What? This week was the second week of field experience. We had the opportunity to teach and help out more and also to teach 2 social studies lessons.
So What? For the first social studies lesson we taught we created a power point but we weren't able to hook up the computer at the school so were weren't able to use it. Erica and I have learned a lot about accommodating when things don't work out exactly the way we planned. The second time we taught created the power point in Google Presentations so we were able to use the teachers computer to do the power point. Google Presentations is very helpful because so long as you have the internet you have access to your presentation.
I have actually enjoyed working with and teaching the 6th graders more than I thought I would. I was so scared to teach them because I want to teach 2nd or 3rd grade. I never thought I would do well working with the older kids but I have actually enjoyed it. This field experience has helped me to realize that I can do things that I originally thought I could not do. It is good to be able to try new things and gain different experiences and a new perspective on my abilities.
Now What? I learned a lot from having to adjust the lessons unexpectedly. For the first lesson we couldn't use our power point and during the second lesson the direct instruction part went way more quickly then we had thought it would. The kids already knew everything that we were teaching them. We knew they had some background in it, but we didn't think they would know it all, so it went really quickly. We had to learn how to adjust and extend our lesson to take up the entire time. Learning how to adjust and adapt will be really helpful when I am a teacher. Things don't always go as planned and this field experience is helping me to realize that you actually can adapt and still have things go well.
I have learned a lot from watching my cooperating teacher teach the students. There are a lot of things that I would do similar to what she does and other things that I would do completely different. It is fun to get ideas from her and see different approaches to teaching so I can find out better what way I would like to teach and to see first hand how these things apply in the real classroom and how students respond to these teaching methods. I know that in my future classroom I will teach math different than she does. The kids do not seem to understand the math very well at all. There are a lot of things I would try differently.
Video: I thought it was really interesting that they are using the Wii in classrooms to do physical training and to help the brain. I know that exercise has been shown to help kids think better and do better in school and I think using the Wii is a really good idea because it's fun for the kids and it's something they would want to do and it would be beneficial to them at the same time. I like that the kids are able to check out a laptop from their school if they don't have a computer to use at home. That is really beneficial because not all kids have access to a decent computer at home. This way they can still do assignments and homework at home that requires access to the computer.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Field Experience-Week 1
What? This week we started our 3 week field experience. Erica and I are in a 6th grade class at Edgemont Elementary in Provo.
So What? We haven't had the opportunity to teach yet, but we've observed a lot and we've been helping the kids out, especially with math. I've realized I've forgotten all the 6th grade math I know and I've been relearning it as I help the students with their questions. This has been helpful to me because I realize that just because I've learned something in school, doesn't mean I will remember it when it comes time to actually teach it.
The teacher does not use a lot of technology in her lessons. She has played a couple of videos, but other than that she mostly uses the white board when she teaches. The classroom does have a few computers for students to use to type up papers. And they have computers twice a week.
Now What? I think that having computers in the classroom would be very helpful to me as a teacher because I could have my students use the computers to look things up on the internet or to type up assignments. The teacher says that she also uses them as a reward for if students finish work early sometimes. I think if I have computers in my future classroom, I would use them as a reward also.
I think that observing the teacher and helping the students with their questions will be really helpful to me as a future teacher. I've learned so much about how the classroom works and what things work for the students and what doesn't. A lot of the kids in the class really don't understand the math. It is helpful to see what the teacher does to try to help them understand. When I have my own classroom, I will have to use different techniques to help my students understand topics when the way I thought would work, doesn't work. I could teach a whole lesson and they might not get it and I'll have to find a new way to teach it.
So What? We haven't had the opportunity to teach yet, but we've observed a lot and we've been helping the kids out, especially with math. I've realized I've forgotten all the 6th grade math I know and I've been relearning it as I help the students with their questions. This has been helpful to me because I realize that just because I've learned something in school, doesn't mean I will remember it when it comes time to actually teach it.
The teacher does not use a lot of technology in her lessons. She has played a couple of videos, but other than that she mostly uses the white board when she teaches. The classroom does have a few computers for students to use to type up papers. And they have computers twice a week.
