Reflection #9
One method of understanding prior-knowledge of students is by using a KWL chart. This way teachers will know what each students knows in th K section of the chart before beginning the project or assignment. It is important for teachers to understand that not all students will be starting at the same place.
It is important to establish anchors for a project. Anchors will let the teacher know where students are starting and how far they are going as they work to meet learning goals. Using KWL charts is a great way to know where students are at. Also this will help the teacher know how to differentiate instruction to help all kinds of learners in the classroom.
There are several ways to assess what students learned during the project. When assessing students at the end of a project, letting the students being creative is a great way to see what they learned. One teacher from California had their students create a comic book of a book they read. They had to use quotes and symbols they read in the story.
Another way to assess what students learned during the project is to flat out ask the students what they learn. It is hard to give a student a multiple choice test and know exactly what the student knows. I learned in another class the best way to know what a child has comprehended is by verbally talking to the student or having the student write down what they know. The students can be in groups while the teacher is over-seeing the conversation and taking anecdotal notes on what the students know. The students can present in front of the class. Or if the student is not out-going having them write down what they know lets the teacher inside the brain of the student and what they learned.
Another way teachers can asses student learning is having the students create something new. At the end of a project having a student create an extension. This way the students have to take what they learned within the project to apply to something new. This gives them the chance to be creative as well as letting the teacher know what they have learned. Another great way of assessing it entering a contest or submit for publication. This gives the student something to work for that is not only school based.
Many of these topics can be used in our project. When assessing students during a project I think the best way to assess would be to have the students create extensions off the project. Staying healthy is a wide range topic which gives the students to be really creative with what they already know and what they may want to know.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Reading Reflection #9
Sarah Betzold
EDT 3470
Reading Reflection #9
A
great method for understanding prior-knowledge of students is by doing a Know-Wonder-Learn
(K-W-L) activity with students. This method allows the teacher to
learn what the students already know and encourages students to ask questions
about what they don’t know. It has students answering questions about what they
know, wonder and want to learn about a particular topic. This is a great way
for teachers to find out a lot of information about what students already know
about something before beginning a project.
It
is important to establish anchors for a project because it will help you plan
out where students will start with a project and end. It will help you plan out
how students will reach their learning goals as well. Every student is not
going to be on the same page when it comes to what they already know. For this
reason, it is important for a teacher to establish anchors and differentiate
instruction to make sure all students achieve.
There
are several ways to assess what students have learned during a project. I really like the idea of simply asking
students what they have learned. For instance, in our book, Reinventing Project-Based Learning by
Suzie Boss and Jane Krauss, an Australian teacher videotaped his students as
they told him what they learned and reflected on their experiences. I thought
this was a creative and different way to assess students. Students can also be
assessed through a presentation on what they have learned or create something
new by applying what they learned to a new context. Teachers can also assess
students by modeling real-world assessments such as having students create
portfolios. The portfolios can then even be judged by a panel. This gives
students an idea of how people are often assessed in the real world. Another
good idea is having student submit their best work in a contest. This is a
great motivator for students to work hard and allows students to present why
their project is worth winning.
These
concepts relate to our projects because they are important for us to know as we
start wrapping up our units in our class. It is important to know that
assessments should not just be multiple-choice tests. There are many creative
assessments teachers can do to see if students have met learning goals. It is
also important for us to know the importance of establishing anchors so that we
have a direction as to where our projects are going. All of these topics are
especially useful for us to consider as we begin our teaching careers.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Reflection #8
Some ways to build connections and branch out beyond the classroom would be connecting with experts and expanding the learning circle. Teachers can use experts for students to incorporate inquiry which is an important component in the learning experience. Using student's parents and knowing their occupations is a great tool when you want the students to use experts. The parents students are probably the most willing to help out but other experts will be wiling if you give them enough notice. When asking experts to come into the classroom, make sure they know the topic you are focusing on so that the expert can direct his or her answers to student questions. This is a great way for students to relate topics to the outside world and real professions. Connecting students to other countries is a good way to go beyond the classroom. Like virtual pen pals or flat Stanley projects.
