#11: Inspiration Comments

Erika: I really liked her idea of each student illustrating their own character. It brings in the use of technology as well as the creativity of the students.

Jacqueline: I loved her clipart pictures! The Bingo board game is a great idea to keep the interest in the students while they are still relating to the book. Recording the students reading is a great way to see how the students need to improve or how they have improved!

Mary Kathryn: I liked the SuperWhy link that helps students put a story in chronological order! The craft is a great idea also to keep the kids interested in the lesson. I thought she did a good job in adding a back-up activity for the students who finish early because it is important to remember that all children learn differently and at different paces.

Amanda: I love the game Context Clue Millionaire. I can see how the students would enjoy this game and also learn from it. The whole lesson was very descriptive and organized. There was a great mixture of games and writing activities. Incorporatng parent involvement was a great idea.

Jordan: I love the topic of her lesson becuase it is teaching students about real life issues and how they can help with them. Bringing in people to tell their personal stories is a great idea for the students to really understand the impacts of hurricanes.

Jonathan: The matching quiz online is a great idea to keep students interactive while grading them. I liked that he incoraporated a lot of group acitivites for the students to work together and learn from each others ideas.  Very good ideas to help studets learn the different parts of WW2.

Victoria:

#10 Concept Map-Earth's Biomes

Earth's Biomes

Standards
W.4.6:
With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single setting.
SL3-5.1:
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one), in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 (grade 4, grade 5) topics and texts building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

I.       Discussion

To begin the lesson on Earth's biomes, the students will be introduced to the different biomes found on Earth. I will discuss the 5 major categories of biomes: aquatic, deserts, forests, grasslands, and tundra. Within each biome, we will talk about places these biomes are mainly located, the type of weather each biome has, what kinds of animals live within each biome, and other characteristics that makes each biome unique. To help the students visualize each biome and the different characteristics, we will watch a video. After we have discussed all the biomes and watched the video, I will explain to the students the main activity they will be working on for this lesson. The lesson will be spread out over a few days, but each student will first choose a biome they liked the most from the 5 we discussed. To end this part of the lesson, the students will complete the fill in the blank activity worksheet about biome animals, which will lead into the next part of the lesson.  

A.    Watch Video

B.    Activity on different animals in Biomes

II.     Research

For the research process of the lesson, the students will have to decide on one biome they find most interesting and research about it. The students will be given time slots in class to research on the computer provided in the classroom. Additional research can be done at home if technology is available. While researching, the students will have to find out more details on their biome and select one animal they find most interesting that lives in that biome. They will decide on only one animal in the biome because they will pretend to be that animal as they write a paper on it and make a presentation to the class. After the students have done their research, they will fill out a worksheet explaining their biome and animal.

A.    Discover favorite animal through research

B.    Fill out worksheet

III.    Writing

The main focus for this part of the lesson is for the students to type a one page paper on their chosen biome and animal. Once again, students will be given time during class to type their one page writing assignment. Each student will also be given enough time to complete their writing assignment and each student will save it to the desktop of the computer in the classroom. I want the students writing to be fun and creative as they pretend to be an animal. They must discuss the characteristics they found out in their research about their animal and the biome they live in. Along with the writing assignment, the student must draw a picture of their animal and incorporate details of the biome they live in. They will draw their pictures sitting at tables in groups. The students will get to incorporate their own ideas and imagination into their pictures.

A.    Type 1 page on animal

B.    Draw and color picture

IV.    Group Proof-Read

After the students have come up with and typed out their one page paper on their animal and biome of choice, I will print each students paper off from the computer in the classroom so that each student will have a copy to share with a classmate. Each student will have partner and they will switch papers. They will read the others paper to learn about their animal and biome as well as make any visible corrections to the paper. After everyone has had time to read their papers, each student will make the corrections to their paper that their partner made. Then everyone will reprint their one page paper and turn it in for a grade.

A.    Break up into groups of 2

B.    Make corrections to paper

V.     Presentations

The lesson will end with each student giving a presentation of their animal. They will pretend they are their animal as they speak to the class. They can dress up like their animal or bring any props that go along with their animal or biome. They will also have to make a 5 slide PowerPoint on their animal and the biome they live in. They will include facts like what their animal eats, the weather of their biome, etc. The PowerPoint will also have to include pictures of their animal and its biome. In order to get full credit for their presentation, each student must print out an outline of their PowerPoint and turn it in. Directions on how to print out an outline on PowerPoint will be given.

A.    Be your favorite animal

1.    Dress up or bring props

B.    PowerPoint on Biome

1.    Print off PowerPoint in outline format

#9: "Safe Practices for Life Online"