Now What? I think that having computers in the classroom would be very helpful to me as a teacher because I could have my students use the computers to look things up on the internet or to type up assignments. The teacher says that she also uses them as a reward for if students finish work early sometimes. I think if I have computers in my future classroom, I would use them as a reward also.
I think that observing the teacher and helping the students with their questions will be really helpful to me as a future teacher. I've learned so much about how the classroom works and what things work for the students and what doesn't. A lot of the kids in the class really don't understand the math. It is helpful to see what the teacher does to try to help them understand. When I have my own classroom, I will have to use different techniques to help my students understand topics when the way I thought would work, doesn't work. I could teach a whole lesson and they might not get it and I'll have to find a new way to teach it.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Podcasts, Vidcasts, and Digital Story 1
What? Today in class we learned about how to make podcasts and vidcasts and how they can be used in the classroom. We also started learning about digital stories and the different ways we can create them.
So What? I think knowing how to create podcasts and vidcasts is a very good thing to know how to do. When I am creating assignments for other classes, they would be helpful to add into a powerpoint if I was doing a presentation about something. It would help the presentation no be so boring for those listening. They could actually hear and see something other than just the words on the powerpoint. The vidcast would be an easy way to show a step by step process that I might not be able to show in the classroom (for example, something that is done outdoors).
Digital stories are also a good thing to do how to create for a lot of the same reasons as the podcasts and vidcasts. I could use them in a powerpoint to give a presentation in one of my classes to add variety. Having classmates to work on the project with is very helpful because if I get stuck and don't know how to do something they might know the answer or I might know the answer to a question they have. This makes it so we don't have to ask the teacher for help as often.
Now What? I think I will use digital stories in my classroom when I'm a teacher to engage my students in the topic we are covering and get them interested and wanting to know more about it. If we are going to be talking about ancient Greece I could create a digital story using pictures and music that would interest the students. I could show pictures of modern architecture from local buildings that they would recognize and compare it to ancient architecture so they could see how much influence ancient Greece still has on their lives today. I could use a vidcast in the classroom to show the students how to do a process. I could post podcasts of class lectures on the classroom google site so that students who were absent that day could listen to it so they wouldn't get behind in class.
Video I thought the NASA digital story was interesting to me, but I think students would find it kind of boring and I don't think they would pay attention. I think it would be better than just lecturing to them because they have the visual images to go with what they are hearing, but I don't think they would find the information interesting because of the way it was presented. I think by using more interesting music and a better narration would make students more interested in learning about outer space.
So What? I think knowing how to create podcasts and vidcasts is a very good thing to know how to do. When I am creating assignments for other classes, they would be helpful to add into a powerpoint if I was doing a presentation about something. It would help the presentation no be so boring for those listening. They could actually hear and see something other than just the words on the powerpoint. The vidcast would be an easy way to show a step by step process that I might not be able to show in the classroom (for example, something that is done outdoors).
Digital stories are also a good thing to do how to create for a lot of the same reasons as the podcasts and vidcasts. I could use them in a powerpoint to give a presentation in one of my classes to add variety. Having classmates to work on the project with is very helpful because if I get stuck and don't know how to do something they might know the answer or I might know the answer to a question they have. This makes it so we don't have to ask the teacher for help as often.
Now What? I think I will use digital stories in my classroom when I'm a teacher to engage my students in the topic we are covering and get them interested and wanting to know more about it. If we are going to be talking about ancient Greece I could create a digital story using pictures and music that would interest the students. I could show pictures of modern architecture from local buildings that they would recognize and compare it to ancient architecture so they could see how much influence ancient Greece still has on their lives today. I could use a vidcast in the classroom to show the students how to do a process. I could post podcasts of class lectures on the classroom google site so that students who were absent that day could listen to it so they wouldn't get behind in class.
Video I thought the NASA digital story was interesting to me, but I think students would find it kind of boring and I don't think they would pay attention. I think it would be better than just lecturing to them because they have the visual images to go with what they are hearing, but I don't think they would find the information interesting because of the way it was presented. I think by using more interesting music and a better narration would make students more interested in learning about outer space.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Podcasts and Vidcasts
What? Today we didn't have class so we didn't end up talking about Podcasts and Vidcasts. So, Erica, Chelsey, and I did some research on the brain for a project we have to do for another class.
