the summer to remember what they learned the year before. I enjoy looking back and keepsakes kept from when I was younger explaining what i wanted to be when i grow up, having this in detail from when the students is older and has more insight and knowledge, can be very helpful for them in the future future.
I read the article on Prewriting. This article was about how students can work together in order to brainstorm different topic ideas. This can be extremely helpful, as I find the most difficult task encountered when attempting to write any kind of essay is getting started. Working together can allow students to be more creative and productive during their writing, as well as help encourage one another.
Writing a letter to your future self is an excellent idea. I don't believe enough teachers explore this idea of students writing a letter to their future selves for them to read when they graduate or when you believe they need a pick me up. In my classroom I have explored this idea before and have seen the effects it can make. Students who come in to the beginning of the year in a tough place will often not stay in that place and the letter to themselves can show how they were or remind them of what they strived for in the beginning of the year. It can be a great inspirational tool for students.
In Catlin Tucker's blog, I really enjoyed reading about free-range teaching. I shared a lot of similar concerns as Mrs. Tucker. Being that I am a first grade teacher, the thought of releasing my students' to explore on their own and to find their own answers was a bit frightening. I was afraid that the release would turn my classroom upside down. Due to the fact that my classroom has specific behavioral management issues already, this also didn't help my feelings on the free-range teaching approach. Over the course of the year and meeting with seasoned teachers, their recommendation was to just go for it, so I did. I have to say, allowing my students' to explore on their own in partnerships and groups was the best decision I made thus far. Due to the traditional teaching style which has been a teacher centered classroom, it is nerve wrecking for a new teacher to "break the rules" and go in a different direction. However, it is our job to ensure all of our students' are provided with endless opportunities where they can explore their knowledge in various ways. As I stated in my previous blog post, I feel it is key for students' to see that they can learn an incredible amount from one another. We want to make sure that the students' are engaged and inspired to learn. It is amazing what you can learn when you loosen the reigns in a classroom and allow the students' to explore various topics in unique ways. Granting the students' permission to have a different thought, idea, and vision is what they are yearning for. They are eager to dive into to the world and find new ways to solve problems or find different answers to certain questions. I think it is essential that all teachers adapt to the free-range teaching approach for it is becoming the core piece in a successful and supportive classroom.
I really liked Caitlin Tucker’s blog about Free Range Teaching. I found her description of the opportunity she gave her students to design and execute a five week unit instead of using traditional literature circles to be very motivating and inspirational. I think like many other teachers I am often afraid to give my students complete autonomy in the classroom because I fear that they may just fool around and not complete any work. However, as Caitlin describes in her blog, I agree that always giving students specific tasks, such as in literature circles, stifles their creativity and is not engaging and motivating for students. I have found in my own sixth grade classroom that when students are given the opportunity to guide their own learning through tasks and projects that interest them, they are absolutely more motivated and engaged in the topic. Although traditional teaching methods are useful for certain subjects and topics, adopting free range teaching in the classroom encourages the students to think on a deeper level, enhancing their critical thinking skills. As teachers, it is our goal to develop our students’ higher level thinking skills. Providing the students with the standards and guidelines but ultimately giving the students the task of designing and executing their own assignments and tasks will foster the development of these skills in students and assist them in becoming well-rounded individuals who can successfully collaborate with their peers. After reading this blog, I am going to try to implement more free range teaching in my classroom.
Caitlin Tucker’s article “Free Range Teaching” offers a very interesting approach to student centered learning and teaching. The concept of student centered teaching and learning is not necessarily new. Many teachers for a long time and still some today utilize teacher centered classrooms in which the teacher is in control of the environment. Student centered learning places the emphasis on the students making decisions. Tucker however takes student centered learning to an entirely different level. Instead of utilizing the more traditional approach in which the students are placed in groups and perform specific jobs she gave them “complete autonomy over how they demonstrated [there] skills.” The students were actually in charge of designing their own performance tasks to illustrate what they have learned about the topic while highlighting their own unique talents. I love this idea because you really are giving the students the chance to showcase their own knowledge and learning in a variety of different ways. However this would take to establish. The classroom environment must be a very strong and focused one. This strategy could lead to a lot of lackluster performances by slacking students. Yet, if it is done right I truly believe that “free range teaching” could open up an entirely new learning experience for not only students but teachers as well.
I liked reading Catlin Tucker's article on free range teaching because it introduced a teaching method that I had not yet considered or learned about during my first semester at Molloy College. I was surprised by how much control the students were given. I think the act of giving students access to the Common Core Standards was a really good move because it tells the students how they can prove themselves without being told what to do. Technology plays a key role in this. By giving students access to different technologies whether it is iMovie, GarageBand, Prezi, and more, you can encourage them to use their creativity as each group will undoubtedly create a unique product. Students could create physical products as well and I am sure a classroom with these products displayed would look amazing in addition to confidence-boosting for the students. I would have liked to see the results of this technique being used in other classrooms. I would have liked o see the success and failures it experienced in different classrooms environment. I can't see it having very much success in classrooms with lots of English Language Learners. I think they would have a lot of difficulty interpreting the meaning behind the Common Core Standards. However, since I am still a pre-service teacher it may be my inexperience speaking. Even so, I am interested in this practice and think it has potential. I could see myself using it periodically in the classroom. It seems like a very relaxing way to learn without having to sacrifice understanding of the content. Because of this, I think it is a great way to end before or return from a long vacation.
I really enjoyed Cailin Tucker's article on free range teaching. It made me really think about the methods that I use in the classroom. As a first yeare teacher, I was told to just relay the information and make sure that the students "get" all the information that they need. In my opinion this is a very "play it safe" strategy to teaching. Granted, the school that I teach at is very unique. It is a college prepartory school and social studies is lectured based. There is virtually no technology in the classroom, besides my iPad and my Keynote slides. The student listen to what I lecture and cipy the notes on my board while I speak for 41 minutes. I am in complete control of the classroom and I am at the center of every lesson. The students never do group work, turn an talk, complete projects, etc. These are things that I would love to do and even did myself dring my student teaching. I would much prefer the free range strategy and giving the student complete autonomy in the classroom. But my school also needs to catch up with the times and provide the students with technology. As a teachher, I am very limitied with what I can actuallty do in the classroom. When that point in time comes, the students will be able to be creative, independent, and enthusiastic in the classroom. It will allow EVERY student to be eganged in the daily class lessons and it will open a wider range of activities that the students could be involved in.
As we approach new a new era in education, it becomes imperative for us as teachers to re-examine our teaching methods to stay abreast new strategies that might appeal to students of different learning styles and intelligences . I believe Caitlin Tucker has done an excellent job of explaining how an ideal classroom would be if students were able to actively and cooperatively learn by exploring topics, solving problems and thinking critically from a student centered approach. As an elementary school teacher in a classroom mixed with students of many emotional and behavioral backgrounds, the thought of giving students the autonomy to make decisions academically and drive learning on their own is a bit scary. I don't know how well this would work for many of the English language learners that have limited proficiency with the language. With some guidance from the teacher, this methods may work to gradually shift from a teacher centered approach to the free range approach to learning. However, I feel that this can be an effective strategy, most suited for the upper grades where students may be aware of their interests, strengths, and weaknesses and also have acquired certain skills to be able to work well independently, without reliance on the teacher.
Caitlin Tucker's article "Free Range Teaching" offers a very new approach to student centered learning.The idea of student centered learning is not new but has been pushed more in recent years as the model for education today. Many teachers for a long time and still some today utilize teacher centered classrooms in which the teacher is in control of the environment.Student centered learning allows the students to be in full control of their learning. Tucker however takes student centered learning to an entirely new and exciting level. Instead of the more traditional approach in which the students are placed in groups and perform specific jobs she gave them "Complete autonomy over how they demonstrated [their] skills." The students created their own learning tasks and objectives, as well as the products needed to achieve those tasks. This is a very interesting way of modeling student centered learning for future classrooms aroudn the country.
Caitlin Tucker writes about flipping her class with Ed Puzzle. I used Ed Puzzle once in my classroom because a co worker recommended it. She shared it with me and I never got the opportunity to really see how it was effective in my classroom. Ed Puzzle is a great way to comprehend students understanding of a video. You can ask questions throughout the video to ensure students are understanding what they are listening to. The questions my coworker added were short response therefore it made it really challenging to review. After reading the article, I now know there are multiple choice questions. This is better for my low readers also, because they are hearing the information instead of just reading it. I will defiantly use this in my classroom again, perhaps even as an assessment.
I think that Catlin Tucker's article on "Free Range Teaching" was awesome. I liked her blended learning strategy of the "Flipped Classroom." I would absolutely use this in my Social Studies classroom. I thought it was cool that with the Edpuzzle you can cut and paste and add questions throughout the video. I feel this is helpful to keep students on their toes especially for longer videos or documentaries. I also like this program because you can cut and trim only the parts you want students to watch.
For the article, "3 Ways to Support Teachers as the Educational Landscape Evolves" I found it very funny that it points out that the students are the least utilized technological advantage in the school. This is very true and I think it is something teachers often forget. However students have just as much to teach educators as teachers can educate them. Additionally, I think the very first point in the article that states, its okay to fail. This is something every new teach must always repeat to themselves. Every teacher's career is encircled with learning, and that it something they need to realize when times are overwhelming. I plan to interact as much as I can with my colleges, because I'm sure there is a wealth of knowledge of techniques they can show me. Darrin Dawber makes an excellent point when stating that schools need to "get with the times as well" a teacher can only have the advances if the school is willing to provide the technology.
In the article, "3 Ways to support Teachers as the Educational Landscape Evolves" it states, "most teachers enter this profession because they genuinely love to learn; however, many of us get into the classroom and feel isolated in our work." In some ways I can relate to because I feel that there needs to be more of a support system in professional development and the useful ways to use technology. As teachers we are taught to teach our students but we fail to realize that we can learn from them as well. We forget that our students are growing up in this generation with technology. I would always ask my students for help with the smartboard or how to use certain website and they loved helping me. I could tell it gave them self confidence in helping the teacher. I agree with Amanda, schools do need to upgrade their system in some ways and understand this generation.
In this article, Caitlin Tucker shows how incorporating technology can be beneficial for students. Technology has become a very important factor in the role of education and there are a variety of different entities in technology that can help our students to grow in knowledge. I find the EDPUZZLE with flipped instruction to be quite interesting and this is something that I would definitely use in my classroom . You can customize it by adding videos, audio clips, and questions as well as keeping track on the progress of your students work with the assignment. One of the most important points that Caitlin Tucker mentioned in the article was, "creating a school culture where teachers know it’s okay to take risks and fail." This is such a true statement and needs to be stressed in every school because people learn by making mistakes. Although we all would like to do things right all the time, that is not reality. We need to make mistakes, so we can better ourselves and learn.
I think the article is very informative and enlightening. Flipped learning has many benefits, and the key to using this approach successfully is being sure to flip and engage! I appreciate the great components that EDPUZZLE offers, such as the audio commentary, multiple choice you can insert throughout the videos, editing tools to remove advertisements and linking with a TodaysMeet backchannel to have the students share their responses to questions anonymously; all elements to entice an engaged audience. It is equally important to encourage teacher participation across the board. While not all teachers are comfortable with technology, if we advise with our students, they will teach us and encourage us to explore. Personally, my students have taught me a world of knowledge in the classroom, including how to utilize my Mac with a split screen on the SmartBoard. I also appreciate the idea of developing a TechTeam comprised of students. School clubs should be encouraged and celebrated, and this would serve dual purpose to encourage educators. Lastly, being a music educator I appreciate the Dylan reference from his song lyrics “You better start swimming or you’ll sink like a stone for the times they are a-changin’.” Times are changing indeed,and technology, like the arts, should be celebrated and welcomed in schools, otherwise, it will be difficult to catch up.
The article offers much insight about incorporating technology in the classroom and how it can be beneficial for students. I agree with Giana in that technology has become a huge part of education based on the influence it has had on our society. The EDPUZZLE can be used as a means of differentiation of instructions for students who are visual or auditory learners. Caitlin Tucker's message about taking risks and failing for teachers also struck me because in schools we need to be role models for our students and in life we need to learn that taking a risk can be extraordinary, but we'll never know if we fear failure.
I really enjoyed reading this blog especially the part about SimpleK12. I always feel that my school doesn't provide enough professional development opportunities or ones that I find particularly useful for my practice. Therefore, SimpleK12 is an excellent resource for me to be able to find my own professional development opportunities and the best part is I can do it from home! Also, I really like the idea of the flipped classroom model. This is something I would love to use in my classroom. It would be a great way for me to introduce a new unit or topic or provide additional resources for my struggling students. This is a simple way to incorporate technology into the classroom when your school has limited resources.
I believe that Caitlin Tucker has done an excellent job providing various strategies inside the classroom, including her favorites. I love that she is all about collaborative working, but that not one strategy does not fit all. Using this to have students critique themselves is constructive, not putting a lot of pressure on them at the same time. I like that students can get a reminder of when certain things are due. As a future educator, I feel it is important to have students, teacher, and parents all on the same page. A simple text message to a parent or student is good communication and allows for questions to be asked and a good understanding of what is going on. As a parent I would definitely want to know what my child is learning and would want to speak with their teacher via text message. I would need reminders and this is a great tool to use mainly because it is beneficial for everyone.
I really enjoyed learning about the 'readability test tool', I think that is helpful and important because we need to make sure that readings are appropriate for the age group. Sometimes it is not obvious that the reading may be more challenging or not challenging enough. I will definitely use this tool because I am always wondering if the readings I pick are appropriate. Sometimes I find articles that I like but I do not know what grade level it is appropriate for. It is always good to double check articles you find online, it may say that it is on a grade 5 reading level but it may not be.
I really like the idea of a totally student-centered classroom. The fact that the students not only are faced with the task, but actually have a say in what that task is really does inspire learning in students. On the surface, it seems like a flawless approach but I definitely could see some problems. Depending on the students who are in the classroom, some could take advantage and see my class as an opportunity for work that is easier than other subjects. Although it seems like the students are doing all the work, it would be essential for the teacher to have a constant presence and feedback for each student. I believe that student-centered learning would be a great thing to experiment in my classroom but I would not necessarily use it all year round.
I really liked the idea of the voice typing in Google Documents. Of course we all know of the idea of voice to text which we have been introduced to through Siri on the iPhone, but the idea of using voice to text to be more productive in the classroom is a more novel idea. As a future Special Ed teacher I would use this for students who suffer from poor fine motor skills, and I love the idea that Caitlin has as far as students who are suffering from some sort of hand injury and can't write, can take advantage of this. In my short time that I have been in a classroom so far, observing and student teaching, I have noticed an incredible amount of students who require scribes because of injuries. Most of the time I notice those students not paying attention and not being an active participator in class because they can't write. The only negative part about that is that they will have to speak out loud in order to activate the voice to text, which could be a distraction, but if I could put the student in an area of the classroom where they do not distract the rest of the class then I would definitely use this.
Voice Typing in Google Documents This is an interesting post because it explains how you can use your voice to type a word document with microsoft word. I think this is a great tool to have in your classroom for students who are unable to type. It allows them to still participate in assignments. I also find it beneficial for the students to talk out sentences because they are hearing what they are writing. They will also see it as the computer is typing it. I don’t see it being a tool that one could use often but I think it is good to know that students have the option to dictate an assignment to a computer instead of typing it out. I would use this feature with any student that is unable to type.
On Catlin Tucker website the post that interest me the most was the “Voice Tying in Google Documents”. I like how Caitlin shows the step by step process on how to access the voice command. In addition, she stated that students can use this function if they injured their hand. I would like to use this function for my own use as well. I realize I am better at public speaking than writing.
I like the idea of having voice command for students. I think its great for those who have been hurt or who have a disability that requires them to speak instead of write. My only concern is and I have seen it happens several times, is that sometimes the machine you are speaking into may misinterpret what you are saying or mishear a command and it will become very frustrating for the students. its a great way to save time but it also may cause more time to be taken if it is not used properly or does not register what is being said properly.
On this website the post that stood out to me the most was, “Voice Typing in Google Documents”. I thought it was very helpful that the author offered a step by step process about how to use it. This would be something that I could use with my students as an accommodation. If a student is injured, which often happens in elementary school, they can use this to do their work without the use of their hands.
I chose the post 5 Strategies to Help You Rethink Research because it was intriguing and I found it to be a concise wealth of useful information and tools that can be readily used in a classroom setting. The post addresses how research figures prominently into the Common Core standards, and links to other posts in which Caitlin Tucker has previously used and evaluated the tools listed.
All of them listed, (A Google a Day, Got Credibility, Infographics, Crowdsourcing, and Instagram Scavenger Hunts) are quite useful and enhancing to the process of research and learning. In fact, I have used a variation of the instagram scavenger hunt before as part of a project in which students find various examples of energy technology from class while we were on long bus trip, but two that I found most interesting, particularly for their relevance to research, were the Got Credibility tool and the Crowdsourcing post
It is important for students to be able to assess the credibility of the sources of information that they are citing and making judgements from. When we have presidential candidates that are failing to do so, it is obvious exactly how important it is. Most research is and will be conducted on the internet, and obviously not every source of information is something that is peer-reviewed and vetted. It is easy for information that has no reliable source to spread quickly and be accepted as factual by large numbers of people. If decisions are made based upon erroneous information, disaster can ensue. The modern student needs the skill and ability to evaluate the credibility of any source of information that they encounter, and the tools that Caitlin Tucker links can help them do exactly that.
Her post about crowdsourcing is also interesting. Research into financial markets has concluded that the “consensus is always correct” meaning that a the combined information of all financial portfolios of a group always outperforms any one of them individually. This can be extended into the classroom as well, allowing students to combine their expertise, knowledge, and understanding to achieve a more accurate result. A clear testament to the power of crowdsourcing information can be found in the way that Wikipedia has evolved into becoming a trusted and credible source of information. The fact the information contained in the article of Wikipedia are sourced, vetted, and maintained by huge numbers of people ensures that any inaccurate information does not survive there for very long before it is corrected. Just think of what the results would be if you were to give your class one copy of attest for them all to work together on, It is virtually assured that they would get everything right on it.
After exploring this article, I especially like a few ideas proposed and used by Caitlin Tucker. The first idea I found very interesting is the ability to create flyers and newsletters to be seen publicly or privately. This is a great way to not only get information across but also to invite students/parents to events and trips throughout the school year. The second idea I really would like to incorporate in the future is using digital newsletters for parents. Parents are understandably very needy and constantly want to know about assignments and events that their children are assigned and have the opportunity to attend. These digital newsletters will provide a place parents can go at any time to find information and details on things they may want to know instead of having to be that parent that is constantly trying to contact the teacher and sending notes to school with their children. These newsletters will make it easier on the student, parent and teacher as well.
