Saturday, November 30, 2013
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Blog Post #16 (Final Reflection/Exam) Part A
After I graduate I plan to teach K-5. Although I will be qualified for K-6, kindergarten is my first choice. While I observed several different kindergarten classes last year, it let me see how each classroom operated. When teaching little ones it is crucial that you keep their attention at all times. This is why in most kindergarten classes you will see where they have a specific time for "centers". To the left is a diagram of how my dream classroom would be laid out. In order to keep my kindergarteners focused and engaged it is vital that they have their own personal learning time. Having centers allows this, and it develops an independent learning experience. Each child will be places with a partner and every 15 minutes or so they will rotate. They will not know, but while they are having fun playing games and putting puzzles together, they are actually teaching their selves and each other. Sometimes engaging little ones can be as simple as letting them do something that makes them feel "grown up". In one kindergarten class I observed, the teacher had a mailbox center. During this center the children were giving cards with pictures of random things. The directions were to place each card that started with the letter S sound in the mailbox, and put the flag up. Then the child's partner would "check the mail" and see if all the cards were placed rite. By playing with the mailbox, we all know every child just wants to open the mailbox and play with the flag. But they were actually teaching their selves phonological awareness. Phonological awareness refers to an individual's awareness of the phonological structure, or sound structure, of spoken words. Phonological awareness is an important and reliable predictor of later reading ability and has, therefore, been the focus of much research.
I found a great technological tool I can also use while teaching Kindergarten. Its called iStoryBooks, you can click this link http://anselemtech.weebly.com/k5-web-tools.html for more information. Basically this is a site that has tons of popular children's books available with audio. The students can each pick a book, and with headphones this can be "reading time" or a fun center. I can also incorporate this with the smart board as well and use it while teaching the entire class. What do you want your students to know?
I want my students to know basically how to self organize there educational experience. I want to provide the basic tools of course reading, writing, and comprehension. But I want my students to know that they can teach themselves, by doing this they learn and have fun while learning.
What do you want your students to be able to do?
I want my students to be able to sit down and figure out how to teach themselves. I want to make them be hungry for learning. If I provide the tools, for example centers and or computers I want my students to be able to take these tools and dive into a world of learning that they will love and enjoy. They will also be able to create there own blogs on blogger and we can communicate with other classes around the world. How awesome would this be especially if we were learning about different cultures or environments. Some of these children will never be able to travel across the world but by allowing the students to Skype they can have a first hand feel of other nationalities.
What will be your primary way of teaching your students what you want them to know and do?
The methods that I will take to my students will not be a passing grade on a test confirms what they have all learned. I do not agree with this method. Mostly because half of the passing grades you see the students are doing nothing but memorizing and then later forgetting the material. I want my students to learn by experience, you never forget great experiences they last lifetimes.
What Tools will you use in your classroom?
Of course this is a tricky question because the tools I would like to use are probably not in any kind of budget for the schools around my area. I would like for every student to have an ipad or Mac Book at there desk at all times. This way no student will need any pens, paper, or school supplies. There are some great learning tools on the internet as well. I went tohttp://www.palmbeachschools.org/learning_tools/4kids/ and they have tons of different learning activities.
What role will students play in your classroom, i.e. how will they participate in the learning process?
The students will play the mane roll in my classroom, they will be the ones that are hands on the entire time. I will basically monitor the classroom but let the children learn with their technological tools. This is a great way to learn because the class will never be bored. They will always be interested because what they are doing is apart of their generation and its not just the teacher standing in the front of the classroom lecturing. I think that by allowing the students to become the teacher role themselves for themselves will be very rewarding in the end.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Blog Post #15 (Collaborative)
What assistive technologies are available to you as a teacher?
Select a few and discuss how they may be useful to you.
A. Teaching Hearing and Vision Impaired Children
By: Kayla Szymanski
While researching Teaching Assistive-technology To Students Who Are Bling or Visually Impaired, I found they have an abundance of resources. When you go to the site they have the following choices you can read about: CSB Assistive Technology Center, Environmental Considerations for Assistive Technology, Overview of Assistant Technology, Principals of Assistant Technology for Students with Visual Impairments, Special Education Technology British Columbia Index, and Virtual Instruction. What is Assistive Technology? Assistive Technology can be defined as "any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities." (-National Institute of Standards and Technology) Basically the goal of assistive technology is to give students with disabilities access to literacy and communication in their school, home, and community. While teaching it is essential to have background information on each student. Do they have medical eye conditions, or other diagnoses? Have they completed the Learning/ Literacy Media Assessment? Have they completed the Vision Assessment? Also before teaching your students make sure the classroom environment had adequate lighting, positioning, glare, and contrast control. If students are having trouble with text make sure the following steps are properly followed: font style, font size, color, boldness, and the layout of the font. Here are some characteristics of a student who might be a likely candidate for a print reading program: Uses vision efficiently to complete tasks at near distances. Shows interested in pictures and demonstrates the ability to identify pictures and or elements within pictures. Has a stable eye condition. These students may use optical aids such as eye glasses, magnifiers, or telescopes. Using computer technology is great for assisting students with disabilities. We now have access to enlarging software, called Zoomtext. Screen Readers is another great tool, this tool is a text to speech program which reads text aloud to students. Another tool is Tactile Access, this is a refreshable Braille displays they can be hooked up to a computer and it then displays a line of braille.
What assistive technologies are available to you as a teacher? Select a few and discuss how they may be useful to you.
Being a teacher in the 21st century means that there are an infinite amount of assistive technologies available at our fingertips. This neat video, demonstrated by Wesley Majerus, is titled iPad usage for the blind. Wesley gives us an insight on what it's like for a blind person to use a new technology on an iPad made specifically for blind people. This software allows Wesley to control the iPad primarily with his fingertips as he double taps and uses swipes of his fingers to move around. This software is something effective that any teacher could have in their classroom if they have a blind student. It would be useful when the other students are using computers or iPads so no one is left out.
While researching the topic of assistive technologies, I came across this TeachThought website. The author has complied a list of 8 helpful assistive technology tools for the classroom.
- Screen Readers: These are described as programs that allow blind or visually impaired users to read the text that is displayed on the computer screen with a speech synthesizer.
- Word Talk: This program can read aloud any document written in Word and create audio files that can be saved. Students with reading disabilities can use screen readers to help them understand course materials. This is free.