The EAST (environmental and spatial technology) initiative model is a network of schools that have been demonstrating the benefits of using technology for a real purpose. This project uses technology and multimedia tools and geospatial technologies. The EAST model used digital media and the middle and high school collaborated to produce an award-winning documentary about a Japanese American internment camp that had nearly disappeared from their community's collective memory.
Some reasons to let students “lead” their projects is that students are more than capable of making and controlling their own projects. As a teacher we won't have to micromanage each project. Students can decide what they are passionate about and develop their own learning and the teacher can be there for support and provide the tools to help them achieve what they want to know.
Concepts in the chapter relate to our project in many ways. I think we can use experts in our project to help connect what the students are learning. Using a nutritionist or maybe a physical therapist who knows a lot about staying healthy. WebMD is also a good website for students to do research. Also students can lead their own projects as well. Maybe at the beginning of the project having the students brainstorm ideas about what they really want to know about nutrition or physical activity.
The EAST (environmental and spatial technology) initiative model is a network of schools that have been demonstrating the benefits of using technology for a real purpose. This project uses technology and multimedia tools and geospatial technologies. The EAST model used digital media and the middle and high school collaborated to produce an award-winning documentary about a Japanese American internment camp that had nearly disappeared from their community's collective memory.
Some reasons to let students “lead” their projects is that students are more than capable of making and controlling their own projects. As a teacher we won't have to micromanage each project. Students can decide what they are passionate about and develop their own learning and the teacher can be there for support and provide the tools to help them achieve what they want to know.
Concepts in the chapter relate to our project in many ways. I think we can use experts in our project to help connect what the students are learning. Using a nutritionist or maybe a physical therapist who knows a lot about staying healthy. WebMD is also a good website for students to do research. Also students can lead their own projects as well. Maybe at the beginning of the project having the students brainstorm ideas about what they really want to know about nutrition or physical activity.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Reading Reflection #8
Sarah Betzold
EDT 3470
Reading Reflection #8
Using technology is a great way to build
connections and branch out beyond the classroom. Wikis, podcasts and Skype can
be used for real conversations that can be used to reach others in the
community or across the globe. This allows students become aware of the
culturally diverse world we live in and discover new information through real
conversations rather than books or through lecture. Teachers need to know how
to contacts experts and can involve parents in that process. Teachers can set
up a blog or website informing parents of what type or expert is being looked
for. Parents can often help as well as coworkers, friends etc. There are
several ways to branch out by communicating to people you know and by using technology.
The EAST Initiative Model represents
four main ideas. The first idea is that students should be held responsible for
their own learning. The next idea is that students should engage in problem
solving in their communities. Another idea is giving students the necessary
technology and experts to help solve the problem. The last idea is
collaboration. When students work together they learn what it is like to work
in the real world with others and problem solve. EAST stands for Environmental and Spatial Technologies. The
EAST Initiative Model focuses on student-driven learning and allows students to
learn by doing.
Teachers should let students “lead”
their projects because they can generate project ideas that they are passionate
about and take interest in. Students can learn a lot through their own interests
and gain independence by creating their own project. The teacher will be there
for support but the student will ultimately be responsible for his or her own
learning. Allowing students to lead their own projects prepares students for
the real world where someone will not be telling them exactly what to do.
These concepts relate to our projects because we are
designing a unit that focuses on all of these ideas. We will need to know how
to build connections and branch out beyond the classroom when we one day have
our own classrooms. Our Virtual PenPals project was a great example of this. The
EAST Initiative Model is also important because it gives those ideas are ideas
that we have learned about throughout the semester and have incorporated in our
projects. Also, allowing students to lead projects is an important idea that we
may want to try in our future classrooms. All of these concepts are extremely
important to think about as we begin our teaching careers.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Reflection #7
Reflection #7
There are different levels of discussion that should take place in the classroom. There should be teacher to teacher, student to student and teacher to student. All of these types of discussion will be important for a successful project. Collaborating with other teachers will help better the projects procedures or assessments. Two or more heads are always better than one. Students should be interacting with each other as well. They will be able to form questions that other students may be able to help them with. It is important for them to give them the opportunity to challenge themselves and each other. Students and teachers should also be interacting. There could be times where it is a whole group discussion but teachers should also not be afraid to work with small groups or even individually. It is a great time to assess students for understanding.