The post I picked is called “Early Elementary: Differentiate Reading Practice”. The writer mentions a previous post where she talks about a rotation station model she uses in her high school class. This model allows more time for the teacher to work with children individually. The writer says that this model can also be done with lower grades. You can use this to differentiate reading instruction. There are three groups. Technology is being used in two stations. In the first station, students individually listen to a book then complete a writing task. In the second station, students read to themselves using audio. The last station is small group practice led by the teacher. She provides various online picture books. What makes these books special is that it can be read to the student.
I am a kindergarten teacher and it is very hard to put children in small independent groups because they do not know how to read and can get a bit chatty. I think that these websites and the suggestion of using audio, is a great way to help children work independently and quietly. I am definitely going to use this in my classroom.
On her website, I read about Catlin's strategy of creating newsletters for parents. This is an idea I have entertained after discussing it in a few courses as a classroom management strategy. Students become more responisble for their work and parents have the opportunity to be more involved the more they are aware of what is going on in the classroom. Additionally, it provides the chance for teachers to discuss positive events in the classroom rather than strictly reporting an incident or other negative issue when communicating with parents. I enjoyed how she talked about the features and interface of the techonology she used to create her newsletter as it made the strategy seem more tangible and useful than simply showing the product of the program. I also read a more personal post she wrote about her experience as both a teacher and a mother. This post did not have strategies but was significant because it effectively encouraged other teachers to network with each other on a platform to express their obstacles as a teacher.
The post that immediately drew my attention is entitled "Creating a Safe Digital Space."
In this article she explains the importance of creating a proper online environment for students to participate in. She compares an online enviornment to physical space and emphasizes the importance of both landscapes. She reinforced the thought of teachers maintaining a proactive approach in the online realm.
I found this article particulary interesting because of my current position at the school I work at. I am the Social Media Supervisor and oversee all communication of the schools in-bound and outbound marketing. Our goal is to build an engaging online community that reflects our schools mission, values, and beliefs. In my classroom, I stress the importance of being appropriate Digital Citizens. Although students generally interact via Social Media, it is imporant for them to understand appropriate online behavior as it is a primary communication tool used among professionals.
I read Design Digital Newsletters for Parents. This article was about a digital newsletter called Smore that teachers can use to send important daily information home to parents. As the parent of a 1st grader I found this very interesting. I understand how difficult it can be for teachers to communicate well with parents on a daily basis. For younger students, Smore is a great way to remind parents of daily issues such as wearing sneakers on gym days and bringing in extra tissue boxes when needed. As a former middle school teacher, I can see how beneficial Smore would be at this level and the high school level as well. Dues dates, filed trip payment reminders can all be added to a program like Smore to help today’s busy parents be on top of everything! There are great benefits of Smore for both parents and teachers! Also, a great feature about Smore is that the teacher can see who read the updated newsletter. If a certain parent did need read an update, the teacher can contact the parent directly. I hope to use this in the future.
Find a post that interests you and describe it in a paragraph and tell us how it might change what you do or how you do it.
I read about the Smore application and found the post to be quite interesting. As Caitlyn stated, I also use the Remind app to send out text alerts for quizzes, tests and projects to my students. I also can contact parents to let them know about any pertinent information. With the Smore newsletter application, I am able to create a small newsletter that can be sent out to parents explaining everything that is going on in my classroom. I can also send it out to students to let them know of any important up coming events, such as "Tomorrow we are skyping with the classroom in Spain, Don´t forget to show up" and other things of that nature. I really think this is a good tool that I will be able to incorporate into my classroom, and bring about success in conveying information to students as well as to parents.
I enjoyed reading the post about the One Stop Differentiated Station Rotation. I sometimes do small group work in my classes, or review stations before a math exam. I try to mix up my groups, so that a struggling student might be paired with a higher level student and I or the higher level student can provide support when needed. I also switch it up occasionally, so that I am working primarily with lower level students who need more scaffolding. I liked Caitlyn’s method of providing different level assignments according to students’ abilities. I have tried this before in the past, but after reading her post, have different ideas about how I could do this in my ELA classroom. It is important to not single students out or make them feel like they have an easier task than other students, so making assignments individualized, creating multiple stations using various skills, is also a good strategy to follow. When using reading comprehension passages, I try to provide appropriate leveled texts for each of my students. I will continue to do that, in addition to Caitlyn’s differentiated station suggestions.
I read about designing your own digital choice board. The goal of a choice board is to allow students an opportunity to select the activities they will complete to practice a skill or demonstrate understanding. The choice board resembles a tic tac toe board (3x3 boxes) filled with different activities and students are encouraged to chose any 3 activities in a row. There is a lot of room for differentiation with choice boards. Teachers can design their choice board to allow students to decide what they will produce, how they will engage with the information, which level of complexity they are ready for, and which activity appeals to their interests. Digital choice boards allow teachers to embed images and include hyperlinks to more material. I like the idea of choice boards because it gives students the creativity and freedom to decide which type of learning is best for them. With a little bit of extra effort on the teachers part, she/he can reach a level of understanding class-wide by including activities of all levels and learning styles. I would definitely use this technique in my classroom for numerous topics, I enjoy giving students the opportunity to made their own decisions and be in charge of their own learning.
I found the post about creating your own digital choice board very interesting. With implementing a choice board, you are allowing students to have the freedom to choose a certain activity or action to help them practice a skill that they are working on. I have read a lot about choice boards in the past from Andrea Honigsfeld and Maria Doves' past books. I have always wanted to implement it in my classroom, especially since I have students of various needs and ability levels. By allowing them a choice, they are able to show their knowledge and skills in an activity they are comfortable with. I think the benefit of a digital one is that students may go to links easily. So many classes use a digital background to do independent work. This will provide ease for navigating the websites. All that is needed is a small mini-lesson on how to use the choice board.
I read about designing your own digital choice board. I actually use this in the beginning of the year in my classroom. I have vocabulary and spelling words and I create a choice board for the students to complete for weekly homework. I think it would be a great idea for the students to create a choice board and have the chance to include their input on what should go in the board. I am going to incorporate this idea into my teaching for next year. Giving the students a blank template and directions for what needs to go in each box will not only make them feel like they are creating their own homework, it forces them to also think of different activities they would like to complete. Great blog!
I enjoyed reading the first blog, Career Exploration Project. I absolutely agree with the author in that many children have very little to no exposure to the working world, so when the question of "What do you want to be when you grow up?" is asked, they fall back on whatever they know or hear another child say. This post is geared more towards older children in that they are able to create questions about each career in order to learn more information. They would even observe a person in this chosen profession. I would change this around a bit as I work with young children who would not be able to complete those tasks. I would work one on one with a child and discuss the careers they are interested in and together come up with questions about that selected career. If we had parents who worked some of the chosen jobs I would invite them into the classroom to speak about their work. We could draw pictures or make a booklet of what we think a day in the life of a person who does that job is like.
I reviewed the Caitlin Tucker’s Blog “Station Rotation”. Secondary students are placed in stations, where each group has a responsibility of contributing to the subject matter. For instance, if they are doing a literary piece, one group can look at the story elements, while another group focus on the grammar/language use. Another group can even work online to research texts that will be beneficial to the topic being discussed. Caitlin Tucker relies on a software program called “Studysync”. It very resourceful as it helps to plan lessons, get activities, and provide info on curriculum and common core teaching standards. It also has a huge database of online texts that students can research. This develops their reading and writing skills. According to Caitlin Tucker, the information that is available on the program is vast and is not even available at the school library. While in stations, Tucker would go around and visit the different groups, providing one-on-one support, where necessary. As a result of this program, Tucker is even able to differentiate instruction. I found this strategy to be very effective. I can see myself incorporating this method in my classroom. The benefits are endless for the students and myself. Having stations is a great way of ensuring that students are actively engaged, and not just sitting around waiting for information to be fed to them. They are actually taking responsibility for their learning, and in the process it benefits the entire class. Even the teacher benefits. Onc can give students support, focus on weak areas, and help students stay on task.
I think using a digital choice board in the classroom just allows students for another opportunity to show their strengths. As students are interacting with any kind of device a teacher is able to see how the student is mapping out their thoughts and attributing their answer. What I like about this site is what it offers the practice of reading but not singling out those who have difficulties. The student who struggles with reading is still able to attend the lesson because they can listen and then answer questions that pertain to the story. As a teacher, you would also like to hope that as the student is listening to the story that they are following along, word by word to make a sound to word connection. This could be a great center for students to break up into thoughtout the day to practice listeing, reading, and reading comprehension skills. I also feel that technology is being implemented more and more each day that the voice to text will most likely be an option for many things in the near future.
I like the digital choice board it allowed children and agree with Brittney that it allowed the students to show their strength. This also helps teachers know what the students interest. This also helps the student become more independent and less stress, which will allow the student to work well on their assignment they like doing. This site gives teachers ways to help all their students also gives teacher ideas in how to incorporate new learning style. I will definitely recommend this site to new and older teachers.
The post that interested me the most was the Career Exploration Project. As a child I was always asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. My response was always a teacher but the only choices I really thought about were Doctor, Dentist, Lawyer, Police Officer, Fire Fighter, and Teacher. There are obviously a lot more choices for careers then those. This project is a great way to explore many careers. This project also teaches students at an early age how to research, interview, write a resume, and use more technology then they would normally use. These are skills that students will need to know later on in life and most of the time they are neglected or not gone over thoroughly. This project is a perfect opportunity for students to learn step by step many skills. I do believe this project should be meant for higher grades such as 6th+ but I do believe their are other ways this project can be implemented in the younger grades. Overall this is a great project for students to learn early on about all different types of careers and see what they are most interested in.
After reading this article, I agree that normal assessments with grading does not seem to be effective. Yes it is a necessity so that there is also proof to show what a student understands but, there should be a chance for students to share what they understand and talk about their work. In my school, my mentor and I prefer to have students work in groups and having them stand are do work together or work in stations. I feel this is important because, when someone can get their point across verbally, it shows that do understand what they were taught. This also pushes all students to put forward their best work to try and impress their classmates.
In my experience, I have seen students do better when they communicate what they did to answer a question than those who just do the work. Although working with others can be uncomfortable, it definitely can improve student work.
After reading a few posts by Caitlin Tucker, the post I choose to reflect upon is called Digital Portfolios: Revise, Reflect & Publish. I like the idea of having students create a space where their work is the main attraction. I also like that the students are about to reflect about their progress throughout their academic year when they create their own portfolios. I definitely believe that an ample amount of time should be provided so students are able to work at their own pace. I like how Caitlin allowed them to create their portfolio as they saw fit. This provided unique results. I also admire the use of voice comments for every student. With so many students, it must have taken a lot of time but the most important part was that it benefited each and every student. Overall, I believe this a great idea to incorporate in the classroom because it is something that is time consuming but it is something that may be used to see work from all points of the year and the students can choose to reflect upon it at a later time.
After reading the post about "Conversations Instead of Grades," I was left uncertain how I felt about this concept. Unfortunately, I agree with Tucker that grades have come to dominate both teacher and student lives. People are consumed by the idea of getting good grades to get into good colleges because, as of now, grades are a crucial factor. While I do believe the looming nature of grades needs to be lessened, I am not sure that conversations are valid enough to take their place. Conversations may work as an informal assessment, but testing and data are necessary to record improvement or lack thereof. Although I have not discovered a technique to replace grades I do not believe conversations could take their place.
After reading the blog, "Invest in Innovation", I am in agreement with Caitlin Tucker that although teachers can be innovative and have an enormous impact on students, two ingredients that must be present are financial investments and the desire to change. Unfortunately, there are many schools that do not have enough money for resources that are a necessity to help their students succeed in the classroom. Without the funds available, teachers can only do so much. It is a duty of a district to be able to supply teachers with resources to be able to use their skills inside the classroom to the best of their ability. As far as the desire to change, schools and most importantly, students must be open to the option to change. This can mean implementing more technology, more group work, or even less state testing. As a prospective Spanish teacher, I believe that it is extremely important that schools are open to changing the way that they learn. I believe that it would only better the students. Over time, I believe that school systems will become stronger, but as of now we must address the major issues of the openness to adapt and the ability to supply the necessary funds for teacher.
I am very pleased that I came across Caitlin Tucker’s blog on “Invest in Innovation”. According to Tucker, schools like the idea of being innovative, however schools need necessary funding and the ultimate desire to change. It is one thing to talk about change and a new program to be put in place for the upcoming school year, but it is easier said than actually done. Personally, I struggle with this same situation in my current school…I actually thought to myself “Hey, did I who write this blog?!”. Working for an independent school, we need all the funding we can get for new innovative technology and curriculum. That being said, I create my own curriculum and spend my own money out of my pocket for materials, and resources needed to create the necessary and appropriate learning environment with students with disabilities. Many of times I have expressed my beliefs for change, but often it falls on deaf ears. Unfortunately, many of my coworkers have moved on to bigger and better opportunities. I feel if the administration would invest in certain programs and new technologies, the teachers and students would be happier at my school. I have often found myself very discouraged, and I understand why so many excited, forward thinking teachers get frustrated and leave this profession in search of spaces where their creativity is valued and celebrated. I know it is easier to be more creative in my school because we do no follow the Regents and Common Core track, however concerns and suggestions must be heard at independent schools as well; otherwise, why would a parent place their child in an independent school in the first place.
After reading the blog, "Invest in Innovation" I am a little frustrated with the authors point. While I understand teachers limitations, I do not believe it explains why teachers leave to find more lucrative opportunities. Isn't the most important thing about being a teacher helping one student at a time and enjoying each and every impact, no matter how small? Throwing your hands up and saying without innovation, which needs money and support for change, we cannot accomplish our goals is just a complaint I disagree with. While I do agree that innovation is an important part of education, it is not the end all. Let us go back to the basics, remember that we can educate our students and achieve success without feeling like we are losing the "innovation" fight and, therefore, the battle.
After reading the Differentiation vs. tracking blog, I thought it was interesting that some teachers even got these to systems confused. Tracking is projecting a students growth and achievement in school over their academic career. Where as differentiation, is making small modifications to ether help a student who is struggling or to further push a student who is excelling. I don't believe that tracking works, tracking leads to a very fixed mindset and leads no room for growth. This is bad because it limits a students ability because they are only pushed as hard as their track allows for. Equally being said students in different tracks have different expectations and are held to different standards.
I found the "Differentiation vs. Tracking" post very useful. It explained the difference between tracking, which is the way we monitor our students progress in the classroom, and differentiation, which is the way we adjust our lessons to meet the needs of all learners. In the school I am currently working in, both of these things are a huge priority. We are always expected to track our students and use that data to drive instruction and create small groups. The differentiation should take place in our process, product, and content of the lessons. I find I am able to track my students well and use that data for small group instruction but I am still working on differentiation my lessons for all of my learners. I think the strategies on this post are very helpful and something I will use when planning for the next school year for ideas of where to differentiate. I can see Christopher's point about tracking but I feel that it is less of a projection of their achievement and more of a continuous strategy where teachers monitor students progress in growth in all areas to see their achievements and where they are still struggling and need small group instruction.
Caitlin Tucker’s post about the Career Exploration Project she designed interested me. Ever since I was in first grade I knew I wanted to be a teacher. I looked forward to the beginning of the school year and cried when it came time for summer vacation. I also always played school with my brother, even though he probably did not appreciate the spelling and math tests I made him take. However, for many others, choosing a career to pursue is a very difficult decision. “What do you want to be when you grow up?” This is a question that is asked throughout classrooms worldwide, however, how will students know the answer to this question if they are not exposed to their options? Tucker’s Career Exploration Project allows students to find out more about a profession through research, observation, and interviews. Students then compile all of the information they gained from the latter methods and create a short video on their chosen profession to share with others in their class. I believe this project is intended for upper grades, but there are definitely ways to incorporate the essence of this project into the lower grades, as well. For example, inviting parents to come in to talk about their jobs or even taking vocational field trips can benefit the younger students. Giving students the opportunity to learn about the endless employment opportunities they can have is very important and I plan to incorporate this into my very own classroom. Overall, as educators, it is our job to help our students reach their fullest potentials and equip them with the tools that will help them achieve their goals in life. By having students partake in projects, such as the Career Exploration Project, this enables them to be actively engaged in their learning. Exposing our students to what this world has to offer will help them establish their dreams in life and reveal to them the adventures that await.
Caitlin Tucker's idea of an "in- class flip" left me a bit confused. She seems to be requesting that teachers record themselves and allow students to watch the recordings during class. This way, every student is watching the same "lesson," but can rewind, pause, and ask questions at their own pace. Rather than teaching, the teacher's role in the room is to circle around and monitor student progress. This model bothered me because it assumes that all students will react well to watching a video, rather than an in- person interaction. I can't help but read these blogs with a special ed teacher mindset. This in- class flip model might hinder the learning of the special ed student. In addition to the concern of the special education student not retaining the material covered by the video, it is important for them to have social interactions in the classroom. By using this model, it limits the amount of conversation, collaboration, and self- correction time needed for a special education student to succeed.
One blended learning strategy that Catlin Tucker suggests and can be easily incorporated into daily lesson plans is a digital choice board. A digital choice board presents students with different activities on a grid, which they may work on for that day or throughout a unit. It facilitates differentiation by allowing teachers to design a variety of activities that meet the needs of students on various levels and with different learning styles. In addition, it allows students to be more thoughtful and take ownership of their learning by deciding which activities are of greatest interest to them or could help them reach their personal goals. An important component of digital choice boards is weaving in ways to assess students’ work. Some ways this can be done is by creating activities that utilize Padlet Wall, Google forms, or allowing students to record videos to explain their work. I agree with Brittney that a digital choice board allows students to show their strengths by offering various activities, rather than offering a one-size-fits-all assignment.
I have noticed that on an elementary school level, students find it difficult to complete independent assignments for reading and writing because it often requires them to sit and stay focused on one thing for a prolonged period of time. As a result, some students finish their work too early, or others find the longer assignments to be too tedious. Therefore, I would like to try to use a digital choice board for the upcoming school year as a way to provide more movement and interaction during independent work periods. As Tucker had mentioned in her post, I could create activities that reinforce the specific reading and writing skills that we are focusing on for that unit, rather than just emphasizing the skill we learned that day. By doing so, students can be reminded of past skills, as well as new ones, and could determine for themselves, after some guidance, which activities would be most beneficial and relate most to the work they are doing that day.