- Word Prediction: Available to help students with writing challenges.
- Supernova Access Suite: A complete screen reader with natural sounding speech and integrated screen magnifier with Braille display support.
- Video Magnifiers: Sometimes described as a form of closed-circuit television that uses a video camera to display a magnified image on a monitor or television screen. Students with low vision can use them to read their course materials with greater ease.
- Close Captioning and Subtitling: Enables deaf students to watch the same online video material as their colleagues. This makes it easier for them to participate in online courses that offer video lectures of their professors.
- FaceMouse: For students with limited mobility, FaceMouse turns a standard webcam into a mouse operator, allowing students to use their head and facial gestures to perform a number of tasks, including pointing the cursor, clicking on sites, or typing on the keyboard.
- Sip-and-Puff Systems: Makes computer use easier for students with mobility challenges, including paralysis and fine motor skill difficulties. Sip-and-puff systems allow users to control a mouthstick, similar to a joystick, using their breath. Students can direct the mouthstick to click on web pages, type, and perform other functions.
Any of these tools could be useful in any classroom that has students with learning disabilities. All you have to do is a little research and you are guaranteed to find something that works in your classroom.
In Art Karshmer's video "Teaching Math to the Blind" he addresses the issue of how teachers teach basic mathematics to blind students. This past semester I've been taking Math for Elementary Teachers. In this class we have studied different ways to visually show students how basic mathematical principles work, such as counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Throughout the entire semester of drawing pictures and diagrams illustrating the problem I did not think about how a blind student could learn these ideas. Art Karshmer opened my eyes to the dilemas that special needs students would have with any subject. In his video he shows one tool that has been proven useful to blind students. He uses small blocks with numbers written on them in both print and braille. Students can put these blocks onto a grid so that the problem can be set up the same way that any student would set it up on paper. This may not seem to be a very advanced technology tool, it helps many students learn mathematics.
In today's world there are numerous tools that teachers can use in order to help special needs children learn any and every subject. It is important for any teacher, whether specializing in special ed or not, to know the different resources available and how to use them in order to better the life of all students.Sarah Irvine Belson lists a few tools that help blind students learn mathematics.
Audio Aids help students who cannot see to read the problem. This is computer based and will simply read the exact problem to the student to hear. The only problem with this tool is that as the problems get more and more complex students have a difficult time solving the problem after just hearing a computer read it to them.
Tactile Representations show the problem through braille. Like Art Karshmer said in his video, the problem with using braille to show a mathematical equation is that braille is linear, meaning that while most students set up math problems vertically visually impaired students will be at a major disadvantage in learning.
Tonal Representations show graphs to blind students by playing musical tones. This is a great way to represent data that is typically limitied to visual aids. The problem with this tool is that, like tactile representations, it is not very effective with more complicated math problems
Haptic Devices are ways to show as shape to a blind student. This can be used for both two-dimentional and three-dimentional shapes. While this tool is an excellent way to show non-numeral data to visually impaired students, it is very expensive and many schools cannot afford this technology.
Sarah Belson states on her webpage that these tools and methods can be used together based on each individual student. This is true for any student learning any subject. While this list of tools ranges from very technologically advanced systems to braille, these tools allow for visually impaired students to learn math with as little extra difficulty as possible.
http://www.unclegoose.com/products/braille-math-blocks/
Monday, November 18, 2013
Blog Post #14
What Did I Leave Out?
For blog post #14 watch: "Teaching Student's With ADHD". (11:15)
Think about your future classroom, and about having students with this deficiency. Watch the video and answer the following questions. Remember 25% of children were diagnosed with ADHD in U.S. in the year 2013. ADHA effects millions of children each year and some adults.
For blog post #14 watch: "Teaching Student's With ADHD". (11:15)
Think about your future classroom, and about having students with this deficiency. Watch the video and answer the following questions. Remember 25% of children were diagnosed with ADHD in U.S. in the year 2013. ADHA effects millions of children each year and some adults.
-How can checklists and visual cues help students stay on task?
-What is ADHD?
-How does the use of a timer help motivate students and help them focus?
-If you are already working in a daycare/Sunday School, have you tried the strategy of asking students what works for them and what challenges cause them to be distracted?
My Work:
ADHD is technically defines as: Attention Defecate Hyperactivity Disorder. I teach Sunday School weekly and I have at least three children who have ADHD and take ADHD medicine daily. It is almost impossible to teach a class when you have one child disrupting constantly. Usually these ADHD children are very disruptive, but they do not mean to be. Teachers should always be prepared for unexpected disruptions. If you have never been in a classroom setting some people may think every child will be on task and engaged 100%. This is not so true, the ADHD children will often disrupt your children that are actually on task, and this causes major classroom problems. Being a new teacher, you do not want your classroom to be wild and unmanageable. We have to learn how to manage are students and keep them engaged no matter what disorder they may have. In this video they tell you key facts about ADHD and it is very informative. They actually show a classroom of 15 high school students who have ADHD and they show how the teachers teach and adapt to them. The video says that everyday is a challenge for the teachers because the students attention spans are very short. By providing check list and visual cues this can help remind the students of your classroom rules and routines to follow. Once they have transitioned into the lesson the next challenged is to keep them focused. A great way to keep students on task is to use a timer. If your going to give them 3 or 5 minutes, they are able to see that their time is running out or how much they have left. By using the timer it gives your students the rite amount of pressure, and this causes your students to want to pay attention. The next time I teach Sunday School I will use a visual timer. Some children usually loose interest within the first 10 minutes. If I had a timer, they would probably be more likely do their worksheets, other than just sitting there disrupting.
Final Report on PLN (Project #2)
This is my Final Personal Learning Network that I have created according to my personal interests. I have a few tiles left that I can add too, but I am sure it will be full by the time I am out of candidacy. I can click any of these icons and they will take me straight to where I need to go. Most of the icons I have on my PLN are for educational purposes only or just intrigue me. My Educational News icon is a personal favorite because it updates you whenever any kind of news about the local school systems are available. I also added some art icons to my network as well, I think a PLN should be consistent with your personal interests. The website I used to create my PLN is called Symbaloo. This site allows you to compact everything you like into one collage of sites. Having this organizing type site is very invigorating and makes it much easier for my learning experiences. I cannot wait to put some of the icons to use in my future classroom.
