In the world we have today, technology is forever changing and upgrading. You have children who are 5, and they are able to text, chat online, and play computer games. At the age of 5, I don't even think I knew what a cellphone or computer was. With the world we live in now, I think not only teachers, but everyone should be up to date on technology.
As a future educator I think that it is our job to stay on track with technology, because if we don't, we will lose our students. I grew up learning straight from the book and if you even mentioned the word computer, the teacher would throw a fit. Don't get me wrong, we shouldn't get rid of textbooks because they are very important, but let's use other things in the classroom that will make learning meaningful.
I know by me being young, I should be up to date with technology, but I don't know everything. If it wasn't for this class, I wouldn't know a lot of things about technology. Thanks Dr. Bishop. For the people and teachers who are not confident with the technology skills, don't shy away, just play around with it and never be afraid to ask questions. As teachers we suppose to form a community, and if you are to afraid to ask your fellow coworker a question, then you need to reconsider your community.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Chp 11: Developing Content Area Writers
How many times have we heard; write a paper on some boring topic that doesn't relate to us. In this paper you must include an introduction, 3 supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion. Then the teacher goes on to tell you that in order to make a paragraph it must have at least 5-7 sentences. Are you serious? This made me literally hate writing and English all together. I tried to avoid writing on every occasion, not knowing that the rest of my life will consist of some type of writing.
By reading Chapter 11 I have learned a great deal of helpful information from Conley. This chapters talks about teaching students on how to write to learn. In teaching students on how to write to learn, the teacher must first come up with clear goals, must know her students, give lots of explanations, demonstration, and guided practice. We as educators should just give our students a topic and make them write extensively, because some students don't know how to come up with things on the spur of the moment.
That's why it is important that we use authentic writing so students will become motivated and writing will become more meaningful. We should also show these students on how to brainstorm, so they can put all their ideas together and to make their writing flow smoothly. When Bishop first gave us this writing assignment, I want lie..I thought it was pointless. After reading this chapter and really thinking about it, it is really helpful and meaningful. I just wish my previous teachers would have read a little bit about Conley and made my writing experience better.
By reading Chapter 11 I have learned a great deal of helpful information from Conley. This chapters talks about teaching students on how to write to learn. In teaching students on how to write to learn, the teacher must first come up with clear goals, must know her students, give lots of explanations, demonstration, and guided practice. We as educators should just give our students a topic and make them write extensively, because some students don't know how to come up with things on the spur of the moment.
That's why it is important that we use authentic writing so students will become motivated and writing will become more meaningful. We should also show these students on how to brainstorm, so they can put all their ideas together and to make their writing flow smoothly. When Bishop first gave us this writing assignment, I want lie..I thought it was pointless. After reading this chapter and really thinking about it, it is really helpful and meaningful. I just wish my previous teachers would have read a little bit about Conley and made my writing experience better.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Promethean Boards
Well to be honest, I don't know diddly squat about Promethean boards. Last semester one of the professors had a lady to come in and do a presentation on the board, but there wasn't any hands-on involvement at all. So where did that leave me, back at square one, lost. I have seen professors use it in the classroom and I have also seen some of my peers use it too, but how did that help me. When the speaker comes on Wednesday, I want to be actively involved in using the Promethean board.
My mentor teacher in Petal had an Active board that was similar to the Promethean boards in her class. Just like me, she didn't know how to use it either. She only used it to look at worksheets with the class and never really let them explore with it. What's the point of having one when you are not going to let your students explore with it? I know I don't want to be that teacher that don't know how to work it properly, only using it to view worksheets. Help me!
My mentor teacher in Petal had an Active board that was similar to the Promethean boards in her class. Just like me, she didn't know how to use it either. She only used it to look at worksheets with the class and never really let them explore with it. What's the point of having one when you are not going to let your students explore with it? I know I don't want to be that teacher that don't know how to work it properly, only using it to view worksheets. Help me!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Chapter 7: Activating Prior Knowledge and Increasing Motivation
As I sit in class bored out of mine, due to lengthy power-points and boring lectures, I begin to question myself on the ways I will reach my students. Will I lose my students in boring lectures? How will I motivate them into learning? Reading this chapter was very useful because it went into depth about how to increase motivation in your students and activate their prior knowledge.
