Chapter 10: Going Beyond the Classroom

I love how perceptive these students are. They are well aware of productive methods of learning that will interest them outside of the classroom, such as going to a local pond to clean and learn about the surrounding environment. With a teacher willing to engage students, it is incredibly possible to tie content into interesting areas, thus I am glad to see that this is happening within the schools.

I also loved that the chapter discussed bringing in other experts. A teacher that intends to provide students with