C4K (November Summary)
This has by far been my favorite assignment during EDM310. Here below are all 8 of my comments for kids assignments, each with working links to the student's blogs. Once again it's like a breath of fresh air getting to read all of these articles. This month particularly I was assigned to an AP student in an all girls boarding school. Her article was very interesting and actually opened my eyes to things I have no idea about. It was about the courts decisions on how to enforce punishments to mentally disabled individuals. I usually enjoy reading all of the lower grade blog posts because of the pure uniqueness, but this was very interesting. Also I was able to see how the elementary students are blogging very impressively. Their blogs are links, graphs and pictures they are just like our EDM310 blogs. I think the blogging aspect of teaching is amazing. While reading these children's blogs you can tell that they put their personality and thought into every post.
C4C #8
Student's Link to blog: http://osgapusgov.wordpress.com/2013/10/23/no-justice-for-all-the-dangerous-lack-of-standardization-in-our-criminal-system-and-the-man-whose-life-is-on-the-line-because-of-it/
Hi my name is Kayla Szymanski and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am currently in a computer class called EDM310 and I have been assigned your blog. Wow what a great article. I am very impressed with your blog, it looks great. Also the article was very interesting, I don't think most people even think about mental illness when things like this happen. Your charts and cartoon was very powerful, you did a great job. The chart was almost unbelievable and almost sad. I see you have a very strong platform within this blog and I encourage you to stick with it. If you don't tell it or explain it, nobody will ever know about it. What a interesting read, thanks! Keep up the good work.
C4K #7
Link to student's blog: http://pespehsoa.blogspot.com/
Hi Peh! My name is Kayla Szymanski and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am currently in a computer class called EDM310 and I have been assigned your blog for this week. I am very impressed, your art work as your background looks wonderful. Also I love how you made a paragraph rubric, these can be very handy when writing. It is amazing that you have added pictures to your post, your blog looks just like mine. Make sure you keep up the good work, I loved reading your blog.
C4K #6
Link to class blog:Mrs.Schroeder's Class Blog
Link to Students Blog: Tyler's Blog
Hi Tyler, I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am currently in a computer class called EDM310 and I was assigned to your blog this week. Your post states that you would like to have a Facebook account. I think that if you let your mom put the private settings and allow her to monitor your account weekly she would have no problem with you having an account. You should tell her that she has the option to set privacy settings on your profile, and provide her with the user name and password. She shouldn't have anything against it since she can help protect you this way. Just some helpful tips, keep up the good work!
September Summary:
During the month of September I was allowed to read and comment on student's blogs of all ages. This was very interesting, instead of being the student it made me feel as if I were on the other side of things. It made me feel like one day I could really be reading these blogs as a teacher. This was amazing to be able to get this feeling and also be doing an assignment all at once. Reading these blogs I caught myself smiling, these students get to express their selves on each of their blogs and you really do get a sense of personality out of each one. Most of the time there were spelling errors and the sentences didn't quite make sense, but all in all each blog has a great meaning. I noticed that a lot of the children's books these students are being read have great meanings behind them. These students write in their blogs about what they have taken away from these books and its amazing. They are being taught humility, responsibility, and to be thankful for everything they have. These assignments each week were a breath of fresh air, I loved doing them. It is always fun to see these books and thoughts threw a child's eyes, and these C4Ks allow that. Having students blog each week is almost like the new way of a weekly writing journal. The only thing I disagree with is the writing errors, I think it would be easier to grade writing journals weekly.
C4K #5
Class Blog Link:Class Blog Link
The students were given this assignment on their class blog by Ms.Eppele:
Your blogs are all looking wonderful! Please remember to use complete sentences. Today’s challenge is to write at least FIVE sentences. I want to hear your amazing thoughts and ideas.
1. Right away in Chapter 7, Melody talks about how she dreams she can do anything. Think about a dream that you have had. How can you make that dream into a reality?
2. Why do you think it is hard for teachers to stay with Melody and her class?
3. Why do you think the episode with Mrs. Billups is important to the story as a whole?
Link to Student's Blog: Andrew Pickle
What I Wrote:
Hi Anthony! My name is Kayla Szymanski and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am currently in a class called EDM 310 and I have been assigned your blog this week. Your post was very interesting, I loved reading it. I think that it's safe to say that Melody has taught you a very important lesson. Always stay positive no matter what. When we look at other peoples lives and what they have to go through it can sometimes make us feel like we have the perfect life. I believe that this is what your main focus was in this blog. Keep up the good work, and remember never complain sometimes the grass isn't always greener on the other side.
C4K #4
Class Blog:MrsRippsClass
Student's Blog: Leona's Blog
I Wrote:
Hey Leona! My name is Kayla Szymanski and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am currently in a computer class named EDM 310 and I have been assigned your blog this week. I love the book out of my mind by Sharon Draper, it really does show us how blessed we really are to be healthy. You should also check out the club house mysteries series, its written by Sharon Draper too. Keep up the good work your blog looks great. Remember if you love a book written by a certain author most of the time you will like the other books they have written as well. It is great to have a favorite author. Thanks for letting me read your blog and maybe I will be assigned to it again.
C4K #3
Ms. King - 7th and 8th grade
Class Blog: Class Blog
Student's Blog: Anthony
Hi Anthony, my name is Kayla Szymanski and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am currently in a course called EDM310 and I have been assigned your blog this week. I noticed that your last two post are math related, you are very good with numbers. If you can keep your mathematical knowledge throughout your academic career it will be a main key to your success. Math is such an important subject and you should be very proud. Your blog is very impressing, and the background looks wonderful. Keep up the good work and maybe I will be assigned to your blog again.
C4K#2
Student's Blog: Juani
This is what I wrote on Juani's blog:
Hi Juani, my name is Kayla Szymanski and I am in a computer class called EDM310. I am attending the University of South Alabama and I have been assigned your blog for this week. I love your background and the colors are so pretty; they match the parrot perfect. I loved hearing about your boring mornings. I am not a morning person either, so I can relate. It's very hard for me to wake up in the mornings. I guess I am just like your little sister. If you eat a healthy breakfast each morning it helps a lot with boring mornings. Before you know it you will be wide awake. You should tell your sister about eating healthy breakfast too, and it might help her. Keep up the good work and maybe I will be assigned to your blog again.