As a student myself, I can admit I have sat down to write an essay and have drawn a complete blank. Starting an essay is always the hardest part. The key to starting a strong essay or any writing piece, is to organize your thoughts first. Caitlin Tucker's strategy to have students work together to organize their thoughts before writing is a great instructional strategy I would use in my classroom. Collaboration is such an important aspect of school as well as life outside of school. Learning to talk though ideas and expressing opinions not only helps the students with their writing but their social skills as well. Caitlin Tucker's idea to have students write on large pieces of paper provides the students with the platform to analyze what they just read, relay what they understood, and apply the information to a writing question. The paper also acts as a guideline they can refer back to while writing the essay. I believe this is important because it teaches kids how to be good writers at a young age. Caitlin Tucker's strategy to organize thoughts before writing can be used for the rest of their lives. As a teacher I would like to focus on teaching good study skills and how to collaborate with others.
I really like what she had to say about the in-class flip. I think it could be used as a very useful style of teaching. I think it probably would be most effective with students who are gifted, in either an honors or AP class. Having the utility to teach kids as they have questions and want to learn more could be very valuable. I see this having strong effects on high school level students and probably more often used in elective classes where there isn't a state/standardized test the students need to prepare for.
I really like Kaity's perspective on this. I often don't think of the special ed classroom because I think of my own class when I think of implementation. This definitely could pose some challenges being introduced to the special ed community. It would be interesting to see how the students handle it. Likely there would be a large variance among the students on how much they're completing.
Blogspog is a Buggy program and clearly has flaws. I replied to this post multiple times before it became visible to others. I shouldn't have to rewrite my work or specifically save my work because the system is bugged. We should have systems and programs we use that are reliable, ESPECIALLY in our Technology Class!
I really like the post about "One Stop Differentiated Station". Although this lesson or differentiated type of instruction has an example in a classroom I feel I can use this in the gym. Basically there are stations that are setup with varying degrees of difficulty or skill level. Each student will be assigned a color or something like that and go to that color station so there is no high level and low level. The groups can vary depending on the skill progression in the gymnasium and it gives the teacher a better way to move around and evaluate skill with students. Can't wait to use it.
I thought this article, simply put, was incredible. Firstly, "Ask 3, before you ask me," I thought was secretly a brilliant idea. As students often have numerous questions involving skills, content and other such areas, this little tool allows for students to hold themselves accountable for their curiosity and develop their own research skills to find the answer. With technology at their finger tips, this allows students to use something that they usually use for pleasure, into something they can recognize with research and information at their disposal. This allows for the students to teach themselves skills as well as independent learning.
In terms of block scheduling, teaching in an allotted amount of time, I can't help but for this segment and agree with it. I often find myself over preparing for majority of my lessons and always wanting to do more than time allows. Ideally, I would love to teach in a class that is longer than 40 or 50 minutes. It would allow me to adequately teach my students while also giving them the ability to learn at their own pace and make the knowledge their own. I agree with the idea that cramming material into a class period can often be stressful for the students and then they become more worried about finishing the work without actually understanding, or they become disengaged all together.
The homework concept was interesting. The homework that I give to my students revolves around journal entries which gives them the opportunity to write about what they have learned in their perspective. The choices around what they write as well creates differentiation among the students work and they can complete the homework which streamlines to their strength. To combine different discipline areas to allow for students to combine real life experiences to work can be successful and lower the stress level of homework, but I believe implementing that new wave of thinking in some schools can encounter some difficulties.
The article that caught my attention was, "A New Program and a New Approach to Homework." This article was engaging because it's a topic I always thought about, even in high school. Teachers are under the stress of having to fit an entire lesson under 50 minutes, this leaves not a lot of time for activities or much time for reviewing. I feel that students feel rushed as well, if students feel rushed and feel that they are having information pushed upon them, they will not learn as well as they could be. If teachers had more time to teach each lesson, they can benefit by having the students completely understand the information and even have the students be excited and engaged for the lessons. I feel that most of the time students may go home and struggle with the homework because the lesson during the day was so rushed and crammed. This results in frustrated parents and discouraged kids. If teachers had more time during the period to teach the lesson, then the students will be able to comprehend the information better and hopefully have less time doing the homework, if required by the teacher. I agree with the N.E.W. School program because it's more of a laid back schedule, and not as rushed. Students have the opportunity, "to manage their time and develop healthy study habits in the classroom because they have more time and autonomy in N.E.W. School. Having homework assigned can add stress and anxiety to students, and that shouldn't be the goal of education. Education is supposed to be fun, engaging, and challenging only to better that individual.
A post that interested me in Caitlin Tucker’s blog was the Remind.com website. I like the idea that you can message entire classes, specific students, and parents for reminders, announcements, and resources. It makes it easy for working parents, or students with extracurricular activities to check and make sure they did an assignment, etc. I also like the “Ask 3 Before You Ask Me”, however, I would make it “Ask 2” instead and take out the twitter part, try to stay from social media as a instructor. Not every teacher has the answer to every question, so I like the idea of students finding answers to their own questions and becoming their own researcher. Even though this allows the students to be independent learners, not everything on the internet is true. And once again, not all students may have access to a computer. Lastly, I loved the post about 50 minute periods and how it is preventing teachers to do everything they need to. I just read a newspaper article, that is trying to get schools to be eight hour days instead of six hours so that teachers can prepare more and teach more and it gives the students a better chance to understand what they are learning and possibly do some of their homework at school where they can ask questions while they are there. My professor that I have now taught high school history for over thirty years and always said he never had enough time to get through all the material that he needed to; where sometimes he felt rushed and wasn’t able to do some of the activities he wished he could. I see that as a problem. Rushing through material will disengage the students from learning. If the student is more relaxed and going at a slower pace, the “more open the brain is taking in the information.” I definitely think it is time for school districts or higher up, to look it to extending school days, I don’t think 50 minute classes is long enough. I believe it would benefit the teachers and students greatly. It would give teachers the chance to be more creative and allow the students to engage more. As Briana said “education is supposed to fun, engaging, and challenging only to better that individual.”
As a science teacher I loved the sections where Caitlyn Tucker discussed an activity where the students completed an activity where they were able to actively learn and participate in learning. In the lesson instead of projecting a power point and walking students through the process of digestion, she designed a “how to poop” lab. What a great way to get students engaged! Not only was this informative the students worked in groups and were able to simulate the digestive system.
I thought that the post about 50 minute periods was interesting in how it is preventing teachers to do everything they need to. Being in a middle school we have 45 min blocks where to get the students to the next class, settled down and than start the lesson. There is rarely enough time to complete all of the work needed. I feel as though core subjects: math, ela, science and social studies should be 1.5 or two blocks of time long. This gives the teacher and students enough time to fully engage and finish a lesson.
In the school I work in, active learning is essential for our students. We try to provide an environment where students can be more hands on and learn from "doing". Caitlyn Tucker's article on the lab activity was both engaging and fun. Students were able to develop a deep understand of the digestive system rather then memorizing material for an exam.
I also enjoyed the new spin on "ask 3 before me"concept. Students are able to utilize technology to their advantage. They are able to research independently,which will help them in the real world.
Reading Catlin Tucker’s blogs, I was interested in many of the posts due to the wide variety of topics and strategies that she suggested. One in particular that I really liked, that was written recently, was “What Does Learning Really Look Like?” This article described Catlin Tucker and her teacher partner and how they created an enriching learning environment where the students pick their own seats and the teachers were rarely in front of the classroom lecturing. This allows the students to explore, research, collaborate and lead their learning. One activity in particular the teachers engaged the students in, that I enjoyed, was creating a lab to teach the digestive system. Lecturing about this in a science class can be very boring to students if the teacher is just speaking and presenting a slideshow. To create a hands-on experience where the students became active learners, the students were asked to break into teams and each team was asked to simulate a part of the digestive system. The lab also went with the book "The Omnivore’s Dilemma" that could help students with their reading comprehension skills as well as researching skills. I thought this was a great way to have the students become active learners in the classroom and not just have them listening to a lecture. By adding this hands on experience, the students will be able to remember the lesson as well as have fun in the classroom collaborating and discussing the topic with their group members. Although this was a complex topic, the teachers were able to make it interesting by creating a hands-on experience in the classroom. I think this idea can be used in any discipline or grade level because by creating these types of lessons, students are able to make connections and have a deeper understanding of what is being taught. I can see creating lessons with hands-on experiences in science as well as Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, etc. For example in Math the students can make or use different manipulatives when making or solving a word problem. During Social Studies, students can show a moment in history through a re-enactment video or create an interactive blog or webpage that shows their information that they learned and researched.
In response to Briana: I agree that many students may go home struggling to complete homework due to the lack of time in the classroom discussing the topic. I think having more time throughout the class period will allow for deeper understanding and time for students to ask questions and receive clarification on topics that they will have to understand to do their homework. Being stressed and having to worry about homework should not be a main concern of students, rather learning and engaging in class should be the focus.
Wow, I found “Ditching Traditional Grades & My Online Grade Book” so interesting. Caitlin got rid of the traditional way to grade students with tests and instead kept tract of students success with an online assessment document via Google Classroom. The students were able to see the document and know what was expected of them. They would then assign themselves a grade based on a rubric 0-4 for each assignment. Parents also had access to this document and be able to see the conversation back and forth with Caitlin and their child. Caitlin needed to submit letter grades for each student to the school. She sat down with each student one and one and came to an agreement about what their grade should be. The student needed to write a formal argument expressing what grade they thought they deserved with three pieces of evidence from their body of work.
I think that this is such a creative and interactive way of assessing a students performance. It is an excellent tool because it promotes discussion and get the kids focused and engaged. I would assume that it gave the children more confidence to know that their grade was in their own hands as long as they did what was expected of them and tried their best. I would definitely think to try something like this in my classroom. I also liked when teachers I had in the past would count your first test a little less than the others that followed as long as you improved. I think that doing something like that or doing what Caitlin did is a great way to show students that you are a fair grader and you are on their side. Students want to feel understood and I think Caitlin did a great job at that.
Response to Kaitlyn Wissert: I agree with Kaitlyn. I think that Caitlin did a great job getting the children engaged. She was able to successfully teach the students while making the lesson fun and allowing them to work together.
I chose the post "What Does Learning Really Look Like?". I found the approach Caitlin Tucker and Marika Neto were taking to teach their students was very unique and it really piqued my interest. It did not seem as though they were "teaching" at all, in the traditional way that one teaches. It was more that Caitlin and her partner were serving as guides for the students learning, and the students were the real teachers. Their approach of allowing students to lead their own learning has made me think of ways to incorporate that type of strategy in my own classroom. I would like to find as many ways as I can to have students get out of their seats, move around the classroom, and learn through researching and collaborating together. Caitlin Tucker wrote that the goal was to teach students how to learn and how to keep learning after they have left her class, and I think I'd love to try and model that in my own classroom.
The post that caught my eye was “21st century ask 3 before you ask me.” As a coach I am a firm believer in this idea. Players on my team just like my future students have to listen to me the first time and then seek out the answer from other before asking me a question. This helps students learn from each other which is helpful for all involved, it forces students to pay attention more closely to the teacher and it allows the teacher to be asked less questions. The author puts a spin on ask 3 before you ask me. Her idea is to have her students make use of technology. before asking her they must ask google first, youtube second and ask people on social media thirdly. Since technology is becoming more and more important and access to it is becoming super easy this seems like a great idea. Students are forced to do a little bit of research on their own. I like the idea of involving technology but I’m not sure the 3 kinds she picked are the best. Students clearly need to be shown what is reliable and what is not. Perhaps using another search engine with more filters would be more helpful. I would steer clear of social media. People can really post anything they want and most if not all information is unedited and not fact checked. I would use google, another search engine and maybe a specific website or blog that fits into the subject.
reply to Kaitlyn W.; I agree that Tucker’s post are very interesting and I liked the one you picked. The “poop lab” sounds really funny and kids would probably agree. It is so true what you said about having limited time within a classroom and how certain suggested activities may not be feasible.
The post that interested me most was the "What does learning really look like" post. In my opinion, Caitlin Tucker did a great job explaining her teaching styles and how they positively affect the student learners. Learning through active teaching has become an idea that is slowly starting to show within classrooms. As Caitlin shares that her and her co-teacher, Marika Neto want their students to create their own learning environment to support and enhance the work they are doing each day, I have to completely agree with her. I do believe that active learning is the new approach to teaching as it allows students to take their knowledge and apply it in a manner in which they perceive it in with something that will stick to them. Caitlin is able to do such a thing through experimentation, collaboration and exploring within the classroom. She states that she is rarely speaking infront of the whole class, which is out of the "norm". Experimentation and developing instruction where students will stay engaged and motivated throughout the day, is what is most important and beneficial for these students. Caitlin believes that the best gift she can give to her students is teaching them how to learn. The exact way to learn is through hands-on approaches which she is successfully able to do in her classroom. I would love to use active learning when I eventually have my own classroom because it truly engages all students and keeps the classroom environment growing in a positive manner. I would use such tools as exploration, discussion, collaboration and such in order to teach content that will stick with students forever.
To reply to Lauren Maksym, I think this is a very interesting topic to discuss. I agree with Lauren, as I like the idea that the approach of "ask 3 before you ask me" allows students to explore on their own, learning from each other while paying close attention to the teacher during instruction. I think using technology to help answer questions before going to a teacher allows students to use their ability to explore using the internet will also allow students to discover new information that they may have not known from just listening to their teacher in class. It allows students to make connections within their learning while allowing them to report back to the teacher the information they have found.
The post that most resonated with me was the blog entitled "50 Minute Periods Are Killing Teacher Creativity". It wasn't as fully formed opinion as it is now, but as a student I used to often wish class periods were longer at the expensive of there being less of them. It would sometimes feel like we were just getting into a lesson before the bell rang and the period was over, then you were on to another class where the very same thing would happen. The truncated nature of 50 minute period lends itself to tightly strutted lessons that build on each other, day after day, without a whole lot of room for innovation or creativity. It doesn't allow teachers the luxury of trying anything they aren't sure about because if it doesn't go over, then you have just waisted a large majority of your period for nothing. Using technology as a lens, a lot of teachers i know have a fear of using technology because they don't think it will work properly and will waste their time. With a short period, teachers don't have the luxury of simply wasting a period where something they planned didn't work. Teachers feel as if they're in a high stakes game now, at least in middle school and high school, where they have a small amount of time to teacher their students the necessary materials. If periods were longer, it would allow teachers a greater freedom to experiment, vary, and tailor their learning. Both students and teachers alike would benefit from a change in the 50 minute period, even if it is unlikely to happen.
This article had many different stand points on learning and I was intrigued in the article that discussed 10 ways to go gradeless in traditional grades schools. It is important to have new innovative ways for students to become less distracted by standardized testing. The fact of having gradeless work in classrooms is very interesting because many students including myself get anxiety when it comes to test so for a teacher to create that type of environment is important to adapt to different students ways of learning. Teaching lessons that elementary children are able to self correct with should be embraced in the higher grades as well and the thought of teaching students to self-grade is genius because it allows students to pay attention to what they are doing and giving them the opportunity to correct themselves doesn't allow them to feel as pressured by a teacher. The ongoing assessment is also very smart because it allows students to take their own ownership of both their work and the evaluation of their work.
After reading the entirety of Caitlin Tucker’s blog, the post that interested me the most was “What Does Learning Really Look Like?” This specific post describes her and her teaching partner’s concept of N.E.W. school. N.E.W school is a program in which it allows the students to create their own learning environment by choosing their own seats, as well as through exploring, researching, collaborating and leading their learning in order to enhance their experiences. Caitlin Tucker and her teaching partner Marika Neto, rarely spend their instructional time by lecturing at the front of the room, but rather allow their students to experience hands on learning and be more involved in how they learn. Essentially, Caitlin Tucker and her teaching partner teach their students how to learn rather than transferring knowledge through lecturing. As an example of how this program is modeled in the classroom, she explains how her students have learned about the digestive system by “making poop” and experimentally creating the system themselves, which ultimately increased her student’s engagement and deep understanding of the digestive system. The N.E.W school program reconfirms to me that learning should be student-centered and engaging for students. It does not necessarily change what I will do in my future classroom, but rather like I stated reconfirms what I already believed learning should be. This program demonstrates how learning environments can and should be for students through creativity on their part. In my opinion, students should be able to explore, research and collaborate whenever possible to enhance their learning experiences.
In response to Megan Ulicny, I agree that I too can see myself creating lessons with hands-on learning experiences and that although the article only demonstrated a way to model this N.E.W school program through science, that it can be used in all content areas.
The post I gravitated towards was "What Does Learning Really Look Like?" This post explains different ways of teaching, especially hands on learning. Hands on learning helps students learn by doing. The example they use in this post talks about a hands on science lesson about the digestive system. This will help the students especially the kinesthetic learners when having to review the lesson. The word confidence in this post really popped out to me. Wanting all students to leave your lesson feeling confident in themselves is very important. Once they are confident in themselves they will experience school and learning in a completely different light. School will become fun and exciting for them. I will definitely remember this while planning for my future lessons with my students. It is important to always keep them engaged.
Response: I agree with Shannon. Caitlin Tucker's goal; to keep learning after they have left the classroom is very important and I too would like to use that in my classroom. I want students to understand everything is a learning opportunity and that they can teach themselves or others something along the way.
I chose to read What Does Learning Really Look Like? This blog was about Caitlin Turner creating a new program and implementing it into the school where she works. I think the approach that she uses along with her teaching partner is a great way to help students. It is clear that Caitlin believes in active learning, which I myself feel rather strongly about. I think that Caitlin and her teaching partner are creating memorable learning experiences for their students and that this new approach will be successful. I think that because there is more and more information surfacing about active learning, there is no doubt in my mind that this is something I will be implementing in my teaching career. In response to Alexa Carvelli, I too think that students should be able to explore, research and collaborate whenever possible to enhance their learning experiences.
I read the section "What does learning really look like?". This caught my attention right away when Caitlin was talking about the seating in a classroom. I like her idea of letting the students choose where they sit each day and letting it revolve around whatever work or lesson they are learning/doing in that very moment. This enables the students to feel in charge and it allows the classroom environment to be more student centered rather than teacher centered. I believe that students learn better when they are in a comfortable environment. I agree in the sense where it will take more than one night for the students to adjust to this, due to the fact that they have gotten little to no flexibility in choosing their own learning style. Most students are used to being told where to sit, what to do and how to learn, but once the students become used to this N.E.W. school approach, it will benefit them in the long run completely.
