Blog Post #16

What I learned from EDM310.

Blog Post#5 Part 2

Personal Learning Networks are very important not only students but also teachers. If a networks is set up correctly it allow students and teachers to converse with subject matter experts in multiple fields. There is multiple sites and apps that allows someone to set up their own Personal Learning Network, but the one that I use the most is Twitter. Twitter allows communication between a variety of different people simply by following them. This can be very beneficial to teachers as they are able to communicate and bounce ideas off of others in their field. This class has tough me the importance of creating a good PLN and this is something that I will always be able to use throughout my teaching career.

C4T November

Stephens Greenberg

This post is about a new exciting school in Brooklyn New York. This new school is nothing like the traditional school setting. Students meet with personalized tutors for two hours daily and often work in small group settings. My commit follows; Hello my name is Justin Thompson I am a student of EDM310 @ the University of South Alabama. I will post a summery on my blog at the end of the month. These new type of schools sound interesting. Do these schools offer after school activities such as sports and band?

Nicholas Provenzano

 Throughout this post Mr. Provenzano explains the benefits about Project Based Learning and shows an example of one of his students project. I would suggest anyone that wants to learn the benefits of Project Based Learning activities to visit his blogger. My commit follows:
Mr. Provenzano,

My name is Justin Thompson and I am a student of EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I will be summarizing your latest post on my blogger. Your students did an outstanding job making this video. It is amazing how Project Based Learning activities fully engage students.  

Blog Post #14

Teaching our can be a profession.

The article above was written by Joel Klein and published in USA Today on November 17, 2014. Throughout this article Joel writes about two main problems with the teaching profession today.

1. Problem hiring teachers.
2. Problem with seniority.

Joel Klein states in this article that school systems hire anyone with a college degree to fill their teaching positions. His solution to fix this problem is to recruit and hire the top third of college graduates. This seems a little ridiculous to me. It is very hard especially in today's world to be hired into the public school system. They simply do not and can not hire teachers based solely on their grades. The student teaching process is very strenuous. Joel fails to take into account that every teacher hired has once been a student teacher and has done so for free. As to hiring the top third of college graduates, it takes a special person to be an effective teacher, not everyone that has maintained a high GPA throughout college will become one. 

Joel Klein's second issue with the profession of teaching is seniority. He states that seniority dictates the way schools operate and it is impossible to fire incompetent teachers. I would argue that teachers are able to reach their seniority status because of their effective teaching abilities. He also states that the school systems often fire the last teacher hired regardless of their teaching abilities. This is simply not the case. Why would any one in their right mind want to fire the more effective teachers simply because of the number of years they have under their belt? I sincerely hope that the issues Joel Klein writes about are not the norm of employment procedures in the school systems today.

C4K November

Patrickm, Student of Mr. Akerson 5th grade from Saint Louis, MO

Patrickm wrote about the importance of not wearing uniforms at school. This is my response. Patrickm, I am an EDM 310 student at the University of South Alabama. I can tell this is a very important issue for you. I really enjoyed the passion you put into this post. I agree with you students should have a way to express their individuality. Great post keep up the good work.

Amaya, Student of Mrs Mena from Chula Vista, CA

Amaya wrote a compare and contrast blog on the differences and similarities between her and her mother. This is my response. Hello, I am an EDM 310 student at the University of South Alabama. You did a great job with this compare and contrast blog. I really enjoyed your last line about the jerky! Keep up the good work.

Paris R, Student of Mrs. Mena 5th grade from Chula Vista, CA

Paris wrote a compare and contrast blog post on Henry Ford and Maya Angelou. This is my commit. Hello my name is Justin Thompson and I am an EDM310 student at the University of South Alabama. You did a nice job on this blog post. Good job describing how these individuals helped shape the world. Keep up the good work and have a great rest of the year.

Blog Post#13

What can you learn from the following videos about teaching History?

Watch the following videos and answer the driving question above.
Teaching Students to Think Like Historians, by Stanford
David McCullough's 5 Lessons Every High School Student Should Learn, by Susan Goding
Powerful Teaching and Learning- High School Social Studies- Heather Fox, by thebercgroup

The video Teaching Students to Think Like Historians urges teachers to break away from the strangle hold of text books. This film suggests that teachers teach history by using primary sources, and secondary sources. Historical sites is a wonderful way for students learn using modern technology.

