Time flies when you're… LEARNING!

Wow! I can't believe how fast this semester is going by. I am amazed when I reflect back on the things that I have already learned. For this week we focused on TPACK and SAMR, which are both acronyms. TPACK means, Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge. This is broken into there different areas:

1) Technological Knowledge (TK) the "partner"

2) Content Knowledge (CK) the "what"

3)Pedagogical Knowledge (PK) the "how"

Each of these areas can blend together and create a combined area. The heart of TPACK is where all three areas meet and create the "sweet spot". This is how we can meet students needs and how they work together to increase student motivation and make the content more accessible to students.

SAMR is a framework where technology can be integrated. Each letter means something different. For this acronym the S is the lowest level and the R is the highest. 

1) S stands for substitution. Same task, new technology replaces old technology. What will I gain by replacing the task with new technology?

2) A stands for augmentation. Same task, increase functionality. Does the technology add new features that improves the task?

3) M stands for modification. Redesign parts of the task. Does the task significantly change with the use of technology?

4) R stands for redefinition. Create new tasks, once unimaginable. Does the technology allow for creation of new task previously unconceivable?

Both of these are important to include into your lessons. I look forward to learning more about these acronyms.

This week I found an article from We are Teachers, How can we increase kids' attention spans? Less time spent sitting still… This article focuses on how to keep kids engaged in the lessons. In this article it says, "research shows powerful links between physical activity and academic performance, including improved grades and standardized test scores. Not only does it make kids healthier, it can help them focus and behave better in class." While reading this article, it made me think of the time when I was in elementary school. I always enjoyed getting up during class and getting to move around. I didn't like sitting there and hearing a lecture. I agree with this article and how students should be able to get up and move around to keep up their blood flow and their minds awake. Teachers rely on gym class and recess to do all of that work. However, not everyone get recess and gym time everyday. This is where as the teacher you can find engaging ways to include physical activity into your classroom. It will increase student participation and physical activity. The article also mentions that "4% is the percentage of schools that require daily physical education or its equivalent for students in all grades in the school for the entire year." This statistic is a huge eye opener to think that there is a small percentage that includes physical activity for the entire year in all grade levels. I really enjoyed this article and the information that was included in it.

This article fits under the teaching standard of, teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students. If a teacher can include every student into learning and being active, then they are including a respectful environment. Every student is different and learn in different ways. Meeting every students needs and keeping them active can't hurt, it can only help them. 

Working together to make the future better!

Meeting the needs of each and every student in your classroom is a very important thing to focus on. How do you do this? Communication is one of the key factors to this! Throughout this semester we have been talking about the difference of past learners and today's learners. The classroom and teaching skills are very different and as a future teacher it is important to be aware of these kinds of things.

This week I found an article, elearningindustry.com, that Olivia retweeted on twitter, Collaborative Learning: Why transforming classrooms into collaboration rooms can make a big difference. From the title of this article I knew that this was an important factor with wanting to be a teacher in today's world and classroom. It is very obvious that teaching is different than what it use to be. This article mentions that collaborative learning is important because students need to have student-teacher communication and also with peers. With students being able to communication with one another, it can be beneficial to their education and understanding. Some teachers and administrators can see this communication as chaos. However, things are different from the past and it is time to step away from the old traditions. This article also mentions three benefits of collaborative learning. The first one is "Students can learn more from their peers dab develop the habit of working in teams." This is like I mentioned earlier, students are different and when they can work together it gives them different ideas and help with their education. The second one is, "Teachers can assign different tasks to each group, depending upon their abilities." This allows students to receive personalized learning activities and tasks. Lastly, "Shared devices can lower the cost considerably and accelerate the process of getting the school online" This relates to doing a flipped classroom method. Students who can't always come to class or have medical reasons, this is where technology and the collaboration meet. This would have a huge impact on these students and help out so much. Education can be fitting for each and every student. Meeting students needs and allowing them to be engaged in the classroom will create an attitude where students want to go to school.

This article made me realize how important it is to be an active teacher and have a collaborative classroom that incorporates technology and an atmosphere that engages each and a every student. I would relate this to Standard 4 of the North Carolina Teaching Standards, Teachers facilitate learning for their students. If I can only say one thing that I have learned so far this semester it would be to meet the needs of the students for their success in education. If there is anything to help your students be successful in the classroom, do it!

You're walking out smarter!

As I was leaving social studies methods class today, Dr. Parker said "You're walking out…" and I finished the sentenced with "SMARTER". I always walk out of this class and think this statement in my head. This week in social studies we focused on learning experiences and how they apply to creating a unit. Learning experiences come before the performance tasks. These are the formative assessments that are given throughout the lesson that help prepare the students for the performance tasks. These are not just activities, they need to be action based and have a variety of ways. Students should be able to grasp content, skills, and generalizations. Also, we did a performance task today in class with the four levels of DOK. This helped better understand both a performance task and DOK. It was a little bit stressful but it required thinking and helped with an overall understanding.

For my research this week, I found an article, 5 ways to make the most of virtual field trips, written by Kyle Schutt. He says, "Virtual field trips can offer students an unparalleled learning experience when integrated effectively into classroom instruction." This article gives some tips to help with creating a virtual field trip for your students. The first thing is to prepare. It mentions to plan it just like a regular lessons and to base it around a standard and content that you want your students to learn. Include pre-event activities to get the students thinking about what the virtual field trip might be about. the second thing is to engage and connect. The article suggest to take any advantage that the virtual field trip might add. If there is something that the students can be engaged in during the field trip, try to be noticed during the event. Third, is model. This means that as a teacher you should model your learning for the students. Take pictures of what is going on in the classroom and document everything that happens. This is a way of showing students what they learned after the field trip takes place. The fourth thing is to reflect. Make sure to go back over the content and the things that the students learned during the virtual field trip. Lastly, make sure to share what you've learned. Some of these things can include a written reflection, visual projects such as photo journals, digital stories, and blog posts. This is a way to include parents and people in the community.

This article ties into the NC Teaching Standard 4 which is, Teachers facilitate learning for their students. I think this standard relates so well because teachers are using a variety of ways to teach their students and to make it engaging. I look forward to completing my virtual field trip and using the 5 ways to make the most of the field trip. 

Oh The Places We'll Go!

This week in Social Studies Methods we have learned about performance tasks, and how helpful they are in the classroom. A performance task is a form of summative assessment, and it helps the students to pick how they want to be assessed. This will be very helpful in my future classroom, and help with differentiation. Speaking of differentiation, the video this week was great! It was so inspiring, and really made me realize all that can be done in a classroom when differentiating.

The article that I chose is from Edutopia that is called "Well-Designed Classrooms Boost student Learning". This article stuck out to me, because I do not like to be in a boring dull classroom, and am always looking for ideas to make my future classroom be a place for my students to have fun and not fall asleep. A quote from the article says, "Research reveals how differences in the physical characteristics of the classrooms, such as air quality, color and light, can together increase the learning progress of primary school pupils by as much as 16% in a single year" (University of Salford Manchester). This is a staggering statistic, because even though 16% may not look like a lot, that is is a big deal when it comes to the classroom. The research says that this does not have to be super costly, but it should just be seen in the simple choices that we make in our classroom. The research offers sound sense as long as the teachers put their children first, and that alone can improve their classroom without spending any money. The most important thing that we have to do as teachers, is to take care of the students in our class. If the environment around them is not a good one, then they will have no drive to learn.

North Carolina Teaching Standard number 2 states that teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students, and I think that this ties in perfectly with the article, because as the teacher we are to give these students an environment that is comforting and safe.