The post that I read was "A New Program and a New Approach to Homework". The post intrigued me because last semester I had a professor who didn't believe in homework and supported his statement by saying there has been studies that show homework isn't as beneficial as many may think. At that time the was news to me, I had no idea that not giving homework was becoming a trend almost. Then I remember reading a news article about the topic too, which is why I decided to read that post. I'm not a teacher yet so this no homework trend wouldn't change anything for me. But I don't find myself in a clear position on it just yet. Because yes I can see how homework can add on to stress and a lack of balance in a kid's life. But I think homework helps teacher's to see if her student's are learning. So I think that maybe giving student's a small amount of homework can be best to help see if the student is learning. Homework is only beneficial if the teacher actually collects it and gives the student feedback or else there's really no point. In the article the author mentions how she has come up with a new teaching assignment where she co-teaches English, science, and technology, which has helped her in being able to follow this "no homework trend". The program she created allows her to have 4.5 hours with kids everyday. The article highlights it's benefits by stating it allows student's more time to complete all/most work in the classroom which leaves little to no room for homework. I think the program sounds like a great teaching tool for elementary school children.
The blog entry, “Trading in Traditional Notebooks for Multimedia Blogs” by Caitlin Tucker, talked about changing students binders full of paper and notes, and exchanging it for a digital multimedia blog. Instead of sifting through all the papers in the binder, students can use their multimedia blog by uploading videos and digital pictures, and incorporate these pieces into their notes, reflections, lab reports, etc. The author provided some benefits to to using a multimedia binder, including sharing their work with an audience, accessing their work from anywhere using WiFi and a device, they don’t have to carry a big binder around, and incorporating media into their work to make it “come alive.” If some students learn best by writing down notes to process it, they can do so and then take a picture of it and upload the picture to their multimedia binder. I believe the idea of having a multimedia binder and blog can be useful, to a certain point. Students may become distracted in the process. Because they are connected to the internet, students may fall off track and search for things that are not related to the assignment or school work. On the other hand, the multimedia binder would keep students work organized, clear and it would be hard to lose their assignments and notes.
129 comments:
The Makers Movement is such a great instructional strategy and technique to get all students involved in the learning process. I think it is great that it allows the students to be the main focus in the classroom. The students become vital because they have to collaborate, communicate, think critically, and construct with other students. Therefore, they take ownership of their creations.
I would love to create a makers movement in my classroom. Just recently, the students are learning about the Periodic Table of elements. I am trying to intricate this movement into my classroom. The following would be how I would do it: The students would all have different jobs within their groups: leader, mathematician, researchers, designer, and the organizer. The students use their strengths and combine them to create the finished product. Some will have to show their art skills, mathematic skills, and others with have to answer probing questions about the Periodic Table. After they are finished, the students feel very accomplished that they have come together to make this project entertaining and educational. I actually may try this next week ☺
I was interested in the short blog about “Shakespeare Trivia with Remind101.” I found it fascinating that one simple tweak in the curriculum, use of cellular devices, would strongly influence student engagement. I believe it is important, as an educator, to constantly look for new techniques and engaging activities for students—they must be interested in the content area in order to want to learn new material.
I have never heard of “Remind101” text messaging, but I will definitely utilize this technology within my classroom. These quick alerts allow students to look at their cell phone for a purpose. They are using their personal device to participate in education—I think that is great! More importantly, the alert was prompting students with a trivia question, urging them to research and explore further information to come across the answer. The teacher was brilliant to offer extra credit as some incentive for the students to go that extra step in completing the trivia questions. I would use the Remind101 system in similar situations. I would send out extra credit assignments, trivia questions, homework or project hints, due date reminders, and other educational information. The students would love received Remind101 on their personal cell phone.
In "Research Meets Gamification with a Google a Day" I thought this idea of a virtual scavenger hunt would definitely get students motivated to complete this activity. This would be an excellent activity if my students had to research a topic or a mathematician, and would be a great crash-course on researching. It would also help me evaluate how well my students research and I could then set aside more time or an extra help session devoted strictly to researching. This skill will be used by my students throughout their entire academic careers and aiding them to achieve mastery would be rewarding.
I also like the idea of taking this concept and changing it into strictly math problems. There would obviously be very little to research, but the idea of having 3-6 problems and then having students complete them while being timed could be very successful. Having the problems presented through some program on the computer or iPad, timing the students, and then being able to track their progress every time we do an activity like this would not only be engaging but would perhaps motivate students who like a little competition. Then as a teacher being able to track their progress and perhaps create a leader board as well as a most improved award would add some fun and excitement.
The article, “Prewriting: Why Should Students Go It Alone?” is about allowing students to collectively work together to brainstorm ideas about a certain topic. Desks were pushed together and students were given a prompt and a large piece of paper, in which they must write and share their ideas with their classmates. I think this is a great idea because the teacher gave students full control of their learning, in which they were able to explore a topic as well as question each other.
Allowing classrooms to be student-centered seems to be an up and coming teaching strategy. Instead of lecturing students and having them take notes, self-discovery and peer collaboration allows student to analyze and have a deeper understanding of the material. Lately in my classroom, I have been trying to incorporate a lot of “turn and talks” and “think-pair-shares” in which students must work with their classmates to analyze a skill. I am learning that it is okay to turn my classroom over to my students and allow them to take control of their own learning. In the future, I would definitely like to try this strategy.
I loved reading the post “Maker Movement: Let Them Build It & They’ll Learn.” I believe in giving students interactive assignments that allow them to be creative and think critically. Students enjoy using their hands and working with one another to accomplish a goal. I thought this project was cross-curricular and allowed the students to practice a technique that they have probably never down in art, which is designing and building. This project involves law of science and math. It also gives them a chance to think about the history of the Globe Theater and understand the life of the people of that time. This is a fun activity that involves all learning styles. In my own classroom, I enjoy giving the students one activity for every science topic and social studies topic we explore. Even though Ms. Tucker’s class is a higher grade, with enough guidance my students would be able to perform hands-on activities and accomplish the objective of the lesson.
I read the article “Prewriting: Why Should Students Go It Alone?” I think this was a very good way of getting students started with an assignment. Having students socialize and get talking with one another is so important in today’s world where face to face interactions aren’t happening as often. Students get hear other students perspectives and opinions, they may agree or disagree but it is getting students thinking. I thought this was a very simple and productive way for students to get started on an assignment.
This blog really spoke to me because my undergrad and initial certification is in English. I really liked the idea of getting students together to brainstorm when starting an essay. I find that many students always have a problem beginning their essay. Caitlin Tuckers strategy to have students’ writes on a big piece of paper not only with brainstorms but also with actual quotes and evidence from the text is a great idea and something I would definitely do in a classroom. I believe this strategy takes away the anxiety some students may get from having to begin to write an essay. When students felt stuck when writing they could go back to the paper and look at what they and their classmates came up with to answer the essential question for their essay. I also liked the idea of the teacher taking a picture of the paper and posting it on the class website so that students could also view it at home. After reading this blog I don’t think I would have students brain storm on their own, Caitlin’s strategy is more interactive for students and I believe more beneficial.
The Google A Day blog was the most interesting to me as a history teacher. I use constant questioning in the classroom to enhance the information I would be teaching. Before each trimester exam, I would have a Jeopardy game in the classroom to review the previous months information. By introducing a game style review, the students are engaged and having fun without realizing that they are learning and expressing their knowledge of the information. By establishing a game style, student would also be excited and interested in the topic. I enjoyed the blog because I realized I would be able to implement this into the classroom and it would bring upon a stronger interest in history.
In Kids Will Be Kids: 8 Easy Strategies for Engaging Students,Caitlin Tucker writes about different ways to engage older students. I found this article very informative and interesting. As an educator, I know the importance of student led discussion and learning, and many of the strategies covered in this blog get the students to lead in conversation.Students get a lot more out of their work when they "own" it, figuring it out on their own. Some other fun ways of engaging the students that are covered are acting skits out and going outside. Activities like these are often lost in the older grades, but implementing them would help with student engagement and the learning process as well.
The article I read was called Back to School Night 2.0. This blog contained great ideas of ways you can shake up your meet and greet with parents. I really enjoyed how she took a video of the activities she does in and outside of her classroom. I believe it gives the parents the chance feel as if they were there experiencing the activity with their child and they can see fist hand the enjoyment they got out of it. In today's technology boom in not only the classroom but work as well, parents are better able to communicate with teachers and local helpful resources in any areas of study. By showing parents different websites that can be used to increase understanding, your are bridging the gap between home and school while making sure students are always being exposed to beneficial material. As the next school year approaches I definitely plan on using some of her ideas that I read about in this blog.
The four corner conversations is such a great instructional strategy and technique to get break up the day. This technique gives student's a chance to interact with other peers while learning how to socialize appropriately. It also gives each student the chance to share their thoughts on either the previous night's reading, or homework assignment, or you let them have "free talk" and pick a topic discussed in a lesson you are currently teaching or have taught them before so they can discuss freely with their peers. This puts lets pressure on the student's and can engage the student's, especially if they are having a group discussion on something that interests them. As the teacher, I would walk around to each four of my groups and sit down on the floor with the and put my opinion in, without making my students feel intimidated and not want to share. Putting my personal opinion in is also a way for my students to view me not necessarily as an authoritative figure at that moment, but as someone who is genuinely interested In what they have to say.
Prewriting: Why Should Students Go It Alone? was very interesting and can apply to any grade level. Instead of the usual individual prewriting and frustration, the students collaborated and the students learned from one another. The "collective intelligence" of the classroom was not ignored. The teacher started by writing the essay prompt on the board. Then the teacher gave the students a large piece of paper, and the students were told to begin brainstorming the question given. The task became student directed. The students brainstormed together and truly learned from one another. Not only did the students collect evidence from the text together, but many students learned ways to brainstorm from their peers, a task that many students have difficulty with. The Students worked together and had interesting conversations with one another.The teacher later posted their brainstorm poster to the class webpage for the students to use as a future reference. This was a fairly low-tech, meaningful activity that the students enjoyed and were engaged and enthusiastic about.
I like the idea of getting students as involved as possible and breaking up the monotony of a classroom routine, but I always have difficulty actually carrying it out effectively. Either students don't care or get distracted/disruptive, in addition to the problem of how to incorporate subject matter. The Crowdsourcing and Four Corners sound like they could be used in a high school science class. Letting students take the lead in doing their own research and sharing information with each other would let them feel involved and force them to do more than copying notes. I can see this being helpful in the beginning of a new chapter as students are first seeing unfamiliar material. Instead of jumping right into something else after a test, I can have them do their own work and introduce each other to novel subject matter before we get more in depth in the following class periods.
A few months ago in March, Caitlin Tucker posted a blog titled, “Now your Google Docs Can Do More with Add-ons! In the blog post, Tucker describes what the add-on feature can do for your document with the new tool and where to find it. Tucker also shares with the readers how to add it to your Google doc along with giving her favorite ones to use in the classroom. Some of her favorites to enhance a document include the thesaurus and track changes (helps editing) to name a few examples.
At Molloy, I teach several television production courses. In these courses, I utilize Google docs quite often. Before any production begins, the team has to write a script for the sitcom or talk show they are about to create. Each group collaborates on a Google doc to create their script. This enables students to work on the script from any location and collaborate with the group in “real time” meaning they can see the changes to the document live as it happens. When looking through the add-ons section, I found several useful utilities that I can point out to my students. URL shortener is good to use when emailing the script out to others where the add-on will create a short code to send out. I found Uberconference interesting because it enables users of the document to have a conference call. Lastly, Google doc add-ons have a Twitter curator where the user can search and embed tweets into their document. Give it a try next time you are using Google docs and see which add-on will work for you!
The "After 12 Years of Teaching Writing…an Epiphany!" post discusses how Tucker moved from mini lessons to flipped instruction. She would create short videos explaining the concepts. This gave the students more control over the pace of their learning. It also provided a support/reference for her students if they were continuing to have difficulties. It prevented repetition and wasted time in the classroom making room for more writing.
It was important that the students had support from her and were learning DURING the process rather than after the fact. Tucker would sit with her students and edit as they wrote. It allowed for multiple edits before the final product was submitted.
One important thing she realized was that her students were still learning how to write, and many did not come into her class with the basic foundation skills. This made her realize the importance of support throughout the writing process especially for those lacking in the fundamentals necessary of tackle the writing prompts. With technology, edits/feedback in real time is now a possibility, even from a distance.
I would try flipped instruction in my classroom, but in addition to the videos, I would also provide handouts of the slides and text. For me I am a handout person; I need to be able to underline, highlight, and write little notes. I am sure there are students who feel the same way. This addition would help me reach a larger population of my students who have different learning styles, especially in classes with special needs students.
The article “Kids Will Be Kids: 8 Easy Strategies for Engaging Students” is a great article. Caitlin Tucker points out the fact that ADHD diagnoses are on the rise across our country, “a 43% increase since 2003. The 8 strategies she talks about in her article are designed to make lessons more stimulating. The world of today is becoming more distracting with evolving smart phones, televisions, video games. Breaking the mold of monotonous instruction can be a valuable tool for making students take an active role in the learning process. All of these strategies are great ideas to change up the pace and to get students to focus. I can say first hand that acting out the plays in my English class for Shakespeare helped me learn the material far more than just reading the words. Also being able to go and learn outside was always a treat. Encouraging students to collaborate with one another can truly expand learning. As a teacher I embrace the call to keep students focused, even those who are easily distracted.
The post, "Creating a Google Apps Classroom", was something that I am familiar with. The post describes how using these apps in the classroom enhances students' learning as well as engages them in classroom activities. These apps are a new and exciting way to either present material or to create follow-up activities that students will enjoy creating. Google apps are a great way to implement the use of technology in the classroom as well as cater to several different learning modalities. I have found that the use of Google Apps teaches students organizational skills and familiarity with technology and computers.I plan to implement more of the Google Apps technology in my curriculum for the upcoming school year because my students will have their own personal iPads to use throughout the course. I am excited to learn about these apps and to teach my students how to use these apps for their own personal use.
I enjoyed reading through all the blog posts and to see what she had to say about education. One of the posts that spoke to me the most was the Common Core: Explicit vs. Implicit Information. I think using technology now while teaching students because that’s what this generation is used to. She goes over what Explicit – clearly stated so there is no room for confusion or questions, Implicit – implied or suggested, but not clearly state and Inference – a conclusion made based on both information/evidence and reasoning. To illustrate what these words mean and how to use them in context she actually shows students three movie clips. She shows them Hunger Games, Fault in our stars and Ninja Turtles. While showing the clips she asks them to explain what’s going on while stating the implicit, explicit and inference. I think this is a great idea to use because the students can relate to these clips and is for their generation as a whole. It uses the common core words in a fun way rather than just explaining what they mean and how to use them.
I read the instragram sensory walk. I thought this was a great article because children now are all about technology. They are all on social media and post pictures and text of everything they see and do as a way to interact with people. I think the instagram walk is a good way to have children do what they like to do and learn at the same time. Children are experts at using instagram so using this to help them learn throughout a topic is a great way to engage them throughout learning.
I chose to read Caitlin Tucker's most recent blog: "Get Common Core Ready: Transfer Active Reading Strategies Online" in which Caitlin discusses the importance of teaching our students how to effectively annotate texts. I agree with her 100 percent that this is a truly invaluable skill set that every teacher should be working on with their students, regardless of content area. This is definitely something I will always reinforce within my English classroom because I feel that annotation is critical for the understanding of more complex texts.
Caitlin brings this idea one step further in her blog when she talks about teaching her students how to effectively annotate online or digital texts. She makes the good point that our students are reading both written and digital texts, so we should be teaching them how to understand both forms of text to the best of their ability. Especially with standardized testing moving to a more digital format, it is important that students can effectively understand these types of texts. I didn't have the opportunity to explore all the options she gives for digital annotation, but I did get to take a look at studysync and it seems like it would be a great tool that students could use to annotate digital texts. I would not hesitate to bring this application into my classroom.
I think these website are great way to help students take notes. My sister who is in 10th grade is asked weekly to create an outline of 2-3 chapters in her social studies book. She is in an AP social studies class and she hates doing these outlines. I think this website study sync would help her a lot not only with the insane amount of writing she wouldn't have to do, but with this site the students can be more organized and learn better. I also love the idea of creating a class instagram that pictures can be about nature or social studies things we are learning through out the lessons to put up and use the technology they love the most.
From Caitlin Tucker’s blog, I chose the most recent blogpost where she described how she was once so uninformed and lost when it came to technology when it came to teaching that she almost quit her job. She was very frustrated in the classroom and disappointed that maybe she had chosen the wrong profession.
She was forced during maternity leave to teach online courses, which in a sense broadened her horizons a small amount. I thought it was great how when she made her first online post for one of her classes, the first three students to respond were kids that never participated in class. I myself sometimes am shy in class and never realized that in my online classes, it pushed me to be more assertive and talkative. It’s great how Caitlin was once so intimidated by technology but because of the response she got from her students, it inspired her to learn more.
Although we all know that technology has done wonderful things for the classroom, there’s always the apprehension that it’s taking away from the traditional learning experience. I think Catlin’s perspective was really eye opening in that it really can bring out participation in ways the traditional teaching method can’t.
When I read the blog for “Instagram Sensory Walk” I found it very interesting. In our district we are constantly saying Instagram is not appropriate for the classroom because a lot of students take advantage of the social media site. This teacher decided to use Instagram to improve students writing. He felt that their writing did not have enough detail and sensory input to make the story of composition compelling and fun to read. He had students walk around campus and take pictures of what they saw, make a very descriptive caption for it, and then hash tag to a specific place where all students could see each other’s work. I find that this is a wonderful idea for an English classroom, however I find it difficult to relate it my content of mathematics. I may use it and change some things. I do not think I would bring my students out into the cold rain for my Instagram project. I would however want students, especially in a geometry class, to note that there are shapes all around us. They could take a picture of a tree and describe the different shapes that create the tree in the caption. The idea is fantastic and I would definitely try to incorporate it into my own teaching and lessons I create in the future. I feel using Instagram will be very engaging for my students.
I personally love the Four Corners instructional strategy because it gives the students the opportunity to be engaged in the class material but conversing with their peers and being social. This is a great way for shy students to become engaged in the material and talk about topics they are interested in with a small group of their peers. As the teacher, I would walk around to listen to the students talk and even join their conversations and have a little fun with them. This is a great way to see where the students are at in understanding the material- who needs more practice and who is up to par.
