Blog Assignment #16

EDM310 has been a very long journey, but it has introduced me to several new teaching methods and tools that I will use in my classroom in the future. I will be teaching in an elementary school. One of the methods that I learned a lot about this semester is “Questioning”. I learned from Maryellen Welmer that you must prepare your questions. Writing out a question in advanced helps you to make sure it is clear enough for the students to understand. It helps you to plan things such as, when does the question need to be asked? This way it fits into your lessons and relates to concepts you are talking about right then. Another word of advice that I learned from her is to preserve good questions; good questions can always be kept. It could also be good to write down and keep student's questions that trigger the rest of the class to start thinking. It is important for teachers to ask good questions so that students can learn that questions are important and help us learn and to think critically.

Another method/tool that I have learned about this semester is Podcasting. Doug Saunders explained podcasting in The Benefits of podcasting in the Classroom. Here, Doug starts off by saying how podcasting is an effective way of interacting with students outside of the traditional classroom. Podcasting allows for differentiation in the classroom. This will allow me to record a lecture and the student can simply play it back and listen to it as a review. If a student is sick and has to miss class one day, that student could pull up my lectures on iTunes as a podcast and they could listen to the lesson. I will also have the choice to upload my podcasts on my classroom blog. Podcasting will be good for parents as well because they can hear what is being said in my classroom and help their child if needed. In my future classroom, I think it would be very useful to use podcasting and uploading lectures and discussions to iTunes. This way if a student misses class or is just confused on a certain lesson, it is available for them to listen to again.

When we were told to listen to Anthony Capps, who is a third grade teacher at Gulf Shores Elementary School, he discussed project based learning. I would have never thought that I would allow third graders to use iMovie. Dr. Strange asked Anthony if his third graders have had any problem using iMovie or learning how to work it and he said absolutely not. I found this very interesting and I will definitely let my elementary school students use iMovie as a creative way to do classroom projects. Technology doesn’t need supplies and doesn’t have to be cleaned up after, such as messes and spills. It is a great way for students to get involved with their assignments in a new, intriguing way.

I plan on using several different tools in my classroom throughout the school year, but one that I personally did research on this semester was Poll Everywhere. This is a website that will allow me to post a question in a “poll” form. I can ask my class a question and they can answer in real time using twitter or web browsers and I can then see their responses live on the web in a PowerPoint or Keynote presentation. When making a poll I can choose what kind of question I want to ask. The options are multiple choice or I can let them respond freely with a written reply. As a teacher I would be able to control when the poll is started and stopped this way I can place time limits on questions. I will use this form of technology for daily assignments, reviewing for tests, and so much more. Plus, it is free!

Blogging will be done in my classroom, for sure. Ms. Cassidy had so much insight on blogging and I learned so much from her videos. I know my students will enjoy it because people will be able to comment back on their blogs and they will get to see their own individual progress throughout the school year. My students will know the rules for commenting and to not say mean things in comments because it could hurt their classmate’s feelings. I also plan on having a classroom blog that the students can go to and it will have appropriate links for them to click on. I will send home a form to the parents that gives the students permission to get on the Internet and allows their work to be posted online. I will put in the form that their child’s identity will be protected. I will make this happen by only posting first names and not putting certain names with pictures. Parents will enjoy their kids blogging because they can go to their students blog and see what they are doing and what progress they are making. Technology is not going away and in this generation, we as teachers have to change because the world is changing. I am excited to take advantage of the new tools in this generation.

I want my classroom to be a fun learning environment. For example, in a 1st grade classroom teaching reading, there are so many different projects and resources to dig into. When you add technology to the picture the variety of activities increases so much more. Having computers and iPads with headphones that could read out loud to the students would be great. They can follow along and hear the words spoken out loud at their own pace. I want my students to know that learning is fun! I want to be able to create a comfortable environment in my classroom so that my students feel welcomed and are excited to learn when starting my class. My students will know I care about their education and want the best for them. Any student that walks through my door will set goals for the year and I will make sure they know that I am there to help them every step of the way. I will introduce all the different resources we have that can help them learn in their own way. I want my students to be able to try their hardest. I won't expect them to do things if I don't believe they are capable of doing the certain tasks. I want them to help their classmates if they notice each other struggling and learn how to work together. Peer editing will be done in my class so that my students learn how to help one another, in a nice way. Hopefully, my students will have access to iPads or computers. The list of activities that you can do on such devices is never ending. I also hope to have a classroom blog as one of my tools. This way if I can get the parents permission, I could post pictures of the students working and playing throughout the day. Keeping the parents updated on what is going on in class and posting newsletters on the blog will also be of good use. This would be beneficial to the parents, as well as to the children because it will mean a lot to them to see their work posted on the web. Another tool I will use often is the SMARTboard if it is available. There are so many games that can help the students learn in creative ways. It is very interactive and helps to keep the student's attention while learning to read. I want my students to be vocal about their learning because, every student learns in a different way. I want them to be able to ask me questions so they can farther their learning, and not feel embarrassed about being confused or needing help.

My new attitude on technology in the classroom:

Since I have learned so much this semester, there are several different changes that could be made to my old ideas of teaching. One thing that I will completely abandon is PowerPoint. Up until EDM310, I still used PowerPoint in my other classes for assignments that were given to me. EDM310 has shown me so many different options such as Prezi, Google Presentations, and even iBooks. The ways that I plan on introducing materials to my classroom has changed dramatically. I had never really worked with SMARTboard before EDM310 and I was not sure I would like it, I had much rather have a dry erase board. Now, I love the SMARTboard and all that it has to offer. Especially the "SMARTexchange". There are so many interactive programs and games to help the students learn in interesting ways.

Before I got into EDM310, I underestimated the abilities of elementary students. When I began reading some of the blog assignments, I was amazed at what goes on in classrooms now when it comes to different teaching methods. Children can work iPads, computers, and SMARTboards better than I can. This opens up so many opportunities to expand teaching methods and projects. Anthony Capps was a huge eye-opener to me when he told how his third graders can work iMovie with no problem, and this made me realize the projects and activities in a classroom with technology are endless! Throughout this semester my view on technology has changed because I have had the opportunity to work with different tools and experience them hands on. Although I do not know all there is to technology and how it can be used, I am excited to see what more I can learn about it and how I can apply it to my future classroom.