1. Facebook, Twitter, Match.com
2. Consequences:
    - students can get expelled
    - decreases the amount of face-to-face interaction with others
    -
3. Sexting -
    Cramming - Someone adding unauthorrized charges to a another persons phone bill (Google.com)
    Cookies - A piece of text stored by a user's web browser (Google.com).
    Trojan horse -
    Phishing
    Spyware -
    Rootkit -
    Zombie
4. These screen names are poor choices because they do not give a very good first impression of the student who has the account. The student with the account may think it is funny, but the people who read the screen name my find it very disturbing and not be able to take that person seriously.
5. The screen names just read out trouble. Somebody could easily harass the people with these screen names by calling them offensive names or trying to get with somebody.
6.  a. Tom_Evans34: This screen name gives the persons full name and possibly their age or favorite
         number.
     b. Missy-13: This screen name possible gives the persons first name and age.
     c. AndyKarateKid: This screen name gives the persons name and tells what they like to do for
        fun (karate).
     d. ViolinGurl: This screen name lets people know that this "gurl" plays the violin.
     e. restlinmatch: This screen name lets others know that this person likes to wrestle, but obviously
         cannot spell it correctly.
7. a. i8sushi2:
    b. Soccerstar:
    c. Puppygirl1234:
    d. KeKe1995: Bad. This screen name probably gives the nickname of the person and their year of
        birth.
    e. Bookworm:
    f. 2BorNot2b:
    g. Choco-holic:
    h. CapitlOfens:
    i. AmrcanIdol2:
    j. Bellalsabella:
    k. DarkAngel666:
    l. Karla-Love-1996:
    m. SimplyMe:
    n. gUn4hiRe:
    o. babyfaceLA:
    p. Watup?:
8.
9. a. no
    b. no
    c. -3
    d. +2
    e. +2
    f. +2
    g. no
    h. no
    i. no
    j. no
    k. no
    l. no
    m. no
    n. no
    o. +2
    p. -3
Total: +2
10. Most common:
      Least common:
11.

#8: Bloom's Digital Taxonomy and The Padagogy Wheel

Bloom's Digital Taxonomy is a good process to learn when trying to understand the cognitive domain of others. Before we can understand a concept, we have to remember it. Before we can apply a concept, we must understand it. Before we can analyze a concept, we must be able to apply it. Before we can evaluate the concepts impact, we must have analyzed it. Before we can create it, we must have remembered, understood, applied, analyzed, and evaluated it. This makes students work through the whole process of development and evaluation and it is a great tool to use within the classroom. This gets the students thinking logically and on their own rather than the teacher lecturing to them. The Padagogy Wheel also does a great job breaking down the key terms of the digital taxonomy into specific action verbs, activities, and iPad apps to use within the classroom. The generation today is so consumed with technology that everything is switching over to being technical only and pretty soon teachers will have to know  exactly how to do everything on the computer. Within in my future classroom, I can incorporate more hands-on activities for my students to do that would incorporate some of the activities listed. I am just glad I am learning about all of these helpful computer programs and processes now.
Some ways I could incorporate Bloom's Digital Technology and/or the Padagogy Wheel in my future classroom are to ask my students open-ended questions in large group discussion to get them to start thinking critically and even have them write their answers on the SmartBoard.

#7 Use Arts Integration to Enhance Common Core Summary and Opinion

The article "Use Arts Integration to Enhance Common Core" from the website Edutopia explains how the integration of subjects has the capacity to turn learning into meaningful practice. Integration requires work from both the teachers and the students, but combining two or more contents together will set the foundation for how we will be able to facilitate the CCSS. To many times the Arts Integration has been overlooked, but the articles explains that their implementation could be a beneficial addition for teachers and administrators. The article goes on to list and discuss the shared features of the Arts Integration which are process products produce, access points, true equity, and analytic practice. The lessons that are created from this approach are richer and more extensive than from a traditional approach. Arts Integration is engaging to students and teachers and it can connect to the students by analyzing the whole lesson through their own unique cultural, social, emotional, and intellectual needs. The article points out that Arts Integration is not hard to implement in the regular classroom and does not require much artistic skill from the teachers. Lastly, using Arts Integration will provide opportunities for teachers and students to create their own meaning.

I really enjoyed reading this article about Arts Integration. I think it is a great idea to incorporate artistic skills into lessons in the regular classroom. It will give the lesson a more hands-on approach to learning. Students will have to use their creativity, problem-solving skills, and collaboration with others. I like how the article said that almost everyone has one form of art, whether it be visual art, music, dance, or drama, with which they can connect too and use to make sense of the world around them. So why not expand on that form of art in the classroom? All forms of art are so popular right now with this generation of students and it will continue to grow, so I find it beneficial for them to connect their artistic abilities and interest into the classroom. I took Art for Elementary Teachers class last semester and we integrated some of history into an art lesson. It worked out great and I can see how students will be more engaged in a lesson when teachers incorporate something of their interest, especially something hands-on. What is also great about Arts Integration is that we can still meet and exceed the expectations set by the CCSS, but move into a culture of true inquiry and learning.

#6 John Hunter and The World Peace Game

John Hunter talks on TED about his World Peace Game. He got a job teaching special education without any previous experience and he was allowed to do whatever he wanted to with his job because there were little to no standards. He grew to love teaching and wanted to teach students in a hands-on way so that they were involved in their learning. He later made a film to describe his World Peace Game. After watching his own film, he saw that he expressed his past teachers and parents through his teaching. Their teaching prepared him for his teaching. He was a continuation of his parents. The World Peace Game is an interactive game and it shows different levels of space, clouds, the earth, countries, etc.. The focus of the game is on Africa. It consists of aspects like enviromental issues, economical issues, famine, warfare, etc. He wants his students to see the issues around the world. The students enjoy it because they are actually learning something by doing a game that is very fun. The game has intentions to help students learn to fix the corrupt world we have created. Children engage in this game and they want to learn more and more about the world around us as they continue to play the game. They are able to find out what is right their own way and by their own self.
I think this game is very benficial for all students. It allows students to learn about our world in a hands-on way instead of from lectures and facts out of a book. I believe that students learn better through interaction than lecture, and this game proves that to be true. Children are able to learn about the world problems at an early age and that draws the students into the worldly problems and they will most likey become more interested in the future. The World Peace Game educates children on the important facts of our world. Teachers have to bring real life/world into children's perspective.