I posted to
Kim,
Erica,
Claude,
Sara
Sabrina
Michael
Old Faithful
My summer vacation spot..
Monday, February 21, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Concept Map Module 5
Concept Map
Currently, I am still a static instructor moving towards the middle According to Moller, Static educators, are still teaching with lectures and as I say “still teaching the old school way”, but starting to use technology, such as videos, webpages and slides ( Moller, 2008). I do include technology in my classroom, but I feel that I do not have enough freedom to let my students use wiki’s, blogs, and the internet on their own, this would be the middle of the road. I do use peer interaction and peer communication, but still I am very limited with what I can do in third grade.
However, I am trying new technologies that will boost me into a more dynamic educator. It is easy to be a dynamic educator in a face to face environment, through discussion and questioning. I feel as I start trying new technology such as virtual simulation and gaming I will become the more dynamic teacher.
However, in order to make the online environment an optimal learning environment, the instructor needs to use technology that is more dynamic. Dynamic technology allows and encourages the learners to interact with one another.
Reference:
Moller, L. (2008). Static and dynamic technologies. Laureate Education Inc.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Engaging Learners with New Strategies and Tools
http://educ7101learningcommunity.wikispaces.com/Lou+Ann+blog+Page
The above link is to my graph
The above link is to my graph
When I chose the tools to go on my graph I was thinking of the tools that could be used in all online course. The ones I am going to talk about are some of the ones I use in my classroom. First of all, I teach third grade, so my students are a little young to use all of these graphic tools, but I do use some of them. One of the tools that I feel works well in my classroom is the development of the rubric, with this tool I can communicate well with the students and the their. I give a rubric to my students for each subject and I explain to them how the rubric is used. I also email the rubric home to my parents as well as placing it on my classroom home page. Once the children know how to use the rubric and how they will receive their grades they work toward the better grade. I also try to give my students timely feedback, this way they know if an assignment has to be redone. This helps in writing, because the writing process is hard in any grade, but in third grade the students have to take a state test in writing, so the timely feedback is important. Another part of the communication process I use is the message board. I have a message board on my home page, so if a student or parent has a concern then they can leave it on the message board. I will also post homework on the message board. In addition I do communicate with my parents through e-mail, which is a good way to let my parents know when I need to talk to them or they need to talk to me.
Collaboration is a very important part of being a teacher. In every classroom we need to have our students collaborate and learn how to work in groups. I am just now starting to develop blogs for my students and this is a learning process for them as well as me. Due to my students being only nine and ten, I have found out the best way for my students to collaborate is through webquest. I can develop a webquest and put my students into groups and they have to complete the webquest together in order to get their grade. I also use a rubric to grade my students as they are completing the webquest. Now, if you are in an online class the best way for collaboration is through wikis, blogs, twitters, and podcasting.
In addition, I feel that podcasting is becoming a very important tool in online learning as well as learning within the classroom. Students no matter what age are using portable technologies devices, so this makes it extremely easier to use podcasting within the learning environment. No longer is the podcast limited to just lectures, but it can also be used to create a podcast within any education setting. This can even be completed in the third grade. As students learn how to create podcasts it will move the students into the 21st century learning skills. As we go further into the 21st century the students in grades as low as 1st grade are going to start making a podcast. Podcasting has a long way to go but the innovation is getting closer and closer to becoming an important part of distant learning.
Finally, all learning has to have content to back it up. There are many ways in which content can be completed through online learning as well as in the classroom. Some of the ways are through twitters, podcasting, project based learning and question techniques. With all of these skills you can use them in the classroom as well as with distant learning. I have been using project based learning within my classroom this year and I have seen my students excel within their subject matter. Also, since I have been teaching my students to make a podcast, they are learning how to use new technology and how important it is used within the content of learning.
As you can see, all of these areas fit together, not only with online learning, but as well as learning within a face-to-face classroom. I don’t care how we choose to learn as long as we use the right materials or technology to achieve our goals.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Updated Storyboard
Story Board for Distance Education Project
Scene 1: Video clips of city | I will introduce the conference and city where the conference is taking place. I am thinking about using a city I have been to and have video clips of. I live close to Virginia Tech and I will be inserting video clips of the campus where conference will take place. |
Introduction: Clip of me introducing guest speaker Dr. Tara Brabazon | Note: It is my pleasure to introduce a distinguish lady who comes to us from University of Western Australia. She is well versed in education, distance education, etc. I will also be placing video clips of Dr. Brabazon in this scene. I will be talking over the video. |
Scene 2: Video of me stating topic. | Note: How is podcasting used in distance education? What is distance education? This is where I will be bringing in information of or podcasting and how it is used in the different education fields, and well as higher education and distance learning. |
Scene 3: Video clips of students using podcasting | I will explain how students use podcasting in the classroom |
Scene 4: Katie Endicott teaching a Youth lesson | Note: Katie teaches a youth lesson and as she is teaching the lesson she is making a podcast in order to place it on You tube for other Youth to listen to across the country. |
Scene 5: Various clips of people using podcasting | Note: I will be talking in the background telling how different people use podcasting across the world. |
Scene 6: Video of me | I will talk about how distance education is becoming more popular. Also, I will be talking about how education is changing with the use of podcasting. |
Scene 7: At this point I will say here is our guest speaker Tara Brabazon |
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Assessing Students in Collaborating Lessons
Assessing the students in online communities
Assessment is not easy for students in an online class. One of the hardest things for students to understand is how to work together in groups. When students are in elementary school or high school they are their own individual self and most of the time they do not like working together in groups. I know as an elementary teacher we are now trying to get our students to learn how to work in collaborating groups, but even in elementary school this is not easy. So what do we do when they get to college and have to work in collaboration groups? First we have to find a better way at assessing the group. Siemens talks about how the students that are the brightest are usually the ones who are less likely wanting to work within a group (Siemens, 2008). I have found this to be true in my classroom, because I do have one of these students who are so bright that she does not want to share what she knows. She always wants to work by herself. So how could we teach students like this one how to work together in collaborating groups, first of all we need to change the assessment. Siemens talks about different types of assessments we could use, such as: peer assessment through rating scheme (Siemens, 2008). This type of assessment in distance learning classes can work well, because if you are not doing your part your classmates will rate you lower. Also, another good type of assessment in which can be used in a collaborating activity is rubric; a rubric can be set up to go along with the activity which would make it a fair grading tool (Paloff & Pratt, 2005). These are not the only ways to assess a student, the instructor needs to also play a roll in assessing a student’s process, this can be done through the use of management of a class, some of these would be watching how many times a student logs in, how many posts the students contributes to a discussion and how many hours the student spends on line in the class. Regardless of how assessment is completed it needs to be fair to all the students within the collaborating environment.
What do you do when a student does not want to participate in a distance learning group or within a collaboration group? It is not always easy to get everyone to participate in the group this is where the instructor needs to help the student to understand how important it is for the group and even for their grade. One suggestion that Siemens made was for the instructor to have role-playing activities, but this does not always work. But the instructor can still work with the members who have difficulty working in groups by letting them know up front that it is required, this can be placed in the syllabus for the class. Most of the time if a student knows that they have to work as a team within a collaborating group they will do it, but they will not always like it. Some people do not want to work with other people and no matter what you do it will never change. Sometimes the only thing we can do is give them the rules and if they do not follow them they will have to pay the piper. In other words the instructor sites the rules and everyone has to obey the rules if not then the grades will not always be what the student expected.
References:
Siemens, G. (2009). Assessment of collaborative learning. Laureate Education.
Siemens, G. (2009). Learning communities. Laureate Education.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Responded to Storyboards
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
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