Thursday, October 31, 2013

Module 5 Blog Post

In Module 5 we will be discussing interactive classrooms. I truly believe that teachers must advance with technology. The way technology is moving, it will become a major part of every classroom.
 21st Century Skills for Students and Teachers
 This subject in our text talks about 21st century skills inside the classroom. Our book talks about a model that has been created that will incorporate 21st century skills into our system of education (Roblyer, 2013, p.21). In my classroom I try to use as much technology as I possibly can. I think flipcharts and other interactive classroom activities can be applied and utilized inside every classroom. Technology use Based on Problem Solving
 This section in our book is all about motivating students. The main thing that stuck out to me was when our text talked about gaining students attention, and how important that is (Roblyer, 2013, p. 25). Interactive classrooms can play a huge role in motivating students, and also keeping their attention on the material you are teaching.
 Constructivists vs. Objectivist
I would consider myself more of a constructivist. Knowledge is constructed not transmitted (Roblyer, 2013, p. 36). Our book also points out that Directed instruction is teacher centered, whereas hands-on instruction is student centered (Roblyer, 2013, p. 36). Both of these things point to the fact that students learn from being active. Being a science teacher has allowed me to see the benefits of activities and the use of technology in my classroom. Students all learn in different ways, and that is why I tend to lean more towards being more of a constructivist instead of an objectivist.
 Flipchart
http://www.ssec.si.edu/ms-teaching-resources 
This flipchart from promethean planet took me to a website that provides middle school science resources for students. This ties into the Constructivist view on teaching, because It allows students to learn through interaction without test (Roblyer, 2013, p. 36). Flipcharts and interactive classrooms are a huge part of the future of education. We need to support students learning needs, whether that is by supporting skill practice or giving access to unique information sources (Roblyer, 2013, p. 25). I just think it is very important to find the best ways possible for students to learn.
http://www.youtube.com/v/UKnZc-MJbTE?autohide=1&version=3&autoplay=1&attribution_tag=ktrzy3lzV82PdWqTUIny1Q&feature=share&autohide=1&showinfo=1
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Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Module 4 Blog Post

This is module and chapter is about web based lessons and projects. Web based lessons can be a very valuable tool for teachers to utilize in their classrooms. We are also working on our classroom wikispace, which I already had started because of my classroom. This is very useful for my parents and my students.
www.teachingmysmarties.wikispaces.com
This is a wikispace website for an English teacher that works at Moody Junior High School with me. I really enjoy how she has her wikispace laid out for our students. If you look on the right side she has all her tabs set up with the different organizations and classes she is involved with. From looking at the site, it also looks as if she keeps it updated regularly. Our text points out that when evaluating a web page design is very important (Roblyer, 2013, p. 255). She has all of her announcements and contact information on the front page as well, so it makes it very easy to stay up to date and to get in contact with her. I think your class website plays a huge role in your classroom and keeping your parents involved.

New on ScienCentral
The first widget that I found was called New on ScienCentral. It is a widget that provides the latest articles and news updates about science. When I evaluated the content, like our book talks about, I think this widget will be very informative to my classroom (Roblyer, 2013, p. 255).
Weird Science Kids
The second widget that I found was called Weird Science Kids. It provides people with interactive games, experiments, and activities. This will be really good for students to use in the classroom for extra help and practice. It was also easy to navigate, which as our book says is very important (Roblyer, 2013, p.255). I want provide a fun learning environment for my classroom, and this widget provides fun activities and experiements.

www.internet4classrooms.com
This is a web page that is actually found in our text book that lessons can be found on (Roblyer, 2013, p. 257). It is a website that can provide lessons on science for teachers or students. Finding the perfect lesson for your classroom can be a challenge (Roblyer, 2013, p. 257). I liked how easy this website was to navigate, and how easy it was to find different lessons that can be used.

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Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Blog Prompt 3

This module was on the use of Internet features. I found so many useful tools that I could possibly use in my classroom. The main thing that really stuck out to me was the use of URL’s and Search Engines. URL's URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator (Roblyer, 2013, p.216). I think our book did a great job of describing what a URL is. One comparison our text gives is the fact that a web address is the same as a street address would be (Roblyer, 2013, p. 216). If your learn how to read a URL properly, it can help you navigate around the Internet and find exactly what you are looking for. The two main things you need to learn about URL’s are how to use them and how to read them (Roblyer, 2013, p. 217). When trying to use a URL a mistake can be a big deal. Making sure that you know the domain designator and the website address is very important. This is an important tool that teachers and students need to learn how to use properly, because when used correctly it can help you locate great information and great websites that can be used in your classroom. Search Engines Search engines are tools that can help you locate different items that can be utilized in your classroom. Search engines can be used for subject index searches and keyword searches (Roblyer, 2013, p. 219). If students learn to use search engines properly it can provide additional help to them inside the classroom, such as tutoring help or even help with homework or projects. Internet Tool The Internet Tool that I use for my classroom is a wikispace webpage. Like the book suggest I use my wikispace to communicate content from my classroom (Roblyer, 2013, p.224). This is an asset to my classroom, because it allows my students and their parent’s access to activities and material that we are covering in my classroom. 2 Favorite Websites www.twitter.com Twitter is a website that I have started to acclimate into my classroom. They are text-based posts that can be up to 140 characters (Roblyer, 2013, p.221). Twitter makes the flow of information faster and also makes it accessible to a wide range of your students (Roblyer, 2103, p.221). I personally use twitter in my classroom and for the different sports that I coach. It allows students and players to get information quicker, things such as test dates or practice times. It has become a valuable tool for my classroom. www.youtube.com Youtube is an example of a video and photo sharing community (Roblyer, 2013, p. 225). This is an easy website to access with publicly acceptable videos (Roblyer, 2013, p. 225). My students prefer to watch videos, as apposed to me lecturing all period. So I use Youtube to find videos on different material that we are studying. It helps them retain the information in my classroom better.
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