WebQuests are great interactive tools that motivate students to learn! WebQuests are so powerful because they are student-centered in nature. Students enjoy delving deeper into a topic through WebQuests because they are not teacher-directed. Rather, students are given a purpose and task to encourage them on their WebQuest journey. During WebQuests teachers facilitate the learning process, but they are not the main dispensers of knowledge. Students typically enjoy the sense of independence that they possess as they navigate through various websites in order to solve their specific mission. Students love using computer technology, so this is just one more way to get students excited about learning in the classroom.
The purpose of this chat was to discuss how the arts can improve upon literacy instruction within the classroom. The discussion was led by BJ Berquist. (She actually led my Tips and Tricks session as well.) In addition to myself, two other teachers joined the discussion. One was a technology teacher in an elementary school and the other was a Spanish high school teacher. During our time together, the leader suggested various websites for us to review. She had many helpful suggestions. First, she led us to the Prelinger Collection: http://www.archive.org/details/prelinger and the Library of Congress Motion Picture and Reading Room: http://www.loc.gov/rr/mopic/. Both sites allowed educators to access films which could then be used to introduce students to specific reading content. Now I have these sites in addition to Unitedstreaming to help introduce students to content via short video clips. We also were introduced to the National Gallery of Art for Kids: http://www.nga.gov/kids/kids.htm. This site was very interesting because students could create their own interactive art. I thought that students could visit this site to create original artwork. Once they had created their masterpiece, they could use it as inspiration to compose a creative writing piece in language arts. I can really see my students being motivated to write after they have had an opportunity to express themselves artistically. BjB also referenced three sites that would be very beneficial for creating story quilts: http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=242,
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/childrens-art-activities/lesson-plan/5613.html, and http://www.historyofquilts.com/hpowers.html. For instance, Faith Ringgold’s books nicely tie into story quilting. She also found ways for us to tie art to other content areas as well. For example, the site: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/rbpehtml/ was very helpful, because it provides posters that tie in with history content that my fourth graders are learning about this year. Finally, one of my favorite sites that she directed me to was Carol Hurst’s Children’s Literature Site: http://www.carolhurst.com/. This site is awesome, because it lists quality picture books that can be used to discuss various topics throughout the curriculum. It is a very user-friendly site that also provides possible activities that you could use in the classroom.
Ultimately, I feel like I walked away from this Tapped In session with some quality resources that I can use in my classroom. I think that Tapped In is an excellent resource for teachers wishing to gain some extra professional development in certain areas of the curriculum. It is nice because teachers network together and share ideas. In the sessions that I have attended, I have found the leader to be very knowledgeable and helpful. It is nice because many sessions are only one hour, but you can gain a lot of helpful tips and advice during that brief time. I think that this is a great resource for teachers to have access to throughout the school year.
This week I worked on creating an interactive PowerPoint for my fourth grade students. I was very nervous about completing this assignment, because I have never made a PowerPoint before. I was especially nervous about making the PowerPoint interactive. However, this proved to be a very worthwhile assignment, because it forced me to learn how to use the PowerPoint program. Initial frustration turned into enjoyment as I saw my presentation come to life. In the end, I am very happy with my work, because I know that it is something that I will use with my students in the classroom. This PowerPoint nicely highlights the key ideas that all fourth graders should know about plants. Students can work through this PowerPoint individually or in pairs to review the concepts presented. I love this presentation because it is more student focused as opposed to teacher directed, making this a more effective teaching tool than if I were to present a regular bulleted PowerPoint to my students.
Last night I created my first podcast. I think that podcasting is a great idea. I plan to use my podcast to introduce my science WebQuest on animal adaptations. I think that my auditory learners will especially appreciate being able to hear important information on adaptations prior to beginning the WebQuest, since this is their preferred learning modality. In the classroom, I could see my fourth graders really getting into developing their own podcasts, because they get the opportunity to record their own voices. For example, students could design PowerPoint presentations and then create podcasts to accompany them. I also like the idea of having students use the microphones to record interviews which could later be made into podcasts. Overall, I believe that if students have the opportunity to make their own podcasts, they will be excited and more engaged in the learning process. Students love to use technology because it is fresh, new, and practical in today’s world. I definitely want to try to create some lessons where students have opportunities to create their own podcasts.