I personally enjoyed the blog, "Instagram Sensory Walk." Ms. Tucker found that her students were very capable of writing what an object looks like, but left a lot to be desired in other areas. In an effort to have her students gain the ability to describe objects among others, tastes, sounds, and smells, Ms. Tucker tried a new approach. She decided to incorporate social media that the students are most likely are familiar with, to make the lesson more engaging for them. Although the weather wasn't ideal, which caused the students to be less than enthusiastic, Ms. Tucker took them on a walk around the campus.
The goal was for the students to take pictures of objects around the school, post them on Instagram, and comment on each others' photos. Ms. Tucker had the students tag her in the photos and post a hashtag that she created, so the students could easily search for the photos.
I love the way that Ms. Tucker incorporated Instagram, a popular social media platform among students, into her lesson. I know that I would've been much more engaged in lessons, when I was a younger, if my teachers had used social media and technology. There is nothing I would change about the lesson. I thought it was ingenius.
The use of instagram as a sensory walk. She used this to enhance the children's senses in their writing which is very clever. Now the students know about technology and how the use of pictures can open a range of emotions. This was well done.
Caitlin Tucker’s video on Blended Learning caught my attention. Her integrated technology into her class had made a world of difference. I agree and would utilize technology in my future class. It is becoming prevalent now with the smart boards in most classrooms. I agree with Caitlin in the fact that students do not want to hear the teacher talk. Students who have technology available to them do feel more confident that they can find the answer if they are unsure. This does force the student to converse with their peers and engage together as a group. I do believe that students will be more involved in their work. I agree with Caitlin Tucker’s approach and would utilize it in my future teachings.
As I was looking through the blog, the Instagram Sensory Walk caught my eye. Students lives involve a great deal of technology, internet, and social media. Students had to take pictures of certain objects and describe them using their vocabulary. This is great for ELLs because it is visual. I would use this in my classroom as a way to describe and talk about the community or nature. Students would walk around take pictures and comment the purpose and significance of the photo. It is a great differentiated activity. For beginner ELLs, they will just take a picture and write 1 or 2 words to describe the picture.
I really enjoyed the post about “Getting Common Core Ready” transferring reading strategies online. Catlin Tucker highlights the importance and need for students to annotate texts that they are reading to deepen comprehension and boost creative thinking. Often time we associate note-taking with a skill learned in high school if not college, but it is becoming more and more prominent in elementary classrooms. Note-taking varies depending on the purpose and genre, however; it needs to be consistent and children need much practice and exposure to taking manual annotations. Ms. Tucker explains that more and more assessments are given online and so students need to be proficient note takers manually and digitally. She discusses several apps that can be used to gets students engaged with reading and thinking critically. I believe that note taking is a valuable skill that can be modified for kindergarten and first grade in that instead of writing they can draw pictures or use symbols, such as a light bulb for a great idea that came from reading. Other examples are putting a post-it labeled MI for Main Idea in the section of the book that addresses the main idea of the text. In upper grades students can make T-S, T-T, or T-w connections, as well as using context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. I look forward to incorporating this reading strategy more often in my classroom and modifying it address the specific needs of my students.
I read the article titled “Teachers Must Be Architects of Learning Experiences”. This article reinforced what we are now learning in our classes. It is explains that we should not be lecturing to the students, but actually having them engage in conversation and with their peers. It is more challenging to have them do this than it is to just talk to them, but the rewards are much greater. I would talk with the students rather than just to them. This is good advice for a new teacher to hopefully enforce in the classroom. Caitlin explains that she has been teaching for many years, yet she still has not perfected the job. It is not a job to be perfect at rather than constantly learn and adapt to the students and see what works and what is most rewarding for them.
I thought it was very interesting that Catlin Tucker almost quit teaching before technology was implemented into the educational system. I can't imagine teaching a classroom without technology. When I was in school, there was little technology used, and instruction was boring. In today's day in age, I think technology is the reason why students excel. It makes school easier in general.
Caitlin Tucker's blog entitled "Get Common Core Ready: Transfer Active Reading Strategies On-Line"
is very interesting as it addresses the need to shift the instructional strategies of highlighting and annotating text from regular text to digital on-line text. Students are taught the traditional way of highlighting and annotating text such as underlining key words and phrases, highlighting key plot details and using post-its to write down their thoughts, connections and feeling about the text and place it in the book that they are reading. Tucker correctly points out that students need to be taught to apply the same active reading strategies to digital text as more and more text moves into the digital realm. Tucker highlights two tools for helping students accomplish this - StudySync and Diigo. StudySync has a wide range of text available on-line that students can access to read and annotate on-line. Diigo can be used to post supplementary readings that can be linked to the class website which can help students make connections between two paired texts. Once the annotation is completed, students can submit their work on-line for teacher review. Tucker states that "If students have not been given the opportunity to regularly read and annotate texts online, they will not have the digital reading stamina or active reading skills necessary to be successful on these Common Core aligned exams." As more and more reading takes place on-line, students will need to be taught this and to master the crucial skill of being able to highlight and annotate text on-line.
I was interested in the Voxer blog post, which, as Caitlin Tucker says, capitalizes on her students' obsession with their phones and technological devices. Voxer seems like a very useful technological tool teacher can implement into the classroom. It is a live messaging app that is similar to a walkie talkie, except you can send both text and photos. Voxer users can send messages to one person or groups of people. People can live chat and view their message as well as respond right away, or they can save it for a later more convenient time.
I would love to use this Voxer app in my classroom. I feel like I could really take advantage of my students' obsession with their phones and I could use it as a reminder for important assessments or as a reminder to study. I can use it for extra help or as a group discussion. I believe it would be very helpful in the classroom and very functional since most students have phones. I think students would find this app cool and fun, engaging them and keeping their attention.
The Four Corners instructional strategy is a great way to start class discussions. It incorporates everyone so that students don't have the pressure of constantly raising their hand in class but rather can bounce ideas off their peers and see what opinions they have on the topic. Having students engaged is the most important and rather then talking at them with information we should check for understanding and see how much students can figure out on their own without the teacher interrupting. By having a class discussion in groups the teacher would now have the opportunity to hear from multiple students instead of calling on one for the answer.
I read the 5 Tips To Keep Students Learning When Extreme Weather Strikes. I think the 5 concepts are all concepts I will be using in my classroom. I think all of them are a great way to stay truly connected to the students and parents whether it be a snow day or simply after a hard lesson. I think it gives the students a better and different way of learning and doing their homework. If they have any questions they do not have to wait for the next day to ask the teacher, you can simply "remind" the teacher or a Google hangout to make sure you are grasping the homework. Being able to stay in contact with your teacher is key. I wish they had this when I was in school!
I read Caitlin Tucker's "Get Common Core Ready: Transfer Active Reading Strategies Online." I found this post to be informative because with the latest ebook trend, students are now reading digital text more frequently. In the foreseeable future, schools are moving towards integrating iPad and other technology into the classroom. When the students have access to any form of text on an iPad or computer, it is important that they can incorporate the same analyze the reading the same way they would with a printed text. Tucker provides two websites students can use that will allow them to highlight and make notes for themselves: StudySync and Diijo. These two sites have their perks. These websites have a large variety of literature so they can be beneficial for any classroom. I definitely will be browsing through the websites to see what content is available.
Christie M.
I was very interested in the Thesis Statement Throwdown".I loved the whole idea. First she puts the prompt for the the essay not the board. After that she puts the students into small groups and tells them to get to work. After a few minutes she choses two groups to put their statement on the board. AS they are writing the statement she plays music.Once the statements are on the board she begins her work and this is the idea that I really like. She edits each thesis statement and talks her way through or thinks out loud as she works, so the students can hear how she is responding to the work in a positive way–strong vocabulary, parallel language, and clearly stated assertion–and what needs to be added, removed or edited. After this a winner is declared.
I love the idea of "thinking out loud" while correcting students work. I also like the idea of the competition with the music. These are ideas that I will definitely incorporate into my classroom. I believe this strategy will be both fun and engaging for the student sand will love to be a part of the whole process.
I looked at the article that was about- teachers must be architects of learning experiences. It explained how we as teachers should have our students actively engaging with other peers during the class. A teacher should not just lecture to their class all the time because students do not find this interesting and at many times boring. Students learn a lot when they collaborate with others and hear their thoughts and ideas about a subject. It is important as a teacher to talk with their students and not just to them. As a new teacher this article gave me good advice that I will implement in the future.
The first post really grabbed my attention, Drive Higher-Order Thinking with RSA animation. I really liked the idea of teaching a topic through animation. For example the post discussed how the students were learning about Fahrenheit 451. They were put into groups with different jobs like one student created the script, one student drew the cartoon and another student filmed the cartoon being drawn. They took the portion they were learning and essentially brought it to life. I would definitely use this type of teaching in my class because some topics in Social Studies are better taught with pictures and visuals and this is a great alternative to just showing pictures. This is a great alternative to get the students more involved in the classroom.
I read the post "5 Tips To Keep Students Learning When Extreme Weather Strikes." Considering the amount of snow we have been getting, I thought this would be an interesting post to read. All five tips (Text Your Students and Parents, Use a Google Community to Connect Students, Flip Your Instruction Using Your YouTube Channel, Use Web Tools to Design a Virtual Lesson, and Offer Virtual Office Hours with Google Hangout) were great ideas to incorporate should bad weather strike. I especially found texting your students and parents using Remind to be an extremely good idea. This could be used even during good weather to remind them of important dates or assignments. I will definitely incorporate this tip into my classroom. I will also try to integrate the other four as well as these are all great ideas!
-Lauren G.
I though a lot of Caitlin Tucker's ideas were innovative and useful. The post I chose to focus on was "Thesis Statement Throwdown." Tucker stated that she finds a lot of students have trouble creating a solid thesis statement, so she turned it into a competition. She divides her class into small groups, and puts an essay prompt on the board. She gives the teams a few minutes to create the best thesis statement they can, while playing fun, competitive music. After the allotted time, two groups are randomly selected to put their thesis statements on the board. Tucker then corrects and edits each statement, verbalizing her thoughts as she goes, and eventually a winning statement is chosen.
I really like a lot of things about this approach, but I would agree with Cathy in that I love her thinking out loud approach while she corrects the students' work. This provides some transparency and gives the students an idea of what exactly their teacher will be looking for when she reads their papers, as well as what she likes and doesn't like.
While some of English-focused Tucker's ideas might be hard for me to implement as a biology teacher, I did think that this was a strategy I would be able to use. I think this could be a fun exercise as students begin a research project or paper. It could also be expanded to the lab components of the course, as students just starting out in the sciences typically have trouble constructing a hypothesis for their experiments, and this would be a fun way to teach them how.
I was very interested in the blog about Memes. I think it speaks to students who love to see, post, and share memes on social media. As a teacher I can certainly make a project out of Memes. Some have already done so and they were great ideas related to a novel that the class read. The idea of making Memes connect to themes is not only relevant to students but transforms into something purposeful in a classroom. The good thing is a teacher can use this in their classroom without even knowing how to create a Meme(there is already an instructional video online about it to show the students). I have also learned more about how to use Google images from reading the blog. I was not aware that their was an advanced search option to find the right picture to use. It is truly amazing the technology used to motivate students and to create a fun classroom project. I will one day use this idea.
-Gina A.
I really enjoyed the Thesis Throwdown Idea from Feb 10th post. It incorporates a variety of instructional strategies including using music, group work, competition, etc. It also allows students to critically think, and to think under pressure, which when preparing for an exam can help immensely. The teacher also dissects the thesis and helps build it stronger. All of these factors help teach the "common core," and whether or not you agree with common core, these instructional techniques help develop stronger writers and stronger students.
I was very interested in all the ways Caitlin Tucker blended learning with technology. The two ways that really caught my attention were the use of instagram and creating memes. I like the way she caught her students attention by posting a sign with incorrect grammar and asking them to pay attention to find the error. The students will be responding after school hours but its great how this clever way of using social media can keep them engaged. She also gave them an assignment that would require them to post any grammar errors that they encounter. I really love that idea! Also, the use of memes is a creative way for students to express themselves and have a chance to voice their opinions. It's so exciting to learn about all these fun, interactive ways of teaching and learning.
I fell in love with the blog post of having students create "Theme Memes" in the classroom. Students on their spare time go online and look at different memes that connect to their personal interests and lives, so why not have students make some in the classroom. It is a good way of assessing the students' knowledge of classroom content, and allows students to engage themselves in something that they are familiar with and enjoy. I would use the idea in my Spanish class, especially when students are learning new vocabulary and grammar structure in the target language. Students can use Google Drawings to create their very own Theme Meme and put it on Google Drive so that I can assess all the memes for assessment.
"Get Common Core Ready: Transfer Active Reading Strategies Online" was a very interesting post. The reason I chose to read this post is because ebooks are something that is becoming well-known throughout all schools. Instead of reading out of an actual textbook, students are starting to read more off some sort of technology, whether it be on a computer or an ipad. Pretty soon, with the way technology is going, almost everything will probably be technology based but at the same time, while this is a great advancement, it is important to still make sure students are receiving the same amount of information or retaining it the same way they would, if it was through an actual paper textbook. The StudySync website is a great one to also allow students to use because it provides them with a large amount of different pieces of literature and the opportunity to make notes/highlight things.
I thought Socrative was an innovative way to bring technology in the classroom, get the students involved and also promotes collaborative discussions at the same time due to its interactive applications. Teachers also can see what parts of the lesson students may be struggling with, especially the students who are not as vocal as others. I know in a few of my high school, college and current grad school classes we were invited to use our cell phones or tablets that we had on us to take part in a quiz or a lesson. It was a way to check that each student is participating and not playing on their phones because everyone in the class has to sign in before they play. Teachers can set up a mix of multiple choice, true/false, and short answer quizzes; quick questions and polls to maybe start the lesson or mid-lesson to keep everyone on task; an exit ticket, something that is becoming increasingly popular and effective for teachers to see what worked well and what needs to be fixed. I definitely took note of this website and absolutely plan on incorporating this into my future lessons. It's truly a great teaching/learning tool--kids are learning without entirely realizing it. This website has instant feedback. It also not only grades the students material but also shows their answers and what questions they got wrong. It is a wonderful tool to see which questions may have some confused or what may be too easy or what needs to be further clarified. This is a great website!
Katie Risolo
The post that interested me the most was the post called Back to School Night 2.0. This was a great read fr me because Back to School Night is something I have not experienced yet. This blog contained great ideas of ways you can shake up your meet and greet with parents. I really enjoyed how she took a video of the activities she does in and outside of her classroom. I believe it gives the parents the chance feel as if they were there experiencing the activity with their child and they can see fist hand the enjoyment they got out of it. In today's technology boom in not only the classroom but work as well, parents are better able to communicate with teachers and local helpful resources in any areas of study. By showing parents different websites that can be used to increase understanding, you are bridging the gap between home and school while making sure students are always being exposed to beneficial material. As I am excited to implement some f these ideas at my first Back to School Night.
I really thought the "Take back an Email" post would be something interesting and informative for students to read. Theres so many times that students accidentally send something with a typo or without attaching a document. Although it is not something that will change their ways of thinking, or the way I teach, I always believe in teaching things that are going to be useful and beneficial for the students future. In addition, this post showed other remarkable things that can be done in google. For example, Google drive. I have used google docs many times in the last year, and I believe that it is going to change the way we learn and collaborate together. Therefore, I believe this post was a very informative source of information that I will one day share with my own students.
I really liked the Padlet post. Padlet is a virtual post-it note board that allows teachers and students post text and pictures. You build a wall and you can put anything you want it. The teacher can post questions and the students can answer them using Padlet. It’s an interactive way to allow students to participate using technology. Caitlin Tucker gave great examples on how to use Padlets. The ideas I like are using it for inquiry (asking questions), finish the story (post a story line and ask students to continue t with words and pictures), and vocabulary development (post words on the board and ask students to add definitions and pictures as a class). I think Padlet is a good way to have students interact using technology. I will definitely use Padlet in my future classroom to reinforce concepts we have learned.
Danielle Collins says...
Using this to have students reflect on themselves creates fantastic self criticism, and constructive criticism. And having the students chose when they want to look at it lets them control when they may need that extra reminder for their future, or during the summer to remember what they learned the year before. I enjoy looking back and keepsakes kept from when I was younger explaining what i wanted to be when i grow up, having this in detail from when the students is older and has more insight and knowledge, can be very helpful for them in the future future.
I read the article on Prewriting. This article was about how students can work together in order to brainstorm different topic ideas. This can be extremely helpful, as I find the most difficult task encountered when attempting to write any kind of essay is getting started. Working together can allow students to be more creative and productive during their writing, as well as help encourage one another.
Writing a letter to your future self is an excellent idea. I don't believe enough teachers explore this idea of students writing a letter to their future selves for them to read when they graduate or when you believe they need a pick me up. In my classroom I have explored this idea before and have seen the effects it can make. Students who come in to the beginning of the year in a tough place will often not stay in that place and the letter to themselves can show how they were or remind them of what they strived for in the beginning of the year. It can be a great inspirational tool for students.
-Michael O'Keeffe
In Catlin Tucker's blog, I really enjoyed reading about free-range teaching. I shared a lot of similar concerns as Mrs. Tucker. Being that I am a first grade teacher, the thought of releasing my students' to explore on their own and to find their own answers was a bit frightening. I was afraid that the release would turn my classroom upside down. Due to the fact that my classroom has specific behavioral management issues already, this also didn't help my feelings on the free-range teaching approach. Over the course of the year and meeting with seasoned teachers, their recommendation was to just go for it, so I did. I have to say, allowing my students' to explore on their own in partnerships and groups was the best decision I made thus far. Due to the traditional teaching style which has been a teacher centered classroom, it is nerve wrecking for a new teacher to "break the rules" and go in a different direction. However, it is our job to ensure all of our students' are provided with endless opportunities where they can explore their knowledge in various ways. As I stated in my previous blog post, I feel it is key for students' to see that they can learn an incredible amount from one another. We want to make sure that the students' are engaged and inspired to learn. It is amazing what you can learn when you loosen the reigns in a classroom and allow the students' to explore various topics in unique ways. Granting the students' permission to have a different thought, idea, and vision is what they are yearning for. They are eager to dive into to the world and find new ways to solve problems or find different answers to certain questions. I think it is essential that all teachers adapt to the free-range teaching approach for it is becoming the core piece in a successful and supportive classroom.