Conley stated that it is very important that we meaning educators should get to know where our students are before we start introducing new topics. Getting to know where your students are will help you develop great lessons that will broaden their knowledge, because when teachers fail to do this, you waste valuable time teaching facts that students are already familiar with. Teachers should also become familiar with different experiences students have dealing with their families and the community. By knowing this helps motivate students because you can build on their prior knowledge. Building on student's prior knowledge makes learning fun and meaningful.
When teachers activate students prior knowledge, it is more than having students think about what they know. They need to learn how to use their prior knowledge to help them interact with the text to get the most out of learning. A tool teachers can use to see what they students know or what they are interested in learning are anticipation guides. Anticipation guides are a list of statements that students will respond to by agreeing or disagreeing. Anticipation guides can also be used to help students become familiar to the concept they are about to focus on. I know in my classroom I will use tools such as anticipatory guides and interest surveys in order to help me get to know what my students already know, so I can develop lessons that will increase motivation and activate their prior knowledge. I don't want to be known as the teacher that is boring!
Conley stated that it is very important that we meaning educators should get to know where our students are before we start introducing new topics. Getting to know where your students are will help you develop great lessons that will broaden their knowledge, because when teachers fail to do this, you waste valuable time teaching facts that students are already familiar with. Teachers should also become familiar with different experiences students have dealing with their families and the community. By knowing this helps motivate students because you can build on their prior knowledge. Building on student's prior knowledge makes learning fun and meaningful.
When teachers activate students prior knowledge, it is more than having students think about what they know. They need to learn how to use their prior knowledge to help them interact with the text to get the most out of learning. A tool teachers can use to see what they students know or what they are interested in learning are anticipation guides. Anticipation guides are a list of statements that students will respond to by agreeing or disagreeing. Anticipation guides can also be used to help students become familiar to the concept they are about to focus on. I know in my classroom I will use tools such as anticipatory guides and interest surveys in order to help me get to know what my students already know, so I can develop lessons that will increase motivation and activate their prior knowledge. I don't want to be known as the teacher that is boring!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Kindergarten Social Studies Lesson
MS Kindergarten Social Studies Frameworks: 5. Integrate, connect, and apply Social Studies into other subject areas and everyday life. d. Recognize that various cultures enjoy different styles of music, art, dress, food, and languages.
Big Idea: Different people throughout the country live in different ways.
Objective: The students will compare and contrast themselves to the lives of the Iroquois Indians.
Preparation
1. We will review on what it means to compare and contrast objects. I will show the students an apple orange.
2. I will ask them how these two objects are alike and then I will ask them how these two items are different. I will tell the students that today we will be comparing our everyday lives to the lives of the Iroquois Indians.
3. I will read Life In A Longhouse Village by Bobbie Kalman to the students, only reading the pages that contain facts that we will be using to compare and contrast in our activity.
4. As a whole class we will discuss the lives of the Iroquois Indians. I will ask them to start thinking about how they live in comparison to the Indians? Think about the foods they eat in comparison to the foods you eat, think about how they celebrate events in comparison to how you celebrate events, and think about how you do things as a child in comparison to how they live as a child.
5. As a whole class I will demonstrate how to complete a Venn diagram using foods the Iroquois Indians eat compared to the foods that I eat. I will ask them to name some of the foods the Indians eat and as they respond I will write their responses on the board. I will then list some of the foods I eat, making sure that I list at least one of the same foods as the Indians.
6. I will list the things that the Indians eat in the cirle that has the heading Iroquois Indians. Then under the circle titled Ms. Merritt, I will list the foods that I eat. I will ask the students can they tell me something that the Indians and myself have in common. The students should respond by saying corn. I will explain to them when both objects share something alike you list it in the middle circle, then I will write corn in the middle circle and also erase it from under both circles.
7. Tell the students that they will be using a Venn diagram like the one on the board to compare themselves to the Iroquois Indians.
Guidance
1. Students need to brainstorm their foods they eat, the dwellings that they live in, the things they wear, and etc.
2. Walk around the classroom making sure they stay on task and provide feedback when needed.
Application
1. Walk around the room observing the students as they complete their diagrams.
2. Assess their completed Venn diagrams to see how they compared their selves to the Iroquois Indians.
Big Idea: Different people throughout the country live in different ways.
Objective: The students will compare and contrast themselves to the lives of the Iroquois Indians.
Preparation
1. We will review on what it means to compare and contrast objects. I will show the students an apple orange.
2. I will ask them how these two objects are alike and then I will ask them how these two items are different. I will tell the students that today we will be comparing our everyday lives to the lives of the Iroquois Indians.