So What? Technology and the internet are such a helpful thing in education today. We were able to quickly find information on how drugs effect the brain. We didn't have to spend hours reading through books and encyclopedias in the library to do our research. With technology and Google we are able to get the most current information simply by typing in a few key words.
This is very helpful as a student because it saves so much time on projects that could really be time consuming without technology. When I find information quickly I can actually spend more time and learn more about the topic instead of just getting the basics. I can learn more information and it is also more interesting online than the information is in encyclopedias. We found a website where you can interact with cartoon mice that are on different types of drugs. You click on the mouse and it drops it into a machine where you can look at it's brain and see what exactly the drug is doing inside his brain. I found the learning this way is so much more interesting than just reading the information.
Now What? I think my future students will also find learning with technology more interesting than if I simply had them read from a text book or an encyclopedia. As I was researching I started to realize more and more how I like to learn and to be taught and that my students will be much they same way. Fun, interactive websites that allow the students to have some type of control over what they are learning (such as the mice website Chelsey found and WebQuest's) will help my students become interested in what were learning.
Technology will also help me as a teacher because if a student asks me a question that I don't know the answer to I can quickly find it online, or I can encourage the student to look up the answer as well. As a teacher, using technology will be very helpful to quickly look up facts for lesson plans. I realize that not all information online is accurate, but there are different ways to find out how accurate and reliable a website is. Knowing these things will save me so much time as a teacher to not give out information to my students that is not correct or current.
Video: I think letting students blog about their learning is a good thing because it gives them a chance to reflect on what they are learning and it will stay with them longer and they will learn more. It also gives the teacher a way to gauge what the students are understand and what they are not quite getting. It gives students a chance to voice their opinions about the topic. Some students won't raise their how and say what they are thinking but blogging gives them the opportunity to do so. I think it would be a good idea to have a section in the blog where students can ask the teacher questions about something they might not understand from class or things they may need to talk to the teacher about. That way the teacher knows what each student is confused with and can work with them individually on that thing instead of trying to guess what they need help with.
So What? Technology and the internet are such a helpful thing in education today. We were able to quickly find information on how drugs effect the brain. We didn't have to spend hours reading through books and encyclopedias in the library to do our research. With technology and Google we are able to get the most current information simply by typing in a few key words.
This is very helpful as a student because it saves so much time on projects that could really be time consuming without technology. When I find information quickly I can actually spend more time and learn more about the topic instead of just getting the basics. I can learn more information and it is also more interesting online than the information is in encyclopedias. We found a website where you can interact with cartoon mice that are on different types of drugs. You click on the mouse and it drops it into a machine where you can look at it's brain and see what exactly the drug is doing inside his brain. I found the learning this way is so much more interesting than just reading the information.
Now What? I think my future students will also find learning with technology more interesting than if I simply had them read from a text book or an encyclopedia. As I was researching I started to realize more and more how I like to learn and to be taught and that my students will be much they same way. Fun, interactive websites that allow the students to have some type of control over what they are learning (such as the mice website Chelsey found and WebQuest's) will help my students become interested in what were learning.
Technology will also help me as a teacher because if a student asks me a question that I don't know the answer to I can quickly find it online, or I can encourage the student to look up the answer as well. As a teacher, using technology will be very helpful to quickly look up facts for lesson plans. I realize that not all information online is accurate, but there are different ways to find out how accurate and reliable a website is. Knowing these things will save me so much time as a teacher to not give out information to my students that is not correct or current.
Video: I think letting students blog about their learning is a good thing because it gives them a chance to reflect on what they are learning and it will stay with them longer and they will learn more. It also gives the teacher a way to gauge what the students are understand and what they are not quite getting. It gives students a chance to voice their opinions about the topic. Some students won't raise their how and say what they are thinking but blogging gives them the opportunity to do so. I think it would be a good idea to have a section in the blog where students can ask the teacher questions about something they might not understand from class or things they may need to talk to the teacher about. That way the teacher knows what each student is confused with and can work with them individually on that thing instead of trying to guess what they need help with.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)