I really liked Caitlin Tucker’s blog about Free Range Teaching. I found her description of the opportunity she gave her students to design and execute a five week unit instead of using traditional literature circles to be very motivating and inspirational. I think like many other teachers I am often afraid to give my students complete autonomy in the classroom because I fear that they may just fool around and not complete any work. However, as Caitlin describes in her blog, I agree that always giving students specific tasks, such as in literature circles, stifles their creativity and is not engaging and motivating for students. I have found in my own sixth grade classroom that when students are given the opportunity to guide their own learning through tasks and projects that interest them, they are absolutely more motivated and engaged in the topic. Although traditional teaching methods are useful for certain subjects and topics, adopting free range teaching in the classroom encourages the students to think on a deeper level, enhancing their critical thinking skills. As teachers, it is our goal to develop our students’ higher level thinking skills. Providing the students with the standards and guidelines but ultimately giving the students the task of designing and executing their own assignments and tasks will foster the development of these skills in students and assist them in becoming well-rounded individuals who can successfully collaborate with their peers. After reading this blog, I am going to try to implement more free range teaching in my classroom.
Tara Page
Caitlin Tucker’s article “Free Range Teaching” offers a very interesting approach to student centered learning and teaching. The concept of student centered teaching and learning is not necessarily new. Many teachers for a long time and still some today utilize teacher centered classrooms in which the teacher is in control of the environment. Student centered learning places the emphasis on the students making decisions. Tucker however takes student centered learning to an entirely different level. Instead of utilizing the more traditional approach in which the students are placed in groups and perform specific jobs she gave them “complete autonomy over how they demonstrated [there] skills.” The students were actually in charge of designing their own performance tasks to illustrate what they have learned about the topic while highlighting their own unique talents. I love this idea because you really are giving the students the chance to showcase their own knowledge and learning in a variety of different ways. However this would take to establish. The classroom environment must be a very strong and focused one. This strategy could lead to a lot of lackluster performances by slacking students. Yet, if it is done right I truly believe that “free range teaching” could open up an entirely new learning experience for not only students but teachers as well.
I liked reading Catlin Tucker's article on free range teaching because it introduced a teaching method that I had not yet considered or learned about during my first semester at Molloy College. I was surprised by how much control the students were given. I think the act of giving students access to the Common Core Standards was a really good move because it tells the students how they can prove themselves without being told what to do. Technology plays a key role in this. By giving students access to different technologies whether it is iMovie, GarageBand, Prezi, and more, you can encourage them to use their creativity as each group will undoubtedly create a unique product. Students could create physical products as well and I am sure a classroom with these products displayed would look amazing in addition to confidence-boosting for the students. I would have liked to see the results of this technique being used in other classrooms. I would have liked o see the success and failures it experienced in different classrooms environment. I can't see it having very much success in classrooms with lots of English Language Learners. I think they would have a lot of difficulty interpreting the meaning behind the Common Core Standards. However, since I am still a pre-service teacher it may be my inexperience speaking. Even so, I am interested in this practice and think it has potential. I could see myself using it periodically in the classroom. It seems like a very relaxing way to learn without having to sacrifice understanding of the content. Because of this, I think it is a great way to end before or return from a long vacation.
I really enjoyed Cailin Tucker's article on free range teaching. It made me really think about the methods that I use in the classroom. As a first yeare teacher, I was told to just relay the information and make sure that the students "get" all the information that they need. In my opinion this is a very "play it safe" strategy to teaching. Granted, the school that I teach at is very unique. It is a college prepartory school and social studies is lectured based. There is virtually no technology in the classroom, besides my iPad and my Keynote slides. The student listen to what I lecture and cipy the notes on my board while I speak for 41 minutes. I am in complete control of the classroom and I am at the center of every lesson. The students never do group work, turn an talk, complete projects, etc. These are things that I would love to do and even did myself dring my student teaching. I would much prefer the free range strategy and giving the student complete autonomy in the classroom. But my school also needs to catch up with the times and provide the students with technology. As a teachher, I am very limitied with what I can actuallty do in the classroom. When that point in time comes, the students will be able to be creative, independent, and enthusiastic in the classroom. It will allow EVERY student to be eganged in the daily class lessons and it will open a wider range of activities that the students could be involved in.
As we approach new a new era in education, it becomes imperative for us as teachers to re-examine our teaching methods to stay abreast new strategies that might appeal to students of different learning styles and intelligences . I believe Caitlin Tucker has done an excellent job of explaining how an ideal classroom would be if students were able to actively and cooperatively learn by exploring topics, solving problems and thinking critically from a student centered approach. As an elementary school teacher in a classroom mixed with students of many emotional and behavioral backgrounds, the thought of giving students the autonomy to make decisions academically and drive learning on their own is a bit scary. I don't know how well this would work for many of the English language learners that have limited proficiency with the language. With some guidance from the teacher, this methods may work to gradually shift from a teacher centered approach to the free range approach to learning. However, I feel that this can be an effective strategy, most suited for the upper grades where students may be aware of their interests, strengths, and weaknesses and also have acquired certain skills to be able to work well independently, without reliance on the teacher.
Caitlin Tucker's article "Free Range Teaching" offers a very new approach to student centered learning.The idea of student centered learning is not new but has been pushed more in recent years as the model for education today. Many teachers for a long time and still some today utilize teacher centered classrooms in which the teacher is in control of the environment.Student centered learning allows the students to be in full control of their learning. Tucker however takes student centered learning to an entirely new and exciting level. Instead of the more traditional approach in which the students are placed in groups and perform specific jobs she gave them "Complete autonomy over how they demonstrated [their] skills." The students created their own learning tasks and objectives, as well as the products needed to achieve those tasks. This is a very interesting way of modeling student centered learning for future classrooms aroudn the country.
Caitlin Tucker writes about flipping her class with Ed Puzzle. I used Ed Puzzle once in my classroom because a co worker recommended it. She shared it with me and I never got the opportunity to really see how it was effective in my classroom. Ed Puzzle is a great way to comprehend students understanding of a video. You can ask questions throughout the video to ensure students are understanding what they are listening to. The questions my coworker added were short response therefore it made it really challenging to review. After reading the article, I now know there are multiple choice questions. This is better for my low readers also, because they are hearing the information instead of just reading it. I will defiantly use this in my classroom again, perhaps even as an assessment.
I think that Catlin Tucker's article on "Free Range Teaching" was awesome. I liked her blended learning strategy of the "Flipped Classroom." I would absolutely use this in my Social Studies classroom. I thought it was cool that with the Edpuzzle you can cut and paste and add questions throughout the video. I feel this is helpful to keep students on their toes especially for longer videos or documentaries. I also like this program because you can cut and trim only the parts you want students to watch.
For the article, "3 Ways to Support Teachers as the Educational Landscape Evolves" I found it very funny that it points out that the students are the least utilized technological advantage in the school. This is very true and I think it is something teachers often forget. However students have just as much to teach educators as teachers can educate them. Additionally, I think the very first point in the article that states, its okay to fail. This is something every new teach must always repeat to themselves. Every teacher's career is encircled with learning, and that it something they need to realize when times are overwhelming. I plan to interact as much as I can with my colleges, because I'm sure there is a wealth of knowledge of techniques they can show me. Darrin Dawber makes an excellent point when stating that schools need to "get with the times as well" a teacher can only have the advances if the school is willing to provide the technology.
In the article, "3 Ways to support Teachers as the Educational Landscape Evolves" it states, "most teachers enter this profession because they genuinely love to learn; however, many of us get into the classroom and feel isolated in our work." In some ways I can relate to because I feel that there needs to be more of a support system in professional development and the useful ways to use technology. As teachers we are taught to teach our students but we fail to realize that we can learn from them as well. We forget that our students are growing up in this generation with technology. I would always ask my students for help with the smartboard or how to use certain website and they loved helping me. I could tell it gave them self confidence in helping the teacher. I agree with Amanda, schools do need to upgrade their system in some ways and understand this generation.
In this article, Caitlin Tucker shows how incorporating technology can be beneficial for students. Technology has become a very important factor in the role of education and there are a variety of different entities in technology that can help our students to grow in knowledge. I find the EDPUZZLE with flipped instruction to be quite interesting and this is something that I would definitely use in my classroom . You can customize it by adding videos, audio clips, and questions as well as keeping track on the progress of your students work with the assignment.
One of the most important points that Caitlin Tucker mentioned in the article was,
"creating a school culture where teachers know it’s okay to take risks and fail."
This is such a true statement and needs to be stressed in every school because people learn by making mistakes. Although we all would like to do things right all the time, that is not reality. We need to make mistakes, so we can better ourselves and learn.
I think the article is very informative and enlightening. Flipped learning has many benefits, and the key to using this approach successfully is being sure to flip and engage! I appreciate the great components that EDPUZZLE offers, such as the audio commentary, multiple choice you can insert throughout the videos, editing tools to remove advertisements and linking with a TodaysMeet backchannel to have the students share their responses to questions anonymously; all elements to entice an engaged audience. It is equally important to encourage teacher participation across the board. While not all teachers are comfortable with technology, if we advise with our students, they will teach us and encourage us to explore. Personally, my students have taught me a world of knowledge in the classroom, including how to utilize my Mac with a split screen on the SmartBoard. I also appreciate the idea of developing a TechTeam comprised of students. School clubs should be encouraged and celebrated, and this would serve dual purpose to encourage educators. Lastly, being a music educator I appreciate the Dylan reference from his song lyrics “You better start swimming or you’ll sink like a stone for the times they are a-changin’.” Times are changing indeed,and technology, like the arts, should be celebrated and welcomed in schools, otherwise, it will be difficult to catch up.
The article offers much insight about incorporating technology in the classroom and how it can be beneficial for students. I agree with Giana in that technology has become a huge part of education based on the influence it has had on our society. The EDPUZZLE can be used as a means of differentiation of instructions for students who are visual or auditory learners. Caitlin Tucker's message about taking risks and failing for teachers also struck me because in schools we need to be role models for our students and in life we need to learn that taking a risk can be extraordinary, but we'll never know if we fear failure.
I really enjoyed reading this blog especially the part about SimpleK12. I always feel that my school doesn't provide enough professional development opportunities or ones that I find particularly useful for my practice. Therefore, SimpleK12 is an excellent resource for me to be able to find my own professional development opportunities and the best part is I can do it from home! Also, I really like the idea of the flipped classroom model. This is something I would love to use in my classroom. It would be a great way for me to introduce a new unit or topic or provide additional resources for my struggling students. This is a simple way to incorporate technology into the classroom when your school has limited resources.
I believe that Caitlin Tucker has done an excellent job providing various strategies inside the classroom, including her favorites. I love that she is all about collaborative working, but that not one strategy does not fit all. Using this to have students critique themselves is constructive, not putting a lot of pressure on them at the same time. I like that students can get a reminder of when certain things are due. As a future educator, I feel it is important to have students, teacher, and parents all on the same page. A simple text message to a parent or student is good communication and allows for questions to be asked and a good understanding of what is going on. As a parent I would definitely want to know what my child is learning and would want to speak with their teacher via text message. I would need reminders and this is a great tool to use mainly because it is beneficial for everyone.
I really enjoyed learning about the 'readability test tool', I think that is helpful and important because we need to make sure that readings are appropriate for the age group. Sometimes it is not obvious that the reading may be more challenging or not challenging enough. I will definitely use this tool because I am always wondering if the readings I pick are appropriate. Sometimes I find articles that I like but I do not know what grade level it is appropriate for. It is always good to double check articles you find online, it may say that it is on a grade 5 reading level but it may not be.
I really like the idea of a totally student-centered classroom. The fact that the students not only are faced with the task, but actually have a say in what that task is really does inspire learning in students. On the surface, it seems like a flawless approach but I definitely could see some problems. Depending on the students who are in the classroom, some could take advantage and see my class as an opportunity for work that is easier than other subjects. Although it seems like the students are doing all the work, it would be essential for the teacher to have a constant presence and feedback for each student. I believe that student-centered learning would be a great thing to experiment in my classroom but I would not necessarily use it all year round.
I really liked the idea of the voice typing in Google Documents. Of course we all know of the idea of voice to text which we have been introduced to through Siri on the iPhone, but the idea of using voice to text to be more productive in the classroom is a more novel idea. As a future Special Ed teacher I would use this for students who suffer from poor fine motor skills, and I love the idea that Caitlin has as far as students who are suffering from some sort of hand injury and can't write, can take advantage of this. In my short time that I have been in a classroom so far, observing and student teaching, I have noticed an incredible amount of students who require scribes because of injuries. Most of the time I notice those students not paying attention and not being an active participator in class because they can't write. The only negative part about that is that they will have to speak out loud in order to activate the voice to text, which could be a distraction, but if I could put the student in an area of the classroom where they do not distract the rest of the class then I would definitely use this.
Giovanna Bove
Blog Reflection #13
Voice Typing in Google Documents
This is an interesting post because it explains how you can use your voice to type a word document with microsoft word. I think this is a great tool to have in your classroom for students who are unable to type. It allows them to still participate in assignments. I also find it beneficial for the students to talk out sentences because they are hearing what they are writing. They will also see it as the computer is typing it. I don’t see it being a tool that one could use often but I think it is good to know that students have the option to dictate an assignment to a computer instead of typing it out. I would use this feature with any student that is unable to type.
On Catlin Tucker website the post that interest me the most was the “Voice Tying in Google Documents”. I like how Caitlin shows the step by step process on how to access the voice command. In addition, she stated that students can use this function if they injured their hand. I would like to use this function for my own use as well. I realize I am better at public speaking than writing.
I like the idea of having voice command for students. I think its great for those who have been hurt or who have a disability that requires them to speak instead of write. My only concern is and I have seen it happens several times, is that sometimes the machine you are speaking into may misinterpret what you are saying or mishear a command and it will become very frustrating for the students. its a great way to save time but it also may cause more time to be taken if it is not used properly or does not register what is being said properly.
On this website the post that stood out to me the most was, “Voice Typing in Google Documents”. I thought it was very helpful that the author offered a step by step process about how to use it. This would be something that I could use with my students as an accommodation. If a student is injured, which often happens in elementary school, they can use this to do their work without the use of their hands.
I chose the post 5 Strategies to Help You Rethink Research because it was intriguing and I found it to be a concise wealth of useful information and tools that can be readily used in a classroom setting. The post addresses how research figures prominently into the Common Core standards, and links to other posts in which Caitlin Tucker has previously used and evaluated the tools listed.
All of them listed, (A Google a Day, Got Credibility, Infographics, Crowdsourcing, and Instagram Scavenger Hunts) are quite useful and enhancing to the process of research and learning. In fact, I have used a variation of the instagram scavenger hunt before as part of a project in which students find various examples of energy technology from class while we were on long bus trip, but two that I found most interesting, particularly for their relevance to research, were the Got Credibility tool and the Crowdsourcing post
It is important for students to be able to assess the credibility of the sources of information that they are citing and making judgements from. When we have presidential candidates that are failing to do so, it is obvious exactly how important it is. Most research is and will be conducted on the internet, and obviously not every source of information is something that is peer-reviewed and vetted. It is easy for information that has no reliable source to spread quickly and be accepted as factual by large numbers of people. If decisions are made based upon erroneous information, disaster can ensue. The modern student needs the skill and ability to evaluate the credibility of any source of information that they encounter, and the tools that Caitlin Tucker links can help them do exactly that.
Her post about crowdsourcing is also interesting. Research into financial markets has concluded that the “consensus is always correct” meaning that a the combined information of all financial portfolios of a group always outperforms any one of them individually. This can be extended into the classroom as well, allowing students to combine their expertise, knowledge, and understanding to achieve a more accurate result. A clear testament to the power of crowdsourcing information can be found in the way that Wikipedia has evolved into becoming a trusted and credible source of information. The fact the information contained in the article of Wikipedia are sourced, vetted, and maintained by huge numbers of people ensures that any inaccurate information does not survive there for very long before it is corrected. Just think of what the results would be if you were to give your class one copy of attest for them all to work together on, It is virtually assured that they would get everything right on it.
After exploring this article, I especially like a few ideas proposed and used by Caitlin Tucker. The first idea I found very interesting is the ability to create flyers and newsletters to be seen publicly or privately. This is a great way to not only get information across but also to invite students/parents to events and trips throughout the school year. The second idea I really would like to incorporate in the future is using digital newsletters for parents. Parents are understandably very needy and constantly want to know about assignments and events that their children are assigned and have the opportunity to attend. These digital newsletters will provide a place parents can go at any time to find information and details on things they may want to know instead of having to be that parent that is constantly trying to contact the teacher and sending notes to school with their children. These newsletters will make it easier on the student, parent and teacher as well.
The post I picked is called “Early Elementary: Differentiate Reading Practice”. The writer mentions a previous post where she talks about a rotation station model she uses in her high school class. This model allows more time for the teacher to work with children individually. The writer says that this model can also be done with lower grades. You can use this to differentiate reading instruction. There are three groups. Technology is being used in two stations. In the first station, students individually listen to a book then complete a writing task. In the second station, students read to themselves using audio. The last station is small group practice led by the teacher. She provides various online picture books. What makes these books special is that it can be read to the student.
I am a kindergarten teacher and it is very hard to put children in small independent groups because they do not know how to read and can get a bit chatty. I think that these websites and the suggestion of using audio, is a great way to help children work independently and quietly. I am definitely going to use this in my classroom.
On her website, I read about Catlin's strategy of creating newsletters for parents. This is an idea I have entertained after discussing it in a few courses as a classroom management strategy. Students become more responisble for their work and parents have the opportunity to be more involved the more they are aware of what is going on in the classroom. Additionally, it provides the chance for teachers to discuss positive events in the classroom rather than strictly reporting an incident or other negative issue when communicating with parents. I enjoyed how she talked about the features and interface of the techonology she used to create her newsletter as it made the strategy seem more tangible and useful than simply showing the product of the program.
I also read a more personal post she wrote about her experience as both a teacher and a mother. This post did not have strategies but was significant because it effectively encouraged other teachers to network with each other on a platform to express their obstacles as a teacher.
The post that immediately drew my attention is entitled "Creating a Safe Digital Space."
In this article she explains the importance of creating a proper online environment for students to participate in. She compares an online enviornment to physical space and emphasizes the importance of both landscapes. She reinforced the thought of teachers maintaining a proactive approach in the online realm.
I found this article particulary interesting because of my current position at the school I work at. I am the Social Media Supervisor and oversee all communication of the schools in-bound and outbound marketing. Our goal is to build an engaging online community that reflects our schools mission, values, and beliefs. In my classroom, I stress the importance of being appropriate Digital Citizens. Although students generally interact via Social Media, it is imporant for them to understand appropriate online behavior as it is a primary communication tool used among professionals.