When the students are divided into teams they most likely will be at different points so the teacher should be checking on student process. Types of questions to ask are divided into 4 categories. Procedural, teamwork, understanding, and self-assessment. Procedural questions are questions that will remind students of project deadlines or milestones and the teacher will know where the students are at. Teamwork questions are questions to ask about the group dynamic. Teachers can have the students blog or journal on their teams progress or raise any concerns they have about their team. Understanding questions can direct students to other resources if their project is off task. These questions can also push the students to thinking outside the box and going beyond the expectations. Self-assessment questions can find out what the students are learning or thinking about the project. You can ask the students to journal or blog about what they are finding frustrating or interesting.
There are benefits to students when optimizing the use of technology. When integrating technology into the project make sure that the technology is ultimately helping the students reach a learning goal. The students should also stay organized. The students should take advantage of all the tools. The students should also use the technology to expand their horizons. Students may really benefit and learn something they didn't know or intend on learning.
There are some 21st-century skills that can make or break a project. Teamwork is a very important aspect and 21st century skill. Teachers should pay attention to problems within groups and help them learn to manage their own problems. Having students reflect on how their team worked together at the end of a project and if there was anything they would do differently is a great for students. The students will be able to recognize what they learned as a team and individually and recognize and interpret their mistakes.
I really like the teamwork aspect of this chapter and how it emphasized how important it was. In our project there can be many opportunities for students to work as a small team. Also with the virtual pen pals the students would be optimizing the use of technology. Maybe they could do some sort of blog about their virtual pen pals which would work on their organizational skills another 21st century skill that will benefit them greatly.
There are different levels of discussion that should take place in the classroom. There should be teacher to teacher, student to student and teacher to student. All of these types of discussion will be important for a successful project. Collaborating with other teachers will help better the projects procedures or assessments. Two or more heads are always better than one. Students should be interacting with each other as well. They will be able to form questions that other students may be able to help them with. It is important for them to give them the opportunity to challenge themselves and each other. Students and teachers should also be interacting. There could be times where it is a whole group discussion but teachers should also not be afraid to work with small groups or even individually. It is a great time to assess students for understanding.
When the students are divided into teams they most likely will be at different points so the teacher should be checking on student process. Types of questions to ask are divided into 4 categories. Procedural, teamwork, understanding, and self-assessment. Procedural questions are questions that will remind students of project deadlines or milestones and the teacher will know where the students are at. Teamwork questions are questions to ask about the group dynamic. Teachers can have the students blog or journal on their teams progress or raise any concerns they have about their team. Understanding questions can direct students to other resources if their project is off task. These questions can also push the students to thinking outside the box and going beyond the expectations. Self-assessment questions can find out what the students are learning or thinking about the project. You can ask the students to journal or blog about what they are finding frustrating or interesting.
There are benefits to students when optimizing the use of technology. When integrating technology into the project make sure that the technology is ultimately helping the students reach a learning goal. The students should also stay organized. The students should take advantage of all the tools. The students should also use the technology to expand their horizons. Students may really benefit and learn something they didn't know or intend on learning.
There are some 21st-century skills that can make or break a project. Teamwork is a very important aspect and 21st century skill. Teachers should pay attention to problems within groups and help them learn to manage their own problems. Having students reflect on how their team worked together at the end of a project and if there was anything they would do differently is a great for students. The students will be able to recognize what they learned as a team and individually and recognize and interpret their mistakes.
I really like the teamwork aspect of this chapter and how it emphasized how important it was. In our project there can be many opportunities for students to work as a small team. Also with the virtual pen pals the students would be optimizing the use of technology. Maybe they could do some sort of blog about their virtual pen pals which would work on their organizational skills another 21st century skill that will benefit them greatly.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Reading Reflection #7
Sarah Betzold
EDT 3470
Chapter 7:
A Guiding Hand- Keeping a Project Moving
Levels
of classroom discussions take place while implanting a project. Teacher to
teacher is one of the levels and is important because teachers can share ideas,
plan together, talk about what is taking place in the classroom and if students
are understanding what they are supposed to be learning. Working with other
teachers is helpful and a great resource. If talking face to face is not a
option, other tools can be used such as blogs, wiki and others collaboration
tools. The next level of classroom discussion is student to student. Students to be discussing things
together as they work through their projects. This includes explaining things
to classmates, asking questions, giving feedback, etc. Modeling for students
how they should be working together will help students effectively collaborate
with each other and they will continue to
learn how to work as a team. The next level of classroom discussion is
teacher to student. This is important during projects when a teacher needs to
make an announcements, check for understanding, introduce a new concept, etc.