C4K #1
Student: Mckenna
Link: McKenna's Blog Post
This is what she wrote in her blog:
Did you know that Alberta has endangered animals?They are Bull Trout ,piping plover,woodland caribou,whooping crane ,Trumpeter swan,white pelican,swift fox,ferruginous hawk ,Burrowing owl and the northern leopard frog. contact your local wild life centre on how you can help.
This is what I wrote to her:
Hi McKenna, my name is Kayla Szymanski and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I have been assigned your blog this week and I am so excited to read all of the fun things you are writing about. I had no idea that Alberta has so many endangered animals, this is very sad. I think that the best thing about your post is that you are helping these animals just by letting people know how to help. This is such a great thing, thank you for sharing this important information and keep up the good work.
C4C #8
Student's Link to blog: http://osgapusgov.wordpress.com/2013/10/23/no-justice-for-all-the-dangerous-lack-of-standardization-in-our-criminal-system-and-the-man-whose-life-is-on-the-line-because-of-it/
Hi my name is Kayla Szymanski and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am currently in a computer class called EDM310 and I have been assigned your blog. Wow what a great article. I am very impressed with your blog, it looks great. Also the article was very interesting, I don't think most people even think about mental illness when things like this happen. Your charts and cartoon was very powerful, you did a great job. The chart was almost unbelievable and almost sad. I see you have a very strong platform within this blog and I encourage you to stick with it. If you don't tell it or explain it, nobody will ever know about it. What a interesting read, thanks! Keep up the good work.
C4K #7
Link to student's blog: http://pespehsoa.blogspot.com/
Hi Peh! My name is Kayla Szymanski and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am currently in a computer class called EDM310 and I have been assigned your blog for this week. I am very impressed, your art work as your background looks wonderful. Also I love how you made a paragraph rubric, these can be very handy when writing. It is amazing that you have added pictures to your post, your blog looks just like mine. Make sure you keep up the good work, I loved reading your blog.
C4K #6
Link to class blog:Mrs.Schroeder's Class Blog
Link to Students Blog: Tyler's Blog
Hi Tyler, I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am currently in a computer class called EDM310 and I was assigned to your blog this week. Your post states that you would like to have a Facebook account. I think that if you let your mom put the private settings and allow her to monitor your account weekly she would have no problem with you having an account. You should tell her that she has the option to set privacy settings on your profile, and provide her with the user name and password. She shouldn't have anything against it since she can help protect you this way. Just some helpful tips, keep up the good work!
September Summary:
During the month of September I was allowed to read and comment on student's blogs of all ages. This was very interesting, instead of being the student it made me feel as if I were on the other side of things. It made me feel like one day I could really be reading these blogs as a teacher. This was amazing to be able to get this feeling and also be doing an assignment all at once. Reading these blogs I caught myself smiling, these students get to express their selves on each of their blogs and you really do get a sense of personality out of each one. Most of the time there were spelling errors and the sentences didn't quite make sense, but all in all each blog has a great meaning. I noticed that a lot of the children's books these students are being read have great meanings behind them. These students write in their blogs about what they have taken away from these books and its amazing. They are being taught humility, responsibility, and to be thankful for everything they have. These assignments each week were a breath of fresh air, I loved doing them. It is always fun to see these books and thoughts threw a child's eyes, and these C4Ks allow that. Having students blog each week is almost like the new way of a weekly writing journal. The only thing I disagree with is the writing errors, I think it would be easier to grade writing journals weekly.
C4K #5
Class Blog Link:Class Blog Link
The students were given this assignment on their class blog by Ms.Eppele:
Your blogs are all looking wonderful! Please remember to use complete sentences. Today’s challenge is to write at least FIVE sentences. I want to hear your amazing thoughts and ideas.
1. Right away in Chapter 7, Melody talks about how she dreams she can do anything. Think about a dream that you have had. How can you make that dream into a reality?
2. Why do you think it is hard for teachers to stay with Melody and her class?
3. Why do you think the episode with Mrs. Billups is important to the story as a whole?
Link to Student's Blog: Andrew Pickle
What I Wrote:
Hi Anthony! My name is Kayla Szymanski and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am currently in a class called EDM 310 and I have been assigned your blog this week. Your post was very interesting, I loved reading it. I think that it's safe to say that Melody has taught you a very important lesson. Always stay positive no matter what. When we look at other peoples lives and what they have to go through it can sometimes make us feel like we have the perfect life. I believe that this is what your main focus was in this blog. Keep up the good work, and remember never complain sometimes the grass isn't always greener on the other side.
C4K #4
Class Blog:MrsRippsClass
Student's Blog: Leona's Blog
I Wrote:
Hey Leona! My name is Kayla Szymanski and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am currently in a computer class named EDM 310 and I have been assigned your blog this week. I love the book out of my mind by Sharon Draper, it really does show us how blessed we really are to be healthy. You should also check out the club house mysteries series, its written by Sharon Draper too. Keep up the good work your blog looks great. Remember if you love a book written by a certain author most of the time you will like the other books they have written as well. It is great to have a favorite author. Thanks for letting me read your blog and maybe I will be assigned to it again.
C4K #3
Ms. King - 7th and 8th grade
Class Blog: Class Blog
Student's Blog: Anthony
Hi Anthony, my name is Kayla Szymanski and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am currently in a course called EDM310 and I have been assigned your blog this week. I noticed that your last two post are math related, you are very good with numbers. If you can keep your mathematical knowledge throughout your academic career it will be a main key to your success. Math is such an important subject and you should be very proud. Your blog is very impressing, and the background looks wonderful. Keep up the good work and maybe I will be assigned to your blog again.
C4K#2
Student's Blog: Juani
This is what I wrote on Juani's blog:
Hi Juani, my name is Kayla Szymanski and I am in a computer class called EDM310. I am attending the University of South Alabama and I have been assigned your blog for this week. I love your background and the colors are so pretty; they match the parrot perfect. I loved hearing about your boring mornings. I am not a morning person either, so I can relate. It's very hard for me to wake up in the mornings. I guess I am just like your little sister. If you eat a healthy breakfast each morning it helps a lot with boring mornings. Before you know it you will be wide awake. You should tell your sister about eating healthy breakfast too, and it might help her. Keep up the good work and maybe I will be assigned to your blog again.
C4K #1
Student: Mckenna
Link: McKenna's Blog Post
This is what she wrote in her blog:
Did you know that Alberta has endangered animals?They are Bull Trout ,piping plover,woodland caribou,whooping crane ,Trumpeter swan,white pelican,swift fox,ferruginous hawk ,Burrowing owl and the northern leopard frog. contact your local wild life centre on how you can help.
