Project#15

My students in my (hypothetical) 8th grade biology class will be building trophic level pyramids this week, this the lesson plan that they will follow.
Biomes Calendar
Biomes Overview
Biomes Project Checklist

Blog Post #10

I think Sir Ken Robinson is making a very excellent point in his video Sir Ken Robinson: Bring on the Learning Revolution! about how our education is ran in today's world. Mr. Robinson makes the point that teaching and education is too standardized, and that everyone is different. If everyone learned the same skills growing up, there would be no diversity. In my opinion that is a very bad thing since I believe that learning is something that everyone does differently. There should be no set pace for learning. My favorite part of the video was when he mentioned that he received a guitar the same year as Eric Clapton did, and that obviously Eric benefited more from it. I think that this shows, in a comedic way, that not everyone can accomplish the same tasks. I agree that we do not need to fix this standardized education system, because all you are doing is just fixing something that is just going to break again. We do not need to remodel the system, but we need to revolutionize the system that creates more of a custom atmosphere for learning.

Project #12 Part A

This is my group's video on using a Smartboard. In this video we are all in it, but we demonstrate our individualized knowledge in using the technology.

Blog Post #9

Ms. Cassidy's classroom, in my opinion, is a great place to learn. I like how she approaches the use of technology with extreme caution. It is important for a student at that age to know what information is appropriate to put out on the internet, and what is not. One of the questions, towards the end, was "how often do her student blog per day or week?". She responded with that it depends on the class size. I like how Ms. Cassidy uses a rotation system to teach guided reading activities. For example one group of students may be doing spelling activities, and another group may be doing reading comprehension. The benefits would be greater for a larger classroom. It allows more one on one time when broken into groups. If it were a smaller class it would be easier just to go over one lesson at a time, one subject at a time. I would use this technique as well, one of the problems that could happen is the students may get off track with the work he or she is suppose to be doing, and find an online video game to play. To answer that problem I would have time deadlines to meet. Say if the students have to blog about a story they just read, I would give them 30 minutes to an hour. Well if the student does not get done by the time that hour is up, he or she will not get to play games during their break. In other words it would be like a internet time out. Doing so would hopefully compel them to be time efficient so they can have that 15 minute or however long break to play games, and not worry about getting in trouble. If I was in another setting where they might be on desktops to do a portion of the work I would have a program called ITALC which allows me to view their screens and control each desktop if needed.

Project #14

It is time in my hypothetical, 9th grade English class for my students to learn how to convey meaning in writing through craft and structure, this is my lesson plan for the week.
Comic Strip Calendar
Comic Strip Overview
Comic Strip Checklist

Blog Post #8

For this assignment we were suppose to find a tool that would be helpful for teaching. My field of education is biology, because of this I decided to go with The Biology Corner. This site is a conglomeration of different sites that can link teachers and professionals in the field of Biology. I would use this tool to help make lesson plans by using it's projects, test makers, and worksheet makers. I would use this tool to stay up to date in biology by using the education news feed and the recent posts feed. I would also use the the social media sites, that the Biology Corner has, to contact other professionals in my field. Honestly I would expect to become a more knowledgeable teacher, and to be able to make the classroom better and up to date.

Project # 9

Project 9 was a great opportunity to really learn the pros and cons of Project Based Learning, specifically the technology it brings with it. Here is a video on the opinions of my group about the topic:



If you are interested in the book mentioned and talked about in the video you can find it here:Teaching Digital Natives
Look for this cover page:

C4T # 2

For C4T number 2 I had the blog of a Mr. Tom Schimmer. Within the couple of blog posts I read of his he focused on teaching and grading. To be specific both post hit on how the most recent grade of a student may not be the most accurate. I agree with this, and go on to comment about how I relate. In the first post I comment on how it is a real struggle to start off badly in a class and to know if I do not do twice as well that I am going to be in trouble. The second post I talk about my 11th grade English class, and how my strengths were equally weighed by weaknesses and it showed in my final grade. luckily my strengths within the course were in the second half of the semester, if it were reversed I would have finished the class with a bad grade. Mr.Schimmer has an excellent insight on how teaching should not be a profession that requires someone to sit and input grades in a calculator. Teaching should be a profession where evaluating an individual's work should be more important.

Visit:Tom Schimmer's Blog

Project #13

Egg Drop Project #13
By: Anna Meitzler, Evan Grace and MacKenzie Yancy
First the students must work through a bridge building module to understand structures. This module is what we like to call the learning phase. It teaches them about how different shapes and angles are stronger than others. Once they have an understanding of what they are working with then we move on to the next step, the Egg catcher project, where they will apply what they have learned.
My 10th grade Physics class was given a 100 dollar budget and a weeks time to make the best egg catcher model. The class of 20 was broken into 4 groups of 5 students. The models will be tested by dropping the egg 8 feet and using the best model to catch the egg without it breaking. Each group was given the option to buy many different materials including tape, cardboard, tissue paper, foam and regular paper. The students were also instructed to take notes and record results in a journal. These results will be presented in the class presentation of the finished product.
This project will help students in the future by having them work in a group. working in a group can be very trying at times. The egg drop project can also help with the students communication. In order for this project to be successful each group must have a clear understanding of each other and their intentions. Critical thinking and creativity are also very critical in this. At the end of the week each group is instructed to present their project to the rest of the class and prove why their egg drop model is the best. All of these skills will be required in their future.

Project Structures Calender
Project Structures Overview
Project Structures Checklist

Blog Post # 7

Blog post number 7 is about Randy Pausch's lecture titled Randy Pausch's Last Lecture. We find out that he is sadly about to die, but he would like to pass on some very helpful tips. What I have learned from Pausch's lecture about teaching and learning is to never give up. Make goals like he did and do not back down until you have achieved them. For example one of his goals was to become an NFL player. Pausch could not achieve that goal because of physical limits, but he still learned from it. It could be helpful in the class, say you have a student who just refuses to learn. As the teacher you can not make he or she learn, but learn from it. That way you can take steps to avoid conflict in the future.

Another topic I would like to bring up is the term "head-faking". This means to fake a student out by making them learn something then the student finding out they learned something completely different. to me this goes in hand with Dr.Strange's use of the term, "burp - back" courses. I think if a teacher could master the art of head-faking it would reduce the chances of having a burp-back way of teaching.

C4K Feb.

On C4K number 1 I commented on Adam's post about sharks. The post was about how they are really harmless and, if anything we are the real monsters! I also left a commented on how great of a job he was doing and that he even taught me a college student!

Benjamin's Blog For C4K number two I had a 5th grader named Benjamin. The instructions left were for us to fill out the survey the child had created. I did so and then I left a comment on how Benjamin's survey. The survey really made me think of the little things in life that I enjoy and, that I need to relax more. I also told him that it was a great survey assuming they were required to make it.

Brad's Blog For C4K number 3 I commented on a post made by Brad. He reviewed the movie dodgeball to moderate length stating what he liked and disliked about the movie. I also commented on my favorite parts of the movie,and let him know that he was doing a great job.

Jacob's Blog For C4K number 4 I commented on Jacob Day Ryan's post I Believe. Within his post he talks about the NFL, and how it got started. He also goes on to talk about how his favorite game is the superbowl. I commented on how I was impressed with the facts he included, and how that it is important to back up statements with facts. Also I told him what a great job he was doing.