However, most of the time teachers will not be having a whole class discussion
because students will be working out their projects.
Checking
in on students during a project is important so that a teacher can know where
students are at in their project. Checking in with students also allows the
teacher ask herself or himself certain questions along the way to make sure the
project is running smoothly and effectively. For instance, when think about procedures, the teacher may
ask herself or himself, “Are we staying on schedule? Do we have the right
materials available? When’s the best time to schedule a field trip, expert
visitor or other activity?” (Boss & Krauss, 2007). When thinking about teamwork a teacher might
think about if students a working well together and allowing students a safe
place to raise concerns about their team. An online survey tool such as wiki,
might be a good way to do that. When teachers are thinking about students’
understanding, the teacher may want to plan questions that might probe students
to think further and encourage students to go beyond the expectations. Students
can learn a lot from a teacher asking students questions throughout their
projects to make them think further. As an assessment a teacher might also want
to check in on students to determine what they are thinking and learning. Asking
questions that allow students to reflect and think back on what they have done
is a great way to assess.
There
are many benefits of optimizing the use of technology in a classroom. Technology
can help students reach their learning goals. Many students enjoy working with
technology and it gets them interested in what they are learning. Sometimes it’s even a good idea to even
let students pick the technologies they want to use. The students can think
about which technology tools with help students reach their learning goals.
Students benefit and get to new ways to communicate and learn by using
technology.
It’s
important to think about things that can make or break a project. A 21st
–century skill is troubleshooting. If students are struggling or there are
setbacks, it’s important to help students get back on track or brainstorm ideas
to help students feel better about their assignment. Sometimes students can be
intimidated when using technology or communicating with others. Teachers should
keep these things in mind and set up ways to make students feel more
comfortable. Troubleshooting
should be a skill that teachers need to have otherwise a project may not meet
its learning goals. Teamwork is another 21st century skill that
needs to be seen in a classroom. It’s important to take notice of who gets
along with each other, who slacks and how groups works together. Teachers can
have teamwork-scoring rubrics that students can fill out for students in their
groups. I also like the idea of students keeping a journal about their
teamwork. Teachers will then also get a good idea if the team is working well
together. If teams do not work well together it can be an issue in terms of the
students meeting their learning goals.
This
chapter relates to our projects because we want our projects to run smoothly.
These topics are especially important to consider when we one day have our own
classrooms. Since we are not actually doing our projects with students it’s
important to keep in mind obstacles that we may be faced with and how certain tools
can be of used to benefit our projects.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Reflection #6
Reflection 6
Technology tools can encourage students to be reflective and evaluate their own strengths. Blogs, ProfilerPro, and things like SurveyMonkey and Zoomerang can help with these aspects. Blogs offer a great space for students to get down all their thoughts in one space and then be able to go back and review their thinking. This will allow the students the opportunity to evaluate and potentially change any thoughts that they had. ProfilerPro is an online survey tool that allows students to self evaluate themselves. It will give them a chance to evaluate their weaknesses and strengths and then re-assess themselves and compare their results at a later date. SurveyMonkey and Zoomerang are online survey tools that students or teachers can create on their own. They will allow students to be creative and make up their own surveys as well as track different trends as they allow other students to take the survey.
There are many ways to engage your students to prepare their minds. A good way to before starting a unit or topic is by tapping into students prior knowledge or schema. KWL charts are a great way to start getting the students thinking in the direction the lesson is going. A KWL chart taps into what the child knows, wants to learn, and then finally learn. Another great aspect to add to the KWL chart is making a KWHL chart. The students can write down what they know, what they want to know, how they are going to find that out, and then finally what they learned. The How is a great way to get the students involved and explore ideas within the subject they will be learning.