This is what I wrote to her:
Hi McKenna, my name is Kayla Szymanski and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I have been assigned your blog this week and I am so excited to read all of the fun things you are writing about. I had no idea that Alberta has so many endangered animals, this is very sad. I think that the best thing about your post is that you are helping these animals just by letting people know how to help. This is such a great thing, thank you for sharing this important information and keep up the good work.
C4T (November Summary)
A lot of good ideas have came from these comment for teacher assignments. I think that this is a great way to give each and every education student a chance to intermingle with new, and experience teachers out there. My comments for teachers assignments have helped me tremendously. The way these teachers think and teach are amazing. I have learned how to use some unique strategies and how to keep my future students engaged while teaching. Each of these teacher's blogs allow anyone to view videos teaching techniques for the classroom. I think that as a future teacher, I will fall back on these blogs and keep them for ideas or questions I may have in the future. I think by reading blog post from teachers with actual classroom experience, that is the best way to learn. I also am learning that when becoming a teacher, you learn by experience not books.
C4T#4
Link: Jenna Luca
Title of Blog: Lucacept intercepting the Web
What I Wrote:
Hey, I am a student at the University of South Alabama and I have been assigned your blog this week. I am taking a course named EDM310 and we use twitter as a communication tool. I loved the video with Justin Timberlake in it, it really does put in perspective how silly hashtags can be. It is absurd how this generation is so fully involved in technological trends. I fully agree that post with excess hashtags are very infuriating. For future twitter use I will definitely keep "The Hashtag Stuffer" in mind. Thanks for sharing this educational video and helping people become better twitter users.
C4T #3
Teacher: Jennifer Brokofsky
Title: Building A Culture of Wonder: Inquiry in Primary Education
Link:jennifer brokofsky's Blog
Summary:
Jennifer Brokofsky's blog had three videos: The problem, part 2 of the problem, and the solution.
During the video the small boy and young girl were both eating skittles. They both only ate certain colors and this caused an quality problem. Because the pack of skittles was unequally colored they opened a second pack to make both sides equal. This was a very simple and relatable way to interrupt equality to small children.
What I Wrote:
Hi, my name is Kayla Szymanski and I am currently in a class called EDM310. I am attending the University of South Alabama and I have been assigned your blog this week. Your videos explain equality in a simple and very relatable way. This is such a great way to show children not only math skills but also how to be kind a generous to others. I think that the videos are more powerful than just explaining it to the class because research shows that children respond to visuals. Very good work and thank you for the ideas, maybe on day I will show these videos to my future class.
C4T #2
Author:Travis Allen
C4T#4
Link: Jenna Luca
Title of Blog: Lucacept intercepting the Web
What I Wrote:
Hey, I am a student at the University of South Alabama and I have been assigned your blog this week. I am taking a course named EDM310 and we use twitter as a communication tool. I loved the video with Justin Timberlake in it, it really does put in perspective how silly hashtags can be. It is absurd how this generation is so fully involved in technological trends. I fully agree that post with excess hashtags are very infuriating. For future twitter use I will definitely keep "The Hashtag Stuffer" in mind. Thanks for sharing this educational video and helping people become better twitter users.
C4T #3
Teacher: Jennifer Brokofsky
Title: Building A Culture of Wonder: Inquiry in Primary Education
Link:jennifer brokofsky's Blog
Summary:
Jennifer Brokofsky's blog had three videos: The problem, part 2 of the problem, and the solution.
During the video the small boy and young girl were both eating skittles. They both only ate certain colors and this caused an quality problem. Because the pack of skittles was unequally colored they opened a second pack to make both sides equal. This was a very simple and relatable way to interrupt equality to small children.
What I Wrote:
Hi, my name is Kayla Szymanski and I am currently in a class called EDM310. I am attending the University of South Alabama and I have been assigned your blog this week. Your videos explain equality in a simple and very relatable way. This is such a great way to show children not only math skills but also how to be kind a generous to others. I think that the videos are more powerful than just explaining it to the class because research shows that children respond to visuals. Very good work and thank you for the ideas, maybe on day I will show these videos to my future class.
C4T #2
Author:Travis Allen
Title: My Life As A 21st Century Student
This is what I posted on Travis Allen's blog post:
Hi, my name is Kayla Szymanski and I am currently in a computer course named EDM310. My professor specifically assigned your blog to me this week. I am so proud of your work with the Ischool Initiative, it is a great way for our age voices to be heard. I am so happy to hear that the University of Jyvaskyla is partnering with you also. It seems like the education system in Finland is flawless, and as a future educator I am delighted you are trying to mainstream that into our education system in the United States. One of your quotes really spoke to me, " The more responsibility you give to students at an earlier age, the more responsible they will become", I agree with this 100%. Thank you so much for all that you are doing, your are truly a blessing to our society.
Summary:
Travis Allen is a young researcher and founder of the Ischool Initiative. the Ischool Initiative was basically set up to educate both students and teachers to become lifelong digital learners. He is researching the education system in Finland and trying to shape the U.S. in its model. He stated that in Finland the education system is very personal so it keeps the student engaged and eager to learn more. Instead of trying to teach each student the same way, this system allows you to teach yourself in your own style. I am very excited to see the changes in our school systems, and hopefully I will see them before I am an educator.
C4T #1
Author: Davis Wees
Title: Thoughts from a 21st Century Educator
Twitter: +David Wees
Blog: David Wees's Blog
David Wees is a math teacher trying to help his students learn how to double check themselves while solving math problems. He wrote in his blog about how he was trying to compile a list of questions for his students to use while problem solving. He based his list of questions off of a book named, "How to solve it?" by: George Polya.
Here are the questions you can ask yourself when solving a mathematical problems:
1. What are your assumptions?
2. How is this problem related to another problems you have done?
3. Is there another way to solve it?
4. Can you explain the solution to someone else?
5. What tools could you use to help you solve this problem?
6. How can you reflect on your problem solving process?
7. How can you justify your solution?
This is what I posted on David Wees's Blog:
Hi, my name is Kayla Szymanski and I am currently enrolled in the EDM310 course. I have been assigned your blog for this week, and by this being done I have read your current post. I think that it is a very good idea to give your students questions they can ask themselves while problem solving. As a former math student myself, sometimes just seeing a math problem will freak you out enough to where you don't even want to begin. I think by giving your students these quick questions it will ease this sensation that I repeatedly felt while taking math courses. Also just a tip I think maybe you could condense these rules into about 5 quick easy steps. This would be a great class motto or easy memorizing learning tool for each of your students. They could use it as a way to self check themselves while solving problems too. I had a teacher that once gave us a saying, and each word meant; subtract, multiply, etc.,and it worked. You will be surprised what works and sticks in your students heads.