Critical thinking requires that students closely work with given information and apply it using higher level thinking skills. This means that rote memorization and basic comprehension will not be enough. In the Eduscape write up on critical thinking, it discussed how Benjamin Bloom developed six cognitive levels of thinking. From basic to complex they are: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. The latter three levels demonstrate higher level thinking skills that must be utilized during critical thinking. This is the type of thinking good teachers are engaging their students in daily so that they can prepare their students for the 21st century workforce. This means that these teachers continually require their students to not only “know” tidbits of information, but rather students must do something with this information. As the Eduscape article on critical thinking pointed out, this might mean students are hypothesizing, critiquing, planning, sequencing, classifying, comparing, and problem solving. All of these skills will be necessary to compete in a job market that is becoming increasingly technological. In other words, our students must possess these skills in order to compete internationally with others.
Technology definitely plays a role in getting students to look critically at their own learning. This is because technology often sparks interest and is often hands-on in nature. In yesterday’s classrooms, students often memorized facts and sat quietly until called upon to share. Today’s classrooms are much different in that students are truly connected to the world outside of their classrooms. As the NCREL article, A Critical Issue, pointed out, students can either learn with or from a computer. Indeed, computers have found their niche in modern day classrooms. As stated before, this is in response to the demand for workers to possess such skills in the 21st century job market. School districts not only want students to simply know certain facts, they want their students to possess technology skills along with an intellectual toolbox that they can draw upon at any moment in novel situations. Computers are helping our students develop these necessary skills needed to problem solve. In addition, technology has helped today’s students draw upon their newly acquired “Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Literacy.” In other words, technology has helped students think more critically through the practice of six critical ICT literacy skills: communicating effectively, analyzing and interpreting data, understanding computational modeling, prioritizing tasks, engaging in problem solving, and ensuring security and safety. These skills translate into necessary traits in today’s workforce. Also, technology access has helped student scores improve on several different assessments according to the NCREL article. This means that students are benefiting from technology in the classroom. Now, it is our job to make sure that all students have equal access to this technology so that all students may reap the benefits that technology has to offer.
Screencasts are an asset to our auditory and visual learners! Fortunately, screencasting is relatively easy to do. I developed my first screencast on how to make a pie chart using Excel. This allows the viewer to note the step by step procedures involved in developing this type of chart. Students and teachers could develop similar screencasts to tutor others on skills that they have acquired and would in turn like to pass on to their viewers. Students and teachers also might use screencasts to narrate slide shows. This would be an effective teaching tool for both educators and students. Finally, teachers may chose to use screencasts to provide feedback on student work. We discussed how this could be particularly effective when it comes to writing workshops. Teachers can deliver feedback to their students by using a digital pen while discussing writing issues throughout the paper. All in all, screencasts are a wonderful addition to the classroom because many people learn through example. This is exactly what screencasts offer to its users. I particularly like using screencasts as a tutorial, because it allows the learner to view something step by step as many times as needed until they have acquired mastery and can duplicate the task for themselves.
During the Tapped In Tips and Tricks tour, we were able to learn how to navigate through this online resource available to teachers. We were able to edit our information and enter different group rooms. We also learned how to use the calendar to set up dates for future chats with groups of interest. Our leader, BjB, did a nice job giving us a brief overview of the program. Most of the attendees were fellow classmates from our ITEC 501 class. Whenever we had questions, our leader helped clear up our misconceptions. Overall, I learned that this tool can be used with my students as I deem necessary. It also can be a helpful tool that allows me to stay “tapped in” with fellow educators. I like the idea of being able to talk with other educators from different parts of the United States. I could certainly gain a lot from their wisdom.
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