5 Lessons Every High School Student Should Learn urges teachers not to have their students memorize dates and quotations, but encourages teachers to give their students the opportunity to learn what happened in history and why. This video also encourages teachers to teach their students in other ways than just using text books. Some ways this videos suggest are; group projects, students make their-own documentary video, plays, and papers.

The Video Powerful Teaching and Learning shows a teacher as her class moves from an old lesson to a new lesson. The teacher , Heather Fox, asks her students a driving question before each new topic and allows the students to answer the questions orally to other students beside them. This grabs students attention and allows them to think critically about a historical event before any lesson is given. This is a great way for teachers to check on students existing knowledge and critical thinking skills.

Blog Post #12

What assistive technologies are available are available to you as a teacher?

Project #10

Interview Movie

Project # 14

This link  contains our lesson plan created by Heather Howton, Alex Odell, Andrea Fust, and Justin Thompson.

Blog Post # 11

I encourage teachers whether they're just starting their careers, or have been teaching for a number of years to watch the following videos.

1. Back to the Future, by Brian Crosby
2. Blended Learning Cycle, by Paul Anderson
3. Building Comics, by Sam Pane
4. Project Based Learning, by Dean Shareski
5. Roosevelt Elementary' PBL Program

All of the videos above show the benefits of project based learning. Brian Crosby, a teacher of English second language students, describes how he uses Blogs, Flicker, and Skype in his classroom. He states these technologies allow his students to communicate with the world in ways they were unable to do so in the past. It really is inspiring to see how much his students enjoy learning in his classroom. Paul Anderson's video, Blended Learning Cycle, describes the foundation that makes up a well designed  project based learning activity. His instruction gives teachers the ability to create meaningful project based learning activities that will drive students to excel. It is very important that teachers use a strong frame work while building their project based learning activities in their classroom because it allows students to learn more than the old burp back methods of the past. Project based learning empowers students and creates a desire to learn and absorb knowledge.  

C4K summary Oct

James from Mrs Schraml 5th Grade
This post is about his love for choir.

I am a student at the University of Alabama. It sounds like you are going to have a blast in choir. I do not believe we have choir at the University, but I did have choir at my high school. Sadly, I did not participate in it because of baseball. Keep up the good work and practice and who knows where your talents will take you.

Bella from Mrs Ripp 7th Grade
This post is about what kids should be able to control in school.

My name is Justin Thompson and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. College is quite different than middle school, but I do remember having some of the same problems you are having while I was in middle school. One being the short time between classes. We too only had 3 min to make it to our next class. Most of the time my teachers allowed me to go to the bathroom at the beginning of class but not all the time. Maybe if you ask right when you walk in they will allow you to go. Great post Bella.

Bobby, from Ms Ripp
This post is about diplomacy in the classroom.

 My name is Justin Thompson and I am also student at the University of South Alabama. Voting on test dates would make life a lot simpler. I remember when I was your age having as many as four test in one day. Keep up the good work and remember the best way to keep up with your studies is with a calender and good time management.

Quinlan, from Mrs. Somerville
In this post she was telling a story about her nightmare.

 My name is Justin Thompson and i am a student from the University of South Alabama. This does sound like a horrible nightmare. Nice job telling your story keep up the good work.

C4T# 3

Jason,

My name is Justin Thompson and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I will be summarizing this post on my class blog.
I agree using video at practice or in the classroom would be very beneficial for students and teachers. Thanks for the blogs, keep them coming.

Jason,

This post is titled McHenry PE workshop links. It is exactly what the title says, links for physical education workshops. There was no message to the post only links that teachers can explore for their self.

Blog Post# 10

What can we learn from Mrs. Cassidy?

Mrs. Cassidy is a first grade teacher from Canada, and she uses technology in her classroom that allows her students to learn in the 21st century. The resources that she uses is: Twitter, Blogging, Wiki, Skype, and Webpages. She does this because it allows her students to connect with the world as they learn. As a new teacher I will use all the technology listed above in my classroom. All these sources can and will benefit students of today's world, because the old way of teaching is simply outdated. Using technology in classroom has many benefits. One, is that students respond well to using these new methods, because creates a positive learning environment. These new methods allows  student's work to be seen by the world vs., the old way, just the teacher.

Project # 12

How to work a Smartboard.

Blog Post # 9

What can Teachers and Students Teach Us About Project Based Learning?

This lesson has taught me the importance of  Project Based Learning for teachers as well as for students, and the motivation it creates in students. Listed below are some imports factors that makes up a well prepared Project Based Learning activity.  