-Gabriel Ramos
I read Design Digital Newsletters for Parents. This article was about a digital newsletter called Smore that teachers can use to send important daily information home to parents. As the parent of a 1st grader I found this very interesting. I understand how difficult it can be for teachers to communicate well with parents on a daily basis. For younger students, Smore is a great way to remind parents of daily issues such as wearing sneakers on gym days and bringing in extra tissue boxes when needed. As a former middle school teacher, I can see how beneficial Smore would be at this level and the high school level as well. Dues dates, filed trip payment reminders can all be added to a program like Smore to help today’s busy parents be on top of everything! There are great benefits of Smore for both parents and teachers! Also, a great feature about Smore is that the teacher can see who read the updated newsletter. If a certain parent did need read an update, the teacher can contact the parent directly. I hope to use this in the future.
Find a post that interests you and describe it in a paragraph and tell us how it might change what you do or how you do it.
I read about the Smore application and found the post to be quite interesting. As Caitlyn stated, I also use the Remind app to send out text alerts for quizzes, tests and projects to my students. I also can contact parents to let them know about any pertinent information. With the Smore newsletter application, I am able to create a small newsletter that can be sent out to parents explaining everything that is going on in my classroom. I can also send it out to students to let them know of any important up coming events, such as "Tomorrow we are skyping with the classroom in Spain, Don´t forget to show up" and other things of that nature. I really think this is a good tool that I will be able to incorporate into my classroom, and bring about success in conveying information to students as well as to parents.
Allison Schmidt
4/13/16
Blog 13
I enjoyed reading the post about the One Stop Differentiated Station Rotation. I sometimes do small group work in my classes, or review stations before a math exam. I try to mix up my groups, so that a struggling student might be paired with a higher level student and I or the higher level student can provide support when needed. I also switch it up occasionally, so that I am working primarily with lower level students who need more scaffolding. I liked Caitlyn’s method of providing different level assignments according to students’ abilities. I have tried this before in the past, but after reading her post, have different ideas about how I could do this in my ELA classroom. It is important to not single students out or make them feel like they have an easier task than other students, so making assignments individualized, creating multiple stations using various skills, is also a good strategy to follow. When using reading comprehension passages, I try to provide appropriate leveled texts for each of my students. I will continue to do that, in addition to Caitlyn’s differentiated station suggestions.
I read about designing your own digital choice board. The goal of a choice board is to allow students an opportunity to select the activities they will complete to practice a skill or demonstrate understanding. The choice board resembles a tic tac toe board (3x3 boxes) filled with different activities and students are encouraged to chose any 3 activities in a row. There is a lot of room for differentiation with choice boards. Teachers can design their choice board to allow students to decide what they will produce,
how they will engage with the information, which level of complexity they are ready for, and which activity appeals to their interests. Digital choice boards allow teachers to embed images and include hyperlinks to more material. I like the idea of choice boards because it gives students the creativity and freedom to decide which type of learning is best for them. With a little bit of extra effort on the teachers part, she/he can reach a level of understanding class-wide by including activities of all levels and learning styles. I would definitely use this technique in my classroom for numerous topics, I enjoy giving students the opportunity to made their own decisions and be in charge of their own learning.
I found the post about creating your own digital choice board very interesting. With implementing a choice board, you are allowing students to have the freedom to choose a certain activity or action to help them practice a skill that they are working on. I have read a lot about choice boards in the past from Andrea Honigsfeld and Maria Doves' past books. I have always wanted to implement it in my classroom, especially since I have students of various needs and ability levels. By allowing them a choice, they are able to show their knowledge and skills in an activity they are comfortable with.
I think the benefit of a digital one is that students may go to links easily. So many classes use a digital background to do independent work. This will provide ease for navigating the websites. All that is needed is a small mini-lesson on how to use the choice board.
I read about designing your own digital choice board. I actually use this in the beginning of the year in my classroom. I have vocabulary and spelling words and I create a choice board for the students to complete for weekly homework. I think it would be a great idea for the students to create a choice board and have the chance to include their input on what should go in the board. I am going to incorporate this idea into my teaching for next year. Giving the students a blank template and directions for what needs to go in each box will not only make them feel like they are creating their own homework, it forces them to also think of different activities they would like to complete. Great blog!
I enjoyed reading the first blog, Career Exploration Project. I absolutely agree with the author in that many children have very little to no exposure to the working world, so when the question of "What do you want to be when you grow up?" is asked, they fall back on whatever they know or hear another child say. This post is geared more towards older children in that they are able to create questions about each career in order to learn more information. They would even observe a person in this chosen profession. I would change this around a bit as I work with young children who would not be able to complete those tasks. I would work one on one with a child and discuss the careers they are interested in and together come up with questions about that selected career. If we had parents who worked some of the chosen jobs I would invite them into the classroom to speak about their work. We could draw pictures or make a booklet of what we think a day in the life of a person who does that job is like.
I reviewed the Caitlin Tucker’s Blog “Station Rotation”. Secondary students are placed in stations, where each group has a responsibility of contributing to the subject matter. For instance, if they are doing a literary piece, one group can look at the story elements, while another group focus on the grammar/language use. Another group can even work online to research texts that will be beneficial to the topic being discussed. Caitlin Tucker relies on a software program called “Studysync”. It very resourceful as it helps to plan lessons, get activities, and provide info on curriculum and common core teaching standards. It also has a huge database of online texts that students can research. This develops their reading and writing skills. According to Caitlin Tucker, the information that is available on the program is vast and is not even available at the school library. While in stations, Tucker would go around and visit the different groups, providing one-on-one support, where necessary. As a result of this program, Tucker is even able to differentiate instruction. I found this strategy to be very effective. I can see myself incorporating this method in my classroom. The benefits are endless for the students and myself. Having stations is a great way of ensuring that students are actively engaged, and not just sitting around waiting for information to be fed to them. They are actually taking responsibility for their learning, and in the process it benefits the entire class. Even the teacher benefits. Onc can give students support, focus on weak areas, and help students stay on task.
I think using a digital choice board in the classroom just allows students for another opportunity to show their strengths. As students are interacting with any kind of device a teacher is able to see how the student is mapping out their thoughts and attributing their answer. What I like about this site is what it offers the practice of reading but not singling out those who have difficulties. The student who struggles with reading is still able to attend the lesson because they can listen and then answer questions that pertain to the story. As a teacher, you would also like to hope that as the student is listening to the story that they are following along, word by word to make a sound to word connection. This could be a great center for students to break up into thoughtout the day to practice listeing, reading, and reading comprehension skills. I also feel that technology is being implemented more and more each day that the voice to text will most likely be an option for many things in the near future.
I like the digital choice board it allowed children and agree with Brittney that it allowed the students to show their strength. This also helps teachers know what the students interest.
This also helps the student become more independent and less stress, which will allow the student to work well on their assignment they like doing. This site gives teachers ways to help all their students also gives teacher ideas in how to incorporate new learning style.
I will definitely recommend this site to new and older teachers.
The post that interested me the most was the Career Exploration Project. As a child I was always asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. My response was always a teacher but the only choices I really thought about were Doctor, Dentist, Lawyer, Police Officer, Fire Fighter, and Teacher. There are obviously a lot more choices for careers then those. This project is a great way to explore many careers. This project also teaches students at an early age how to research, interview, write a resume, and use more technology then they would normally use. These are skills that students will need to know later on in life and most of the time they are neglected or not gone over thoroughly. This project is a perfect opportunity for students to learn step by step many skills. I do believe this project should be meant for higher grades such as 6th+ but I do believe their are other ways this project can be implemented in the younger grades. Overall this is a great project for students to learn early on about all different types of careers and see what they are most interested in.
After reading this article, I agree that normal assessments with grading does not seem to be effective. Yes it is a necessity so that there is also proof to show what a student understands but, there should be a chance for students to share what they understand and talk about their work. In my school, my mentor and I prefer to have students work in groups and having them stand are do work together or work in stations. I feel this is important because, when someone can get their point across verbally, it shows that do understand what they were taught. This also pushes all students to put forward their best work to try and impress their classmates.
In my experience, I have seen students do better when they communicate what they did to answer a question than those who just do the work. Although working with others can be uncomfortable, it definitely can improve student work.
After reading a few posts by Caitlin Tucker, the post I choose to reflect upon is called Digital Portfolios: Revise, Reflect & Publish. I like the idea of having students create a space where their work is the main attraction. I also like that the students are about to reflect about their progress throughout their academic year when they create their own portfolios. I definitely believe that an ample amount of time should be provided so students are able to work at their own pace. I like how Caitlin allowed them to create their portfolio as they saw fit. This provided unique results. I also admire the use of voice comments for every student. With so many students, it must have taken a lot of time but the most important part was that it benefited each and every student. Overall, I believe this a great idea to incorporate in the classroom because it is something that is time consuming but it is something that may be used to see work from all points of the year and the students can choose to reflect upon it at a later time.
After reading the post about "Conversations Instead of Grades," I was left uncertain how I felt about this concept. Unfortunately, I agree with Tucker that grades have come to dominate both teacher and student lives. People are consumed by the idea of getting good grades to get into good colleges because, as of now, grades are a crucial factor. While I do believe the looming nature of grades needs to be lessened, I am not sure that conversations are valid enough to take their place. Conversations may work as an informal assessment, but testing and data are necessary to record improvement or lack thereof. Although I have not discovered a technique to replace grades I do not believe conversations could take their place.
After reading the blog, "Invest in Innovation", I am in agreement with Caitlin Tucker that although teachers can be innovative and have an enormous impact on students, two ingredients that must be present are financial investments and the desire to change. Unfortunately, there are many schools that do not have enough money for resources that are a necessity to help their students succeed in the classroom. Without the funds available, teachers can only do so much. It is a duty of a district to be able to supply teachers with resources to be able to use their skills inside the classroom to the best of their ability. As far as the desire to change, schools and most importantly, students must be open to the option to change. This can mean implementing more technology, more group work, or even less state testing. As a prospective Spanish teacher, I believe that it is extremely important that schools are open to changing the way that they learn. I believe that it would only better the students. Over time, I believe that school systems will become stronger, but as of now we must address the major issues of the openness to adapt and the ability to supply the necessary funds for teacher.
I am very pleased that I came across Caitlin Tucker’s blog on “Invest in Innovation”. According to Tucker, schools like the idea of being innovative, however schools need necessary funding and the ultimate desire to change. It is one thing to talk about change and a new program to be put in place for the upcoming school year, but it is easier said than actually done. Personally, I struggle with this same situation in my current school…I actually thought to myself “Hey, did I who write this blog?!”. Working for an independent school, we need all the funding we can get for new innovative technology and curriculum. That being said, I create my own curriculum and spend my own money out of my pocket for materials, and resources needed to create the necessary and appropriate learning environment with students with disabilities. Many of times I have expressed my beliefs for change, but often it falls on deaf ears. Unfortunately, many of my coworkers have moved on to bigger and better opportunities. I feel if the administration would invest in certain programs and new technologies, the teachers and students would be happier at my school. I have often found myself very discouraged, and I understand why so many excited, forward thinking teachers get frustrated and leave this profession in search of spaces where their creativity is valued and celebrated. I know it is easier to be more creative in my school because we do no follow the Regents and Common Core track, however concerns and suggestions must be heard at independent schools as well; otherwise, why would a parent place their child in an independent school in the first place.
After reading the blog, "Invest in Innovation" I am a little frustrated with the authors point. While I understand teachers limitations, I do not believe it explains why teachers leave to find more lucrative opportunities. Isn't the most important thing about being a teacher helping one student at a time and enjoying each and every impact, no matter how small? Throwing your hands up and saying without innovation, which needs money and support for change, we cannot accomplish our goals is just a complaint I disagree with. While I do agree that innovation is an important part of education, it is not the end all. Let us go back to the basics, remember that we can educate our students and achieve success without feeling like we are losing the "innovation" fight and, therefore, the battle.
After reading the Differentiation vs. tracking blog, I thought it was interesting that some teachers even got these to systems confused. Tracking is projecting a students growth and achievement in school over their academic career. Where as differentiation, is making small modifications to ether help a student who is struggling or to further push a student who is excelling. I don't believe that tracking works, tracking leads to a very fixed mindset and leads no room for growth. This is bad because it limits a students ability because they are only pushed as hard as their track allows for. Equally being said students in different tracks have different expectations and are held to different standards.
I found the "Differentiation vs. Tracking" post very useful. It explained the difference between tracking, which is the way we monitor our students progress in the classroom, and differentiation, which is the way we adjust our lessons to meet the needs of all learners. In the school I am currently working in, both of these things are a huge priority. We are always expected to track our students and use that data to drive instruction and create small groups. The differentiation should take place in our process, product, and content of the lessons. I find I am able to track my students well and use that data for small group instruction but I am still working on differentiation my lessons for all of my learners. I think the strategies on this post are very helpful and something I will use when planning for the next school year for ideas of where to differentiate. I can see Christopher's point about tracking but I feel that it is less of a projection of their achievement and more of a continuous strategy where teachers monitor students progress in growth in all areas to see their achievements and where they are still struggling and need small group instruction.
Caitlin Tucker’s post about the Career Exploration Project she designed interested me. Ever since I was in first grade I knew I wanted to be a teacher. I looked forward to the beginning of the school year and cried when it came time for summer vacation. I also always played school with my brother, even though he probably did not appreciate the spelling and math tests I made him take. However, for many others, choosing a career to pursue is a very difficult decision.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” This is a question that is asked throughout classrooms worldwide, however, how will students know the answer to this question if they are not exposed to their options? Tucker’s Career Exploration Project allows students to find out more about a profession through research, observation, and interviews. Students then compile all of the information they gained from the latter methods and create a short video on their chosen profession to share with others in their class. I believe this project is intended for upper grades, but there are definitely ways to incorporate the essence of this project into the lower grades, as well. For example, inviting parents to come in to talk about their jobs or even taking vocational field trips can benefit the younger students. Giving students the opportunity to learn about the endless employment opportunities they can have is very important and I plan to incorporate this into my very own classroom.
Overall, as educators, it is our job to help our students reach their fullest potentials and equip them with the tools that will help them achieve their goals in life. By having students partake in projects, such as the Career Exploration Project, this enables them to be actively engaged in their learning. Exposing our students to what this world has to offer will help them establish their dreams in life and reveal to them the adventures that await.
Caitlin Tucker's idea of an "in- class flip" left me a bit confused. She seems to be requesting that teachers record themselves and allow students to watch the recordings during class. This way, every student is watching the same "lesson," but can rewind, pause, and ask questions at their own pace. Rather than teaching, the teacher's role in the room is to circle around and monitor student progress. This model bothered me because it assumes that all students will react well to watching a video, rather than an in- person interaction. I can't help but read these blogs with a special ed teacher mindset. This in- class flip model might hinder the learning of the special ed student. In addition to the concern of the special education student not retaining the material covered by the video, it is important for them to have social interactions in the classroom. By using this model, it limits the amount of conversation, collaboration, and self- correction time needed for a special education student to succeed.
One blended learning strategy that Catlin Tucker suggests and can be easily incorporated into daily lesson plans is a digital choice board. A digital choice board presents students with different activities on a grid, which they may work on for that day or throughout a unit. It facilitates differentiation by allowing teachers to design a variety of activities that meet the needs of students on various levels and with different learning styles. In addition, it allows students to be more thoughtful and take ownership of their learning by deciding which activities are of greatest interest to them or could help them reach their personal goals. An important component of digital choice boards is weaving in ways to assess students’ work. Some ways this can be done is by creating activities that utilize Padlet Wall, Google forms, or allowing students to record videos to explain their work. I agree with Brittney that a digital choice board allows students to show their strengths by offering various activities, rather than offering a one-size-fits-all assignment.
I have noticed that on an elementary school level, students find it difficult to complete independent assignments for reading and writing because it often requires them to sit and stay focused on one thing for a prolonged period of time. As a result, some students finish their work too early, or others find the longer assignments to be too tedious. Therefore, I would like to try to use a digital choice board for the upcoming school year as a way to provide more movement and interaction during independent work periods. As Tucker had mentioned in her post, I could create activities that reinforce the specific reading and writing skills that we are focusing on for that unit, rather than just emphasizing the skill we learned that day. By doing so, students can be reminded of past skills, as well as new ones, and could determine for themselves, after some guidance, which activities would be most beneficial and relate most to the work they are doing that day.
As a student myself, I can admit I have sat down to write an essay and have drawn a complete blank. Starting an essay is always the hardest part. The key to starting a strong essay or any writing piece, is to organize your thoughts first. Caitlin Tucker's strategy to have students work together to organize their thoughts before writing is a great instructional strategy I would use in my classroom. Collaboration is such an important aspect of school as well as life outside of school. Learning to talk though ideas and expressing opinions not only helps the students with their writing but their social skills as well. Caitlin Tucker's idea to have students write on large pieces of paper provides the students with the platform to analyze what they just read, relay what they understood, and apply the information to a writing question. The paper also acts as a guideline they can refer back to while writing the essay. I believe this is important because it teaches kids how to be good writers at a young age. Caitlin Tucker's strategy to organize thoughts before writing can be used for the rest of their lives. As a teacher I would like to focus on teaching good study skills and how to collaborate with others.
I really like what she had to say about the in-class flip. I think it could be used as a very useful style of teaching. I think it probably would be most effective with students who are gifted, in either an honors or AP class. Having the utility to teach kids as they have questions and want to learn more could be very valuable. I see this having strong effects on high school level students and probably more often used in elective classes where there isn't a state/standardized test the students need to prepare for.
I really like Kaity's perspective on this. I often don't think of the special ed classroom because I think of my own class when I think of implementation. This definitely could pose some challenges being introduced to the special ed community. It would be interesting to see how the students handle it. Likely there would be a large variance among the students on how much they're completing.
Blogspog is a Buggy program and clearly has flaws. I replied to this post multiple times before it became visible to others. I shouldn't have to rewrite my work or specifically save my work because the system is bugged. We should have systems and programs we use that are reliable, ESPECIALLY in our Technology Class!
I really like the post about "One Stop Differentiated Station". Although this lesson or differentiated type of instruction has an example in a classroom I feel I can use this in the gym. Basically there are stations that are setup with varying degrees of difficulty or skill level. Each student will be assigned a color or something like that and go to that color station so there is no high level and low level. The groups can vary depending on the skill progression in the gymnasium and it gives the teacher a better way to move around and evaluate skill with students. Can't wait to use it.