3. I will read Life In A Longhouse Village by Bobbie Kalman to the students, only reading the pages that contain facts that we will be using to compare and contrast in our activity.
4. As a whole class we will discuss the lives of the Iroquois Indians. I will ask them to start thinking about how they live in comparison to the Indians? Think about the foods they eat in comparison to the foods you eat, think about how they celebrate events in comparison to how you celebrate events, and think about how you do things as a child in comparison to how they live as a child.
5. As a whole class I will demonstrate how to complete a Venn diagram using foods the Iroquois Indians eat compared to the foods that I eat. I will ask them to name some of the foods the Indians eat and as they respond I will write their responses on the board. I will then list some of the foods I eat, making sure that I list at least one of the same foods as the Indians.
6. I will list the things that the Indians eat in the cirle that has the heading Iroquois Indians. Then under the circle titled Ms. Merritt, I will list the foods that I eat. I will ask the students can they tell me something that the Indians and myself have in common. The students should respond by saying corn. I will explain to them when both objects share something alike you list it in the middle circle, then I will write corn in the middle circle and also erase it from under both circles.
7. Tell the students that they will be using a Venn diagram like the one on the board to compare themselves to the Iroquois Indians.
Guidance
1. Students need to brainstorm their foods they eat, the dwellings that they live in, the things they wear, and etc.
2. Walk around the classroom making sure they stay on task and provide feedback when needed.
Application
1. Walk around the room observing the students as they complete their diagrams.
2. Assess their completed Venn diagrams to see how they compared their selves to the Iroquois Indians.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
My View on Sara's(teaacher) blog
I chose this blog because of the description of what the blog was about. Sara, who is a first grade teacher believes that it is important that children should be given activities that build on their prior knowledge. She also had some great resources that others can use to develop meaningful lesson. You should check it out!
here's the link
here's the link
Monday, February 9, 2009
Chapter 5: Understanding and Using Texts
As the world is forever changing especially in technology, classroom instruction should also be changing. I'm not saying that we should totally get rid of textbooks, but we should give students a variety of ways to encounter text. Textbooks are important because they give some of the best concrete knowledge that students need to encounter throughout their school year. This chapter gives a lot of different interesting ways in which teachers can make reading meaningful to students through a various amount of text such as digital texts-photographs, media, movies, and the all-time favorite the Internet. Due to the large amounts of Internet that is available to students outside of school, teachers need to have a lot of opportunities for students to come into contact with all sorts of digital texts. Also teachers can use search engines such as google and yahoo to find out information on different kinds of texts.
Before choosing what the students will read, the teacher first need to ask themselves "what is it that I want my students to learn?" When this is established, they need to find text that will not be to hard nor to easy for their students. A way in which to ease the complexity of the text is by motivating the students and having them to build on their prior knowledge. When students can build things on prior knowledge, it makes learning easier and also meaningful. When students are not able to build on their prior knowledge it is up to the teacher to help them, especially special needs students and also English language learners.
From my experience with monitoring the students at South Forrest, I have found when teachers hand out numerous amounts of worksheets that students are not interested in and contain to much information, they tend not to work as hard or work at all. I feel that we should try to get away from worksheets and find other ways to create learning. As the book states in the summary, "Teachers can play a substantial role in guiding students in their work with texts by carefully assessing and selecting texts that reflect important Big Ideas and skills." If all educators did this in Mississippi, then all the schools could possibly become level 5's.
Before choosing what the students will read, the teacher first need to ask themselves "what is it that I want my students to learn?" When this is established, they need to find text that will not be to hard nor to easy for their students. A way in which to ease the complexity of the text is by motivating the students and having them to build on their prior knowledge. When students can build things on prior knowledge, it makes learning easier and also meaningful. When students are not able to build on their prior knowledge it is up to the teacher to help them, especially special needs students and also English language learners.
From my experience with monitoring the students at South Forrest, I have found when teachers hand out numerous amounts of worksheets that students are not interested in and contain to much information, they tend not to work as hard or work at all. I feel that we should try to get away from worksheets and find other ways to create learning. As the book states in the summary, "Teachers can play a substantial role in guiding students in their work with texts by carefully assessing and selecting texts that reflect important Big Ideas and skills." If all educators did this in Mississippi, then all the schools could possibly become level 5's.
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