Meaningful projects fulfill two criteria.

1. Students believe the work is meaningful.
2. The project has educational purpose.

There are seven essential elements of meaningful projects. 

1. A Need to Know- Projects should make students feel like they need to know the information that makes up the project.
2. A Driving Question- Questions should give students a sense of purpose and challenge them. 
3. Student Voice and Choice- Teachers should give students the opportunity to impressive them. This can be done by allowing students to manage their own project. 
4. 21st Century Skills- Projects Based Learning allows students to develop skills that they will need in everyday life such as; collaboration, communication, and critical thinking. 
5. Inquiry and Innovation- Projects should engage students in a way that allows them to come up with their own questions.
6. Feed back and Revision- Teachers should coach students by using rubrics. This will allow students to know areas they need to work on which will allow them to correct the problem areas.
7. A Publicly Presented Projects- Teachers should find ways to let the world see the finished product. By doing this projects become more meaningful to students. 

Sources:

Seven Essentials for Project Based Learning

Project Based learning for Teachers

Project Based Learning and Physical Education

Project Based Learning in PE

What Motivates Students

Project # 9

Video Book Conversation 

Implications and Teaching Opportunities for Camera Use in Teaching and Learning.

Part A

87% of people that have smart phones say it never leaves their side. What this means for me as a future teacher in the American public school system is that majority of my students will have smart phones in my classroom. This has the potential of becoming a detraction with (games. texting. ect), but it also has unlimited learning potential for students.

It is my job as a teacher to come up with productive ways to incorporate technology into the classroom. A great way I can do so is through project based learning. An example of what I can do is break my students into groups and have them prepare an informative video on a subject by using their smartphones or computers. 

Part B 

The lesson plans shown below can be all be found on Alex, and all three are being used in the public school system today. In my classroom I would modify these lesson plans to make them project based learning lessons. I would break my students into groups and encouraging them to use their smartphones and tablets in order to research for their group projects. With today's technology so readily available for student, there are endless possibilities of what teachers can do in their classrooms.

•  Describe current news stories from various perspectives, including geographical, historical, political, social, and cultural.
• Evaluating the impact of current news stories on the individual and on local, state, national, and international communities (Alabama)
• Comparing current news stories to related past events
• Analyzing news stories for implications regarding nations of the world
• Locating on a map areas affected by events described in news stories
• Interpreting statistical data related to political, social, and economic issues in current events
• Compare the relationship of governments and economies to events occurring in specific nations.
• Identifying recurring historical patterns in regions around the world
• Describing costs and benefits of trade among nations in an interdependent world
• Comparing ways different countries address individual and national economic and social problems, including child care, tax rates, economic regulations, health care, national debt, and unemployment
•  Compare information presented through various media, including television, newspapers, magazines, journals, and the Internet.
• Explaining the reliability of news stories and their sources
• Describing the use, misuse, and meaning of different media materials, including photographs, artwork, and film clips
• Critiquing viewpoints presented in editorial writing and political cartoons, including the use of symbols that represent viewpoints
• Describing the role of intentional and unintentional bias and flawed samplings 

Blog Post #8

What can we learn about teaching and learning from Randy Pausch?

Anyone that is thinking about becoming a teacher should watch Randy Pausch's lecture. Throughout the lecture Randy talks about many key factors that people should live by in order to accomplish there goals. He states;  "goals have obstacles, but the obstacles are only there to stop people that don't want it bad enough." Remembering this is not only important to teachers, but also in life in general.

Another important lesson this lecture has taught me is teachers should not have low expectations for their students. Randy states that even if you are blown away by student's work you should compliment them and push them even farther. This is a very important lesson for teachers to remember in their classrooms and by doing this it will benefit students greatly. These are just a couple if important issues Randy talks about throughout this lecture. I encourage anyone that has not seen this lecture to watch it.


   

  

Project 13

Click here to look at my group project 13.

C4T2 Post 2

I commented on Ed's blog 10 ways to make meetings (and lessons) meaningful... The purpose of this post is to make every meeting-lesson meaningful. Edna states,"Teachers should get feedback from their students to see what lesson plans worked best for them to learn the information." I commented on Edna's blog agreeing that it was important for teachers to plan in response to the learning.

Ed's lastest blog  post is titled Changing Groups. Ed's purpose of this post is to ask teachers questions about methods they use in their classroom when assigning group work. This post is an open debate that allows teachers to give their own experiences, and is a great way to find out what real teachers are doing in their classrooms.