I thought this article, simply put, was incredible. Firstly, "Ask 3, before you ask me," I thought was secretly a brilliant idea. As students often have numerous questions involving skills, content and other such areas, this little tool allows for students to hold themselves accountable for their curiosity and develop their own research skills to find the answer. With technology at their finger tips, this allows students to use something that they usually use for pleasure, into something they can recognize with research and information at their disposal. This allows for the students to teach themselves skills as well as independent learning.
In terms of block scheduling, teaching in an allotted amount of time, I can't help but for this segment and agree with it. I often find myself over preparing for majority of my lessons and always wanting to do more than time allows. Ideally, I would love to teach in a class that is longer than 40 or 50 minutes. It would allow me to adequately teach my students while also giving them the ability to learn at their own pace and make the knowledge their own. I agree with the idea that cramming material into a class period can often be stressful for the students and then they become more worried about finishing the work without actually understanding, or they become disengaged all together.
The homework concept was interesting. The homework that I give to my students revolves around journal entries which gives them the opportunity to write about what they have learned in their perspective. The choices around what they write as well creates differentiation among the students work and they can complete the homework which streamlines to their strength. To combine different discipline areas to allow for students to combine real life experiences to work can be successful and lower the stress level of homework, but I believe implementing that new wave of thinking in some schools can encounter some difficulties.
The article that caught my attention was, "A New Program and a New Approach to Homework." This article was engaging because it's a topic I always thought about, even in high school. Teachers are under the stress of having to fit an entire lesson under 50 minutes, this leaves not a lot of time for activities or much time for reviewing. I feel that students feel rushed as well, if students feel rushed and feel that they are having information pushed upon them, they will not learn as well as they could be. If teachers had more time to teach each lesson, they can benefit by having the students completely understand the information and even have the students be excited and engaged for the lessons. I feel that most of the time students may go home and struggle with the homework because the lesson during the day was so rushed and crammed. This results in frustrated parents and discouraged kids. If teachers had more time during the period to teach the lesson, then the students will be able to comprehend the information better and hopefully have less time doing the homework, if required by the teacher.
I agree with the N.E.W. School program because it's more of a laid back schedule, and not as rushed. Students have the opportunity, "to manage their time and develop healthy study habits in the classroom because they have more time and autonomy in N.E.W. School. Having homework assigned can add stress and anxiety to students, and that shouldn't be the goal of education. Education is supposed to be fun, engaging, and challenging only to better that individual.
A post that interested me in Caitlin Tucker’s blog was the Remind.com website. I like the idea that you can message entire classes, specific students, and parents for reminders, announcements, and resources. It makes it easy for working parents, or students with extracurricular activities to check and make sure they did an assignment, etc.
I also like the “Ask 3 Before You Ask Me”, however, I would make it “Ask 2” instead and take out the twitter part, try to stay from social media as a instructor. Not every teacher has the answer to every question, so I like the idea of students finding answers to their own questions and becoming their own researcher. Even though this allows the students to be independent learners, not everything on the internet is true. And once again, not all students may have access to a computer.
Lastly, I loved the post about 50 minute periods and how it is preventing teachers to do everything they need to. I just read a newspaper article, that is trying to get schools to be eight hour days instead of six hours so that teachers can prepare more and teach more and it gives the students a better chance to understand what they are learning and possibly do some of their homework at school where they can ask questions while they are there. My professor that I have now taught high school history for over thirty years and always said he never had enough time to get through all the material that he needed to; where sometimes he felt rushed and wasn’t able to do some of the activities he wished he could. I see that as a problem. Rushing through material will disengage the students from learning. If the student is more relaxed and going at a slower pace, the “more open the brain is taking in the information.” I definitely think it is time for school districts or higher up, to look it to extending school days, I don’t think 50 minute classes is long enough. I believe it would benefit the teachers and students greatly. It would give teachers the chance to be more creative and allow the students to engage more. As Briana said “education is supposed to fun, engaging, and challenging only to better that individual.”
As a science teacher I loved the sections where Caitlyn Tucker discussed an activity where the students completed an activity where they were able to actively learn and participate in learning. In the lesson instead of projecting a power point and walking students through the process of digestion, she designed a “how to poop” lab. What a great way to get students engaged! Not only was this informative the students worked in groups and were able to simulate the digestive system.
I thought that the post about 50 minute periods was interesting in how it is preventing teachers to do everything they need to. Being in a middle school we have 45 min blocks where to get the students to the next class, settled down and than start the lesson. There is rarely enough time to complete all of the work needed. I feel as though core subjects: math, ela, science and social studies should be 1.5 or two blocks of time long. This gives the teacher and students enough time to fully engage and finish a lesson.
In the school I work in, active learning is essential for our students. We try to provide an environment where students can be more hands on and learn from "doing". Caitlyn Tucker's article on the lab activity was both engaging and fun. Students were able to develop a deep understand of the digestive system rather then memorizing material for an exam.
I also enjoyed the new spin on "ask 3 before me"concept. Students are able to utilize technology to their advantage. They are able to research independently,which will help them in the real world.
Reading Catlin Tucker’s blogs, I was interested in many of the posts due to the wide variety of topics and strategies that she suggested. One in particular that I really liked, that was written recently, was “What Does Learning Really Look Like?” This article described Catlin Tucker and her teacher partner and how they created an enriching learning environment where the students pick their own seats and the teachers were rarely in front of the classroom lecturing. This allows the students to explore, research, collaborate and lead their learning. One activity in particular the teachers engaged the students in, that I enjoyed, was creating a lab to teach the digestive system. Lecturing about this in a science class can be very boring to students if the teacher is just speaking and presenting a slideshow. To create a hands-on experience where the students became active learners, the students were asked to break into teams and each team was asked to simulate a part of the digestive system. The lab also went with the book "The Omnivore’s Dilemma" that could help students with their reading comprehension skills as well as researching skills. I thought this was a great way to have the students become active learners in the classroom and not just have them listening to a lecture. By adding this hands on experience, the students will be able to remember the lesson as well as have fun in the classroom collaborating and discussing the topic with their group members. Although this was a complex topic, the teachers were able to make it interesting by creating a hands-on experience in the classroom. I think this idea can be used in any discipline or grade level because by creating these types of lessons, students are able to make connections and have a deeper understanding of what is being taught. I can see creating lessons with hands-on experiences in science as well as Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, etc. For example in Math the students can make or use different manipulatives when making or solving a word problem. During Social Studies, students can show a moment in history through a re-enactment video or create an interactive blog or webpage that shows their information that they learned and researched.
In response to Briana:
I agree that many students may go home struggling to complete homework due to the lack of time in the classroom discussing the topic. I think having more time throughout the class period will allow for deeper understanding and time for students to ask questions and receive clarification on topics that they will have to understand to do their homework. Being stressed and having to worry about homework should not be a main concern of students, rather learning and engaging in class should be the focus.
Wow, I found “Ditching Traditional Grades & My Online Grade Book” so interesting. Caitlin got rid of the traditional way to grade students with tests and instead kept tract of students success with an online assessment document via Google Classroom. The students were able to see the document and know what was expected of them. They would then assign themselves a grade based on a rubric 0-4 for each assignment. Parents also had access to this document and be able to see the conversation back and forth with Caitlin and their child. Caitlin needed to submit letter grades for each student to the school. She sat down with each student one and one and came to an agreement about what their grade should be. The student needed to write a formal argument expressing what grade they thought they deserved with three pieces of evidence from their body of work.
I think that this is such a creative and interactive way of assessing a students performance. It is an excellent tool because it promotes discussion and get the kids focused and engaged. I would assume that it gave the children more confidence to know that their grade was in their own hands as long as they did what was expected of them and tried their best. I would definitely think to try something like this in my classroom. I also liked when teachers I had in the past would count your first test a little less than the others that followed as long as you improved. I think that doing something like that or doing what Caitlin did is a great way to show students that you are a fair grader and you are on their side. Students want to feel understood and I think Caitlin did a great job at that.
Response to Kaitlyn Wissert: I agree with Kaitlyn. I think that Caitlin did a great job getting the children engaged. She was able to successfully teach the students while making the lesson fun and allowing them to work together.
I chose the post "What Does Learning Really Look Like?". I found the approach Caitlin Tucker and Marika Neto were taking to teach their students was very unique and it really piqued my interest. It did not seem as though they were "teaching" at all, in the traditional way that one teaches. It was more that Caitlin and her partner were serving as guides for the students learning, and the students were the real teachers. Their approach of allowing students to lead their own learning has made me think of ways to incorporate that type of strategy in my own classroom. I would like to find as many ways as I can to have students get out of their seats, move around the classroom, and learn through researching and collaborating together. Caitlin Tucker wrote that the goal was to teach students how to learn and how to keep learning after they have left her class, and I think I'd love to try and model that in my own classroom.
The post that caught my eye was “21st century ask 3 before you ask me.” As a coach I am a firm believer in this idea. Players on my team just like my future students have to listen to me the first time and then seek out the answer from other before asking me a question. This helps students learn from each other which is helpful for all involved, it forces students to pay attention more closely to the teacher and it allows the teacher to be asked less questions. The author puts a spin on ask 3 before you ask me. Her idea is to have her students make use of technology. before asking her they must ask google first, youtube second and ask people on social media thirdly. Since technology is becoming more and more important and access to it is becoming super easy this seems like a great idea. Students are forced to do a little bit of research on their own. I like the idea of involving technology but I’m not sure the 3 kinds she picked are the best. Students clearly need to be shown what is reliable and what is not. Perhaps using another search engine with more filters would be more helpful. I would steer clear of social media. People can really post anything they want and most if not all information is unedited and not fact checked. I would use google, another search engine and maybe a specific website or blog that fits into the subject.
reply to Kaitlyn W.;
I agree that Tucker’s post are very interesting and I liked the one you picked. The “poop lab” sounds really funny and kids would probably agree. It is so true what you said about having limited time within a classroom and how certain suggested activities may not be feasible.
The post that interested me most was the "What does learning really look like" post. In my opinion, Caitlin Tucker did a great job explaining her teaching styles and how they positively affect the student learners. Learning through active teaching has become an idea that is slowly starting to show within classrooms. As Caitlin shares that her and her co-teacher, Marika Neto want their students to create their own learning environment to support and enhance the work they are doing each day, I have to completely agree with her. I do believe that active learning is the new approach to teaching as it allows students to take their knowledge and apply it in a manner in which they perceive it in with something that will stick to them. Caitlin is able to do such a thing through experimentation, collaboration and exploring within the classroom. She states that she is rarely speaking infront of the whole class, which is out of the "norm". Experimentation and developing instruction where students will stay engaged and motivated throughout the day, is what is most important and beneficial for these students. Caitlin believes that the best gift she can give to her students is teaching them how to learn. The exact way to learn is through hands-on approaches which she is successfully able to do in her classroom. I would love to use active learning when I eventually have my own classroom because it truly engages all students and keeps the classroom environment growing in a positive manner. I would use such tools as exploration, discussion, collaboration and such in order to teach content that will stick with students forever.
To reply to Lauren Maksym, I think this is a very interesting topic to discuss. I agree with Lauren, as I like the idea that the approach of "ask 3 before you ask me" allows students to explore on their own, learning from each other while paying close attention to the teacher during instruction. I think using technology to help answer questions before going to a teacher allows students to use their ability to explore using the internet will also allow students to discover new information that they may have not known from just listening to their teacher in class. It allows students to make connections within their learning while allowing them to report back to the teacher the information they have found.
The post that most resonated with me was the blog entitled "50 Minute Periods Are Killing Teacher Creativity". It wasn't as fully formed opinion as it is now, but as a student I used to often wish class periods were longer at the expensive of there being less of them. It would sometimes feel like we were just getting into a lesson before the bell rang and the period was over, then you were on to another class where the very same thing would happen. The truncated nature of 50 minute period lends itself to tightly strutted lessons that build on each other, day after day, without a whole lot of room for innovation or creativity. It doesn't allow teachers the luxury of trying anything they aren't sure about because if it doesn't go over, then you have just waisted a large majority of your period for nothing. Using technology as a lens, a lot of teachers i know have a fear of using technology because they don't think it will work properly and will waste their time. With a short period, teachers don't have the luxury of simply wasting a period where something they planned didn't work. Teachers feel as if they're in a high stakes game now, at least in middle school and high school, where they have a small amount of time to teacher their students the necessary materials. If periods were longer, it would allow teachers a greater freedom to experiment, vary, and tailor their learning. Both students and teachers alike would benefit from a change in the 50 minute period, even if it is unlikely to happen.
This article had many different stand points on learning and I was intrigued in the article that discussed 10 ways to go gradeless in traditional grades schools. It is important to have new innovative ways for students to become less distracted by standardized testing. The fact of having gradeless work in classrooms is very interesting because many students including myself get anxiety when it comes to test so for a teacher to create that type of environment is important to adapt to different students ways of learning. Teaching lessons that elementary children are able to self correct with should be embraced in the higher grades as well and the thought of teaching students to self-grade is genius because it allows students to pay attention to what they are doing and giving them the opportunity to correct themselves doesn't allow them to feel as pressured by a teacher. The ongoing assessment is also very smart because it allows students to take their own ownership of both their work and the evaluation of their work.
After reading the entirety of Caitlin Tucker’s blog, the post that interested me the most was “What Does Learning Really Look Like?” This specific post describes her and her teaching partner’s concept of N.E.W. school. N.E.W school is a program in which it allows the students to create their own learning environment by choosing their own seats, as well as through exploring, researching, collaborating and leading their learning in order to enhance their experiences. Caitlin Tucker and her teaching partner Marika Neto, rarely spend their instructional time by lecturing at the front of the room, but rather allow their students to experience hands on learning and be more involved in how they learn. Essentially, Caitlin Tucker and her teaching partner teach their students how to learn rather than transferring knowledge through lecturing. As an example of how this program is modeled in the classroom, she explains how her students have learned about the digestive system by “making poop” and experimentally creating the system themselves, which ultimately increased her student’s engagement and deep understanding of the digestive system.
The N.E.W school program reconfirms to me that learning should be student-centered and engaging for students. It does not necessarily change what I will do in my future classroom, but rather like I stated reconfirms what I already believed learning should be. This program demonstrates how learning environments can and should be for students through creativity on their part. In my opinion, students should be able to explore, research and collaborate whenever possible to enhance their learning experiences.
In response to Megan Ulicny, I agree that I too can see myself creating lessons with hands-on learning experiences and that although the article only demonstrated a way to model this N.E.W school program through science, that it can be used in all content areas.
The post I gravitated towards was "What Does Learning Really Look Like?" This post explains different ways of teaching, especially hands on learning. Hands on learning helps students learn by doing. The example they use in this post talks about a hands on science lesson about the digestive system. This will help the students especially the kinesthetic learners when having to review the lesson. The word confidence in this post really popped out to me. Wanting all students to leave your lesson feeling confident in themselves is very important. Once they are confident in themselves they will experience school and learning in a completely different light. School will become fun and exciting for them. I will definitely remember this while planning for my future lessons with my students. It is important to always keep them engaged.
Response:
I agree with Shannon. Caitlin Tucker's goal; to keep learning after they have left the classroom is very important and I too would like to use that in my classroom. I want students to understand everything is a learning opportunity and that they can teach themselves or others something along the way.
I chose to read What Does Learning Really Look Like? This blog was about Caitlin Turner creating a new program and implementing it into the school where she works. I think the approach that she uses along with her teaching partner is a great way to help students. It is clear that Caitlin believes in active learning, which I myself feel rather strongly about. I think that Caitlin and her teaching partner are creating memorable learning experiences for their students and that this new approach will be successful. I think that because there is more and more information surfacing about active learning, there is no doubt in my mind that this is something I will be implementing in my teaching career. In response to Alexa Carvelli, I too think that students should be able to explore, research and collaborate whenever possible to enhance their learning experiences.
I read the section "What does learning really look like?". This caught my attention right away when Caitlin was talking about the seating in a classroom. I like her idea of letting the students choose where they sit each day and letting it revolve around whatever work or lesson they are learning/doing in that very moment. This enables the students to feel in charge and it allows the classroom environment to be more student centered rather than teacher centered. I believe that students learn better when they are in a comfortable environment. I agree in the sense where it will take more than one night for the students to adjust to this, due to the fact that they have gotten little to no flexibility in choosing their own learning style. Most students are used to being told where to sit, what to do and how to learn, but once the students become used to this N.E.W. school approach, it will benefit them in the long run completely.
The post that I read was "A New Program and a New Approach to Homework". The post intrigued me because last semester I had a professor who didn't believe in homework and supported his statement by saying there has been studies that show homework isn't as beneficial as many may think. At that time the was news to me, I had no idea that not giving homework was becoming a trend almost. Then I remember reading a news article about the topic too, which is why I decided to read that post. I'm not a teacher yet so this no homework trend wouldn't change anything for me. But I don't find myself in a clear position on it just yet. Because yes I can see how homework can add on to stress and a lack of balance in a kid's life. But I think homework helps teacher's to see if her student's are learning. So I think that maybe giving student's a small amount of homework can be best to help see if the student is learning. Homework is only beneficial if the teacher actually collects it and gives the student feedback or else there's really no point. In the article the author mentions how she has come up with a new teaching assignment where she co-teaches English, science, and technology, which has helped her in being able to follow this "no homework trend". The program she created allows her to have 4.5 hours with kids everyday. The article highlights it's benefits by stating it allows student's more time to complete all/most work in the classroom which leaves little to no room for homework. I think the program sounds like a great teaching tool for elementary school children.
The blog entry, “Trading in Traditional Notebooks for Multimedia Blogs” by Caitlin Tucker, talked about changing students binders full of paper and notes, and exchanging it for a digital multimedia blog. Instead of sifting through all the papers in the binder, students can use their multimedia blog by uploading videos and digital pictures, and incorporate these pieces into their notes, reflections, lab reports, etc. The author provided some benefits to to using a multimedia binder, including sharing their work with an audience, accessing their work from anywhere using WiFi and a device, they don’t have to carry a big binder around, and incorporating media into their work to make it “come alive.” If some students learn best by writing down notes to process it, they can do so and then take a picture of it and upload the picture to their multimedia binder. I believe the idea of having a multimedia binder and blog can be useful, to a certain point. Students may become distracted in the process. Because they are connected to the internet, students may fall off track and search for things that are not related to the assignment or school work. On the other hand, the multimedia binder would keep students work organized, clear and it would be hard to lose their assignments and notes.
Post a Comment