C4T #1
Author: Davis Wees
Title: Thoughts from a 21st Century Educator
Twitter: +David Wees
Blog: David Wees's Blog
David Wees is a math teacher trying to help his students learn how to double check themselves while solving math problems. He wrote in his blog about how he was trying to compile a list of questions for his students to use while problem solving. He based his list of questions off of a book named, "How to solve it?" by: George Polya.
Here are the questions you can ask yourself when solving a mathematical problems:
1. What are your assumptions?
2. How is this problem related to another problems you have done?
3. Is there another way to solve it?
4. Can you explain the solution to someone else?
5. What tools could you use to help you solve this problem?
6. How can you reflect on your problem solving process?
7. How can you justify your solution?
This is what I posted on David Wees's Blog:
Hi, my name is Kayla Szymanski and I am currently enrolled in the EDM310 course. I have been assigned your blog for this week, and by this being done I have read your current post. I think that it is a very good idea to give your students questions they can ask themselves while problem solving. As a former math student myself, sometimes just seeing a math problem will freak you out enough to where you don't even want to begin. I think by giving your students these quick questions it will ease this sensation that I repeatedly felt while taking math courses. Also just a tip I think maybe you could condense these rules into about 5 quick easy steps. This would be a great class motto or easy memorizing learning tool for each of your students. They could use it as a way to self check themselves while solving problems too. I had a teacher that once gave us a saying, and each word meant; subtract, multiply, etc.,and it worked. You will be surprised what works and sticks in your students heads.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Blog Post#13 (A Collaborative Post)
What can we learn from these TED talks?
Video #7: Teaching One Child At A Time
By: Kayla Szymanski
Shulka Bose presents a presentation about a foundation she started at her kitchen table called, "Educating Our Poor, more than just a number game." She went and visited some of India's slums and found tons of poverty stricken children, who would never have the opportunity to attend school. This breaks my heart, I recently took a mission trip to the Honduran slums and this video reminds me of all the children I came in contact with. In the city I was staying in, the life span of a Honduran man was 50 years of age. As a teacher we will never know what are students are going through. Mrs. Mrs. Shulka would daily play with the children and be exhausted by the end of the day. By the end of the day she would have a memory of each smiling face she had impacted. She talks about millions of children who actually attend school but cannot do basic math, and have problems in other academic areas. But Shulka says, they are not in the number game. She wants to focus on one child at a time, getting them into college and into a successful job. She taught 165 children in a roofless building, she also teaches their parents in an after schooling program. Mrs. Shulka has an amazing story and an awesome love for teaching, she is truly an inspiration. I admire her for so many reasons, one being that I have been there and saw how these children live day to day. Being a new teacher we need to keep in mind that all of our students will not be perfectly dressed, groomed, or even have a stable home life. This is why we have to make sure and help each child individually, some children might need extra attention, that others will not. Shulka states that children have to believe that change is possible. In a poverty stricken world she has given each of these children hope, hope in becoming more than their parents could ever imagine. This in my opinion, is the definition of a true teacher.
Video #2 Turning Trash into Toys for Learning By:Arvind Gupta
By:Alyssa Sherman
In Arvind Gupta's talk he shows different toys that children can make themselves for very little or no cost. Many of these toys are based on a scientific priciple, such as a motor or a whistle made from a straw. These toys can be used in a classroom as tool to teach with while keeping students interested and active. The main thing that any teacher or soon-to-be-teacher can learn from this talk is that while it is important for students to be active participants in the learning process, this does not mean that classrooms must use the latest technology. Many schools are not able to afford computers or tablets for that classrooms and the students often don't have access to these devices at home. This is when it becomes important for teachers to get creative and use the resources they have available, such as straws, paper clips, batteries, and newspapers. Arvind Gupta proves in his demonstration that computers are not neccessary to teach and engage students, but rather for teachers and adults to be creative and show children what can be done with the simplest things.
One of the most striking statements that Arvind Gupta said was how "the best thing a child can do to the toy is to break it." This is interesting because most people would think the opposite, especially if resources are scarce. What good is a broken toy?Many people use the phrase "you learn more from failure than you do from success". The same applies when children create toys. They can better learn how it works and the science behind their invention by breaking it apart and testing different situations. In the video Gupta demonstrates how the sound changes in his straw whistle when you cut off the end. This would never have been discovered if not for testing it and "breaking" the original toy. Children are naturally curious so it makes sense that they would want to try experimenting with their home-made toys.
http://explaining-science.co.uk/arvind-guptas-science-toys/
A Girl Who Demanded a School
By: Kakenya Ntaiya
There is a group of people in Kenya called the Maasai. Boys are meant to be warriors and the girls are meant to be mothers. Kakenya Ntaiya was engaged at five years old and was supposed to be married when she hit puberty. At the age of puberty, Maassai women participate in a ceremony that the community considers a rite of passage. Female circumcision is part of the ceremony. Kakenya realized that after the ceremony she could no longer peruse her dream of being a teacher because she would have to quit school. She made a deal with her father: She would undergo the traditional Maasai rite of passage of female circumcision if he would let her go to high school. Her father agreed to avoid shame from the community. After she finished high school she received a scholarship to Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Virginia. After she arrived in America and began college she learned that the ceremony she went through involved genital mutilation and was illegal in Kenya. When she returned to Kenya she decided she wanted to find a way to give back to her community. She built a school for girls because she wanted them to have a place to feel safe. Because of Kakenya Ntaiya, there are 125 girls that will never have to be mutilated or be married at the age of 12. At the end of the video Kakenya says " be the first: people will follow".
