EDU 7266 Blog Wordle

Blog 6 (Chapters 10 and 11)

One of the things that stuck out to me the most in these two chapters, is the idea of "clickers" or a student response system.  I think this idea is one that would really bring classrooms together as a community and give both teachers and students immediate feedback.  This technology for smartboard, I would imagine is very expensive, but my group and I came across an application called Kahoot that is almost identical in what it has to offer in terms of data collection as well as in the engagement factor.  It also allows teachers to add pictures and videos to make it even more interesting.  If there is a lack of technology, students are able to log in on any device available including their phone.

Another important thing the chapter touched on is presenting information to students in a variety of mediums (Universal Design for Learning), as well as allowing students to express their knowledge through different mediums.  I think this is so important in reaching all students and allowing all students to feel successful.  The other important factor that is mentioned is allowing students choice.  We all produce and learn better when we feel a sense of agency and ownership over what we are doing.

Chapters 7 & 8

The biggest takeaway from chapters 7 and 8 are that online games can be great learning tools for our students.  Chapter 7 gave some informative tips on how educators can make virtual games, in particular, more worthwhile for our students.  These games should consist of not one, but multiple learning outcomes for students to achieve.  The problems that students encounter should be "messy" like the problems that they will encounter in real life.  There may not always be one, simple solution, but a variety of options and possibilities that students must work through.  Another important goal when creating lessons, including virtual games, is to be sure to allow students to use their higher order thinking skills.  It is okay for students to show memorization, but it is far more valuable if they can apply their knowledge, analyze it, and even create with what they have learned.

I was fascinated to hear the term "gamification," which to my understanding is taking standards or learning objectives and turning them into an online game in order to increase student interest and engagement.  The chapter also talked about how students many times are not even aware that they are actually learning and gaining knowledge and skills for learning standards and student outcomes.

10/21 reflection

My takeaway from tonight is that we have to really go outside of our comfort zone to make progress.  It is not until we are not comfortable that we can really grow and change.  I have to admit that I am very overwhelmed at the idea of creating a webquest.  The examples we looked at were very advanced, thorough, and extremely well thought out.  I'm hoping that I will be able to tackle this task and really learn and grow from it.  I really hope to be able to actually use some of these resources in my classroom.  Engagement is something I am working on and I am hoping that this is something that can make a big difference in my classroom.

Chapter 5 and Chapter 6

Chapter 5 opens describing the Library of Congress in Washington D.C., which contains 147 million items, with 530 miles of bookshelves, and had 581 million views in the year 2010.  The internet blows even this incredibly large and impressive library away.  We as humans cannot even begin to fathom the amount of information that is available online.  This is why it is so important that our students are knowledgable in how to access this information, specifically by using key words.  Many of my student search using full sentences because they don't understand how search engines work.  I thought it was interesting how the chapter pointed out the five criteria of a quality website, which are 1) accuracy, 2) authority, 3) objectivity, 4) currency, and 5) coverage.

Chapter 6 also opens with a mind-blowing fact.  They remind us how students can access information in a very short amount of time that in the past, students spent all year researching and learning.  Two things really stood out to me n this chapter and they both have to do with connecting outside of the classroom.  The idea of having virtual field trips sounds amazing to me.  I honestly did not even know that this was a possibility in our classrooms.  Being able to experience this places so easily from our classrooms will expose our students to a lot more.  The second idea that was planted was connecting students to others from around the world.  I teach Spanish, so to be able to practice communication with others from Spanish speaking countries would be an opportunity that they wouldn't forget.

In tonight's class, I have two big takeaways.  The first is the importance of reflection in our work, practice, and in life.  We need to reflect on our learning and life experiences in order to assess our progress, acknowledge our positives, and know what we need to improve on.  The second thing is the importance of using education websites to stay in the know and as a valuable resource in our teaching.

October 7 Reflection

One of the biggest takeaways from tonight is the revisiting of the educational theories.  Although I have learned about them in the past, it was very helpful to review them and I think I will have them more present in my mind for when I think about my students and plan my lessons.  Along with this, it really stuck with me how professor Chen reminded us to make sure that whatever we are doing in the classroom that we can back up with reasoning, theories, and our knowledge of our students and content.  That was really important and helpful.  Also, the idea of making sure that your planning, activity/assignment, and your assessment are all aligned is something that I will keep in my mind in planning my future lessons.