Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Module 6 Reflection

This module has helped me think about self-directed learners and the role of differentiation in the following ways...

I think self-directed learning is a great aspect to incorporate into my classroom.  This has so many great benefits, not just for school but for future lives of my students.  In the workforce, employees must be self-directed; therefore, this a very valuable quality to learn that will help them much in the future.  In the classroom, this is a great way to teach because it gives the students a sense of responsibility.  When students feel that they are trusted with responsibility they are more eager to do well for you.  Students take learning into their own hands, and they are responsible for their educational actions.  I think this a great tool to incorporate education into the classroom.  Every year my classes are going to change.  Every student will have different needs, strengths, and weaknesses.  It is up to me to figure out the best learning style, the best tools, and the best way to conduct my classroom.  I have to do what is best for the whole, but that can be broken up into different learning styles.  I think it is possible to provide the best learning style for each of my students.  There are many tools and techniques that can be incorporated that can help learning take place.  It is up to me to figure out what tool is best for my students, but if I put in the extra time and effort, I think it will make the biggest difference for learning for my students. 

Friday, June 22, 2012

Module 5 Reflection

This module has helped me think about student-centered assessment in the following ways...

I think using student-centered assessments are a great way to involve everyone in your classroom.  You give the students more control in their learning.  They are no longer just test taker.  I think when you show them that you trust them enough to grade their classmate's tests that you earn their trust.  You are showing them that you trust them to do more, and in return they will give you more effort.  I also think a lot goes into student-centered assessment.  I think that there needs to be set guidelines up front.  They need to know exactly what is expected of them, and that their grading efforts will be checked.  A classroom learning experience needs to take place on the importance of fairness.  Students need to know that they need to be extremely fair while grading.  I think student-centered assessments can be a great thing in the classroom, as long as we do the prep work.  I think I will use it in my classroom.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Module 4 Reflection

How can technology be used most effectively to support and assess student learning?


I think we as teachers need to accept where the world is today.  Children grow up knowing all about the Internet, or at least they think they do.  It should be our job to teach them the proper way to search the Internet.  It's where they want to be, so we should embrace it and use it for their learning.  There are so many great resources on the web for us to use.  Some great tools that can help excel learning.  Someone put the time and effort into creating it, and I think we might as well use it.  We should teach our students how to use it properly and not to steal information.  I think having a project where they report using technology is fantastic.  It’s how they will report information in their future endeavors, and I think they should know how to use all the different types of technology.

When we give our students a project using technology, their abilities can soar.  If they have the right guidelines, then we will be able to access their learning.  Guidelines are a must.  If we give them a project where they have to create a PowerPoint game or a Prezi Presentation, then we can go to it and look and see if they are using their minds.  It should never be a copy and paste type of thing.  They should put information into their own words, and be able to fully explain their topic.  I think using technology will allow them to do so much more than a poster board or oral presentation.  They can use actions and really grab the attention of the other students.  That is a win-win for all, because the child learned while creating it, and then the students learned from it. Technology is a great way to help with learning, and I will most definitely be teaching with it.  As long as the students know the guidelines and rules and know how to use it all properly, it should be a success.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Module 3 Reflection


This module helped me think about the impact of the Internet on my students’ learning in the following ways…

This module reminded me that there is more to searching the internet than typing words into Google.  As a teacher it is my responsibility to teach my students how to search the internet properly.  I forget that there are wrong ways to search the internet.  As easy as it is today to search for different topics, it is even easier to find the wrong answer.  There are many answers out there to questions, but just because they are on the internet does not necessarily make them correct or fact.  As the teacher, I need to teach my students how to look up information and how to determine the validity of the information they are finding.  I need to teach them how to search properly: what words to type into the search engine, which pages to read, and how to not get bogged down reading every single page.  I need to teach them how to browse better.  If the main heading doesn’t necessarily correlate to our topic, they should move on.  I need to teach them how to determine and think for themselves if the site they are on has value and credit.  I need to teach them how not to steal from the internet.  They need to learn that they can use what is out there, but they need to give credit where credit is due.  I think the internet is a great resource tool for my students and for me as a teacher, but just as with everything else in the world there are rules that need to be followed.  Once we know the rules, I think the internet will be a resource I go to often. 

Friday, June 1, 2012

Module 2 Reflection


This module has helped me think about using standards, CFQ’s, or formative assessment in the following ways…

Standards are amazing to have.  Without standards, we would not know what to teach!  I think having a set basis for education is a great way to teach, and I will be thankful to have them when I start teaching in a classroom.

I have never known about Curriculum-Framing Questions before this lesson.  I think they are a great way to help shape your lesson.  They keep you on target, and they will be great to use in my future classrooms! 
Essential Questions are great for a classroom.  I love how you have one that you stick to the whole school semester or year.  This helps students understand why you learn a subject.  Essential questions also help students understand how learning a subject relates to the real world.  Even if the students don’t believe that what they are learning is useful, having an essential question causes them to think out of the box and start to understand that all we do relates to life. 

Using Unit Questions in a lesson give students the opportunity to think.  They don’t just go to their text and pick the answer out the answer.  They have to use their high-order thinking skills and come up with what they believe is to be the best answer.  These can also help me, as a teacher, understand how much my students know about a lesson we are beginning. 

Using Content Questions are a great way to help the students learn the actual content.  In order for them to be able to answer the question, they will have had to read through the text or work with that idea in a group or worked with that idea in some way. 

I think having all three of these questions working together is the best way to have students learn the content fully.  They are getting the exact answers, and they have to think critically to figure out more to it.  I definitely plan on using Curriculum-Framing Questions in my classroom.

Formative Assessment is wonderful to assess the student’s learning throughout an entire lesson.   They are also a great way to assess my teaching abilities.  Having formative assessment during a project will allow me to know if I am teaching the material accurately.  Having formative assessment in the form of an Assessment Timeline helps keep us as a class on track.  It helps me know that I am teaching what the students need to learn, and in return, it tells me the students are learning what they need to know.  I think Formative Assessment used with Curriculum-Framing Questions are a great way to conduct any class, whether it be a project or a lesson.  I am thankful to have learned about this style of teaching!

Friday, May 25, 2012

Module 1 Reflection


This module has made me think about my role as an instructional designer in the following ways:

     I have always been told and understand that classrooms should not be conducted with lecture.  Lectures are the worst way to teach a class.  There is a small few who fully grasp concepts from a lecture. When students work hands on and have to work through answers, they are more interested to learn, and they will remember more of what they learn.  I now understand how important project-based learning is.  It benefits everyone.  The students get so much more from their education when they are using higher-order thinking to work towards an answer.  I definitely plan on using Project-Based Learning in my classrooms.  All students will find a place for him or her to shine.  Every student has strengths and weaknesses, and I truly believe they can all find some part that will better benefit their learning experience.  I know as an instructional designer, it is up to me to teach my students where they benefit the most.  The best experience they can have from me is one where they are using all of their brain and developing life-long skills that will help them throughout life.  I know that I can provide this for them.  It will take some more work out of me, but it will give us all the best educational experience.

     I definitely think that when we mix things up in a classroom and students are given important tasks, everyone benefits.  They have a sense of belonging, and they feel important because without their contribution the project could not be completed.  When students are given a topic and they work together to research an idea, they will automatically learn their standards, as long as I create the project around the standards.  In today’s society, communicative and social skills are extremely important.  In the workforce, many times we are put into groups to work towards a common goal.  These are the skills they will be learning in Project-Based Learning. With using projects, my students will get more enjoyment out of their education which in return will inspire them to work harder at their education.  It’s a win-win for everyone!