There are positive outcomes when you teach the fundamentals first to the students. Students will gain more out of the bigger chunk of a project if they spend the small amount of time building their skills. Teachers should set the stage for independent inquiry. Before a project or lesson students should assess on what they know and don't know. KWL charts are a great way to let the students process this information before diving into the project with no understanding why. Another element that teachers should do is share the assessment rubric with the students. This way the students know the ultimate goal that they should reach at the end of the project. This will set the students up for success since they know the scale and values they should be shooting for.
There are important steps in preparing students for using technology in project. The important steps are set up a technology playground, tap the student expertise, introduce project-management tools, demonstrate, rely on your technology specialist, and analyze if the technology is a one size fits all or not. I really like the aspect of having students explore among themselves by setting up technology based assignments. This will increase students problem solving skills, which is a 21st century skill. I also like that after the students explore they can share with their classmates and collaborate with each other.
Teacher should also promote inquiry and deep learning. Guiding students to choose questions, plan investigations, and begin to put their plan into action. This produces many great ideas that the students will want to explore and be engaged in. Teachers should also guide students toward skilled questioning. This will lead to deeper thinking because they are tapping into their prior knowledge and applying what they know to what they want to know.
I think the whole aspect of promoting inquiry and deep learning applies in our project. By making the student develop their own meal plans or workout plans allows them to question what goes into a meal, or how a meal is served or prepared. This could be used doing a blog in which the students can collect their initial ideas and build on what they have written. This can help with the strengths and weaknesses while at the same time heightening their 21st century skills.
Technology tools can encourage students to be reflective and evaluate their own strengths. Blogs, ProfilerPro, and things like SurveyMonkey and Zoomerang can help with these aspects. Blogs offer a great space for students to get down all their thoughts in one space and then be able to go back and review their thinking. This will allow the students the opportunity to evaluate and potentially change any thoughts that they had. ProfilerPro is an online survey tool that allows students to self evaluate themselves. It will give them a chance to evaluate their weaknesses and strengths and then re-assess themselves and compare their results at a later date. SurveyMonkey and Zoomerang are online survey tools that students or teachers can create on their own. They will allow students to be creative and make up their own surveys as well as track different trends as they allow other students to take the survey.
There are many ways to engage your students to prepare their minds. A good way to before starting a unit or topic is by tapping into students prior knowledge or schema. KWL charts are a great way to start getting the students thinking in the direction the lesson is going. A KWL chart taps into what the child knows, wants to learn, and then finally learn. Another great aspect to add to the KWL chart is making a KWHL chart. The students can write down what they know, what they want to know, how they are going to find that out, and then finally what they learned. The How is a great way to get the students involved and explore ideas within the subject they will be learning.
There are positive outcomes when you teach the fundamentals first to the students. Students will gain more out of the bigger chunk of a project if they spend the small amount of time building their skills. Teachers should set the stage for independent inquiry. Before a project or lesson students should assess on what they know and don't know. KWL charts are a great way to let the students process this information before diving into the project with no understanding why. Another element that teachers should do is share the assessment rubric with the students. This way the students know the ultimate goal that they should reach at the end of the project. This will set the students up for success since they know the scale and values they should be shooting for.
There are important steps in preparing students for using technology in project. The important steps are set up a technology playground, tap the student expertise, introduce project-management tools, demonstrate, rely on your technology specialist, and analyze if the technology is a one size fits all or not. I really like the aspect of having students explore among themselves by setting up technology based assignments. This will increase students problem solving skills, which is a 21st century skill. I also like that after the students explore they can share with their classmates and collaborate with each other.
Teacher should also promote inquiry and deep learning. Guiding students to choose questions, plan investigations, and begin to put their plan into action. This produces many great ideas that the students will want to explore and be engaged in. Teachers should also guide students toward skilled questioning. This will lead to deeper thinking because they are tapping into their prior knowledge and applying what they know to what they want to know.
I think the whole aspect of promoting inquiry and deep learning applies in our project. By making the student develop their own meal plans or workout plans allows them to question what goes into a meal, or how a meal is served or prepared. This could be used doing a blog in which the students can collect their initial ideas and build on what they have written. This can help with the strengths and weaknesses while at the same time heightening their 21st century skills.
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