Haylee Marrs: No Work Submitted
Video #7: Teaching One Child At A Time
By: Kayla Szymanski
Shulka Bose presents a presentation about a foundation she started at her kitchen table called, "Educating Our Poor, more than just a number game." She went and visited some of India's slums and found tons of poverty stricken children, who would never have the opportunity to attend school. This breaks my heart, I recently took a mission trip to the Honduran slums and this video reminds me of all the children I came in contact with. In the city I was staying in, the life span of a Honduran man was 50 years of age. As a teacher we will never know what are students are going through. Mrs. Mrs. Shulka would daily play with the children and be exhausted by the end of the day. By the end of the day she would have a memory of each smiling face she had impacted. She talks about millions of children who actually attend school but cannot do basic math, and have problems in other academic areas. But Shulka says, they are not in the number game. She wants to focus on one child at a time, getting them into college and into a successful job. She taught 165 children in a roofless building, she also teaches their parents in an after schooling program. Mrs. Shulka has an amazing story and an awesome love for teaching, she is truly an inspiration. I admire her for so many reasons, one being that I have been there and saw how these children live day to day. Being a new teacher we need to keep in mind that all of our students will not be perfectly dressed, groomed, or even have a stable home life. This is why we have to make sure and help each child individually, some children might need extra attention, that others will not. Shulka states that children have to believe that change is possible. In a poverty stricken world she has given each of these children hope, hope in becoming more than their parents could ever imagine. This in my opinion, is the definition of a true teacher.
Video #2 Turning Trash into Toys for Learning By:Arvind Gupta
By:Alyssa Sherman
In Arvind Gupta's talk he shows different toys that children can make themselves for very little or no cost. Many of these toys are based on a scientific priciple, such as a motor or a whistle made from a straw. These toys can be used in a classroom as tool to teach with while keeping students interested and active. The main thing that any teacher or soon-to-be-teacher can learn from this talk is that while it is important for students to be active participants in the learning process, this does not mean that classrooms must use the latest technology. Many schools are not able to afford computers or tablets for that classrooms and the students often don't have access to these devices at home. This is when it becomes important for teachers to get creative and use the resources they have available, such as straws, paper clips, batteries, and newspapers. Arvind Gupta proves in his demonstration that computers are not neccessary to teach and engage students, but rather for teachers and adults to be creative and show children what can be done with the simplest things.
One of the most striking statements that Arvind Gupta said was how "the best thing a child can do to the toy is to break it." This is interesting because most people would think the opposite, especially if resources are scarce. What good is a broken toy?Many people use the phrase "you learn more from failure than you do from success". The same applies when children create toys. They can better learn how it works and the science behind their invention by breaking it apart and testing different situations. In the video Gupta demonstrates how the sound changes in his straw whistle when you cut off the end. This would never have been discovered if not for testing it and "breaking" the original toy. Children are naturally curious so it makes sense that they would want to try experimenting with their home-made toys.
A Girl Who Demanded a School
By: Kakenya Ntaiya
There is a group of people in Kenya called the Maasai. Boys are meant to be warriors and the girls are meant to be mothers. Kakenya Ntaiya was engaged at five years old and was supposed to be married when she hit puberty. At the age of puberty, Maassai women participate in a ceremony that the community considers a rite of passage. Female circumcision is part of the ceremony. Kakenya realized that after the ceremony she could no longer peruse her dream of being a teacher because she would have to quit school. She made a deal with her father: She would undergo the traditional Maasai rite of passage of female circumcision if he would let her go to high school. Her father agreed to avoid shame from the community. After she finished high school she received a scholarship to Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Virginia. After she arrived in America and began college she learned that the ceremony she went through involved genital mutilation and was illegal in Kenya. When she returned to Kenya she decided she wanted to find a way to give back to her community. She built a school for girls because she wanted them to have a place to feel safe. Because of Kakenya Ntaiya, there are 125 girls that will never have to be mutilated or be married at the age of 12. At the end of the video Kakenya says " be the first: people will follow".
Haylee Marrs: No Work Submitted
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Blog Post #12 (A Collaborative Assignement)
What can we learn from Sir Ken Robinson?
Changing Education Paradigms:
Sir Robinson starts his video by describing several changes that are taking place in our public school systems across the globe. He talks about our economic future, and our cultural beings. Mr. Robinson simply states that people today are trying to meet their future needs by following in the footsteps of the past. Today in our society an educational degree will not guarantee a good career. In fact technology is becoming so rapid in our school systems, teachers will almost be obsolete in the future. Mr. Robinson also states how students diagnosed with ADHD are constantly distracted by their electronic devices. This makes you wonder, if we could channel our teaching strategies to match their technological lives maybe they wouldn't be so distracted? Bringing technology into the classroom is the best way to fill the gap between your teaching techniques, and the way they live their everyday life. Technology gets your students involved, they are no longer bored, and they are always engaged. This video is a great inspiration to all starting out teachers, it will open you eyes and show you that the old ways of teaching are not acceptable anymore. Why would you teach in a outdated way, your only hindering your students ability to learn? Near the end of Mr. Robinson's lecture he says that the most great learning experiences come from group activities. This video basically is trying to portray that the school systems need to get away from standardization and go to divergent thinking. Divergent thinking is the essential capacity for creativity and to see multiple answers, not just one. Instead of teaching memorization skills, teachers should try and enforce the importance of using your imagination and creativity in everyday life. This video will open your eyes to the problems of how student are being taught in our educational school systems today. The entire idea of EMD310 I think, is to stop this cookie cutter mold that society has put on teachers, and teaching methods.
The Importance of Creativity
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html
In this video Sir Ken Robinson explains how modern education standards effects children's creativity. This video was very interesting and informative. Sir Robinson says that because the standards of education and intelligence are aimed at the typical "acedemic" subjects, such as math, science, language, and social sciences, children are steered away from any creativity or talents they may have in the arts. The lesson he tells listeners is that teachers should allow students to be creative and do what they are naturally talented in. A student who is a dancer should not be forced to sit still in class to study math and science. This is an extremely important lesson to learn as future teachers. Not every student will succeed by siting and listening to a lecture on science, or other acedemic class. Teachers must be ready and willing to encourage students to be creative and do what they feel is right. Sir Ken Robinson makes an excellent point that everyone involved in education should be aware of and follow.
What can we learn from Sir Ken Robinson?
Sir Ken Robinson - Bring on the learning revolution!
There are two types of people in this world: People who enjoy what they do and endure it and people who love what they do and speak to their authentic selves.
Education keeps people from their natural talents. Talents must be searched for because they will not be lying on the surface. In education we need change. We need a revolution - it needs to be transformed into something else. Abraham Lincoln is quoted saying "We must rise with the occasion; not to it". I like this quote because he is saying we must be engaged. Ken points out that most teenagers don't wear watches because adults grew up in a time when if you needed something you wore it. Kids these days are growing up in a digitized world - the time is everywhere. Life is not linear it is organic. By linear, Ken means we are on a track that we follow and if we follow it correctly we end up set for the rest of our life. By organic, Ken means we create our lives symbiotically as we explore our talents in relation to circumstances they help to create for us. He says the pentacle for education is getting into college, although not everyone needs to go to college. The heart of the challenge is to reconstitute our sense of ability and of intelligence. He discusses the fact that parents are competitive and kinder gardeners are being interviewed these days. It is a bit ridiculous that such young children have to compete for a place in kindergarten. Human talent is tremendously diverse. People are often good at things that they don't really care for. Passion is to love the things you are good at. Ken says that we need to understand that learning is an organic process. The outcome cannot be predicted.
How to Escape Education's Death Valley
By: Ken Robinson
In this video, Ken Robinson speaks about the problems with No Child Left Behind and the educational system in America. He says that No Child Left Behind is ironic because millions of children are being left behind. 60% of kids are dropping out of school in some parts of the country, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. He believes that education in America is going in the wrong direction. No Child Left Behind is based on conformity instead of diversity. He says that human beings are naturally diverse and that no two children are the same. NCLB focuses on standardized tests instead of focusing learning in all subjects. He believes that standardized tests are important, but they should not be the dominant part of education.
He also said that the role of a teacher is to facilitate learning. Education cannot be improved if you do not pick great people to teach and give them constant support for professional development. At the end of the video he compares the educational system to death valley. It is hot, dry, and nothing there will grow. Death valley received 7 inches of rain in the winter of 2004. The floor of the valley was covered in flowers in the spring. He concluded that death valley isn't dead, it is only dormant.
Changing Education Paradigms:
Sir Robinson starts his video by describing several changes that are taking place in our public school systems across the globe. He talks about our economic future, and our cultural beings. Mr. Robinson simply states that people today are trying to meet their future needs by following in the footsteps of the past. Today in our society an educational degree will not guarantee a good career. In fact technology is becoming so rapid in our school systems, teachers will almost be obsolete in the future. Mr. Robinson also states how students diagnosed with ADHD are constantly distracted by their electronic devices. This makes you wonder, if we could channel our teaching strategies to match their technological lives maybe they wouldn't be so distracted? Bringing technology into the classroom is the best way to fill the gap between your teaching techniques, and the way they live their everyday life. Technology gets your students involved, they are no longer bored, and they are always engaged. This video is a great inspiration to all starting out teachers, it will open you eyes and show you that the old ways of teaching are not acceptable anymore. Why would you teach in a outdated way, your only hindering your students ability to learn? Near the end of Mr. Robinson's lecture he says that the most great learning experiences come from group activities. This video basically is trying to portray that the school systems need to get away from standardization and go to divergent thinking. Divergent thinking is the essential capacity for creativity and to see multiple answers, not just one. Instead of teaching memorization skills, teachers should try and enforce the importance of using your imagination and creativity in everyday life. This video will open your eyes to the problems of how student are being taught in our educational school systems today. The entire idea of EMD310 I think, is to stop this cookie cutter mold that society has put on teachers, and teaching methods.
The Importance of Creativity
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html
In this video Sir Ken Robinson explains how modern education standards effects children's creativity. This video was very interesting and informative. Sir Robinson says that because the standards of education and intelligence are aimed at the typical "acedemic" subjects, such as math, science, language, and social sciences, children are steered away from any creativity or talents they may have in the arts. The lesson he tells listeners is that teachers should allow students to be creative and do what they are naturally talented in. A student who is a dancer should not be forced to sit still in class to study math and science. This is an extremely important lesson to learn as future teachers. Not every student will succeed by siting and listening to a lecture on science, or other acedemic class. Teachers must be ready and willing to encourage students to be creative and do what they feel is right. Sir Ken Robinson makes an excellent point that everyone involved in education should be aware of and follow.
What can we learn from Sir Ken Robinson?
Sir Ken Robinson - Bring on the learning revolution!
There are two types of people in this world: People who enjoy what they do and endure it and people who love what they do and speak to their authentic selves.
Education keeps people from their natural talents. Talents must be searched for because they will not be lying on the surface. In education we need change. We need a revolution - it needs to be transformed into something else. Abraham Lincoln is quoted saying "We must rise with the occasion; not to it". I like this quote because he is saying we must be engaged. Ken points out that most teenagers don't wear watches because adults grew up in a time when if you needed something you wore it. Kids these days are growing up in a digitized world - the time is everywhere. Life is not linear it is organic. By linear, Ken means we are on a track that we follow and if we follow it correctly we end up set for the rest of our life. By organic, Ken means we create our lives symbiotically as we explore our talents in relation to circumstances they help to create for us. He says the pentacle for education is getting into college, although not everyone needs to go to college. The heart of the challenge is to reconstitute our sense of ability and of intelligence. He discusses the fact that parents are competitive and kinder gardeners are being interviewed these days. It is a bit ridiculous that such young children have to compete for a place in kindergarten. Human talent is tremendously diverse. People are often good at things that they don't really care for. Passion is to love the things you are good at. Ken says that we need to understand that learning is an organic process. The outcome cannot be predicted.
How to Escape Education's Death Valley
By: Ken Robinson
In this video, Ken Robinson speaks about the problems with No Child Left Behind and the educational system in America. He says that No Child Left Behind is ironic because millions of children are being left behind. 60% of kids are dropping out of school in some parts of the country, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. He believes that education in America is going in the wrong direction. No Child Left Behind is based on conformity instead of diversity. He says that human beings are naturally diverse and that no two children are the same. NCLB focuses on standardized tests instead of focusing learning in all subjects. He believes that standardized tests are important, but they should not be the dominant part of education.
He also said that the role of a teacher is to facilitate learning. Education cannot be improved if you do not pick great people to teach and give them constant support for professional development. At the end of the video he compares the educational system to death valley. It is hot, dry, and nothing there will grow. Death valley received 7 inches of rain in the winter of 2004. The floor of the valley was covered in flowers in the spring. He concluded that death valley isn't dead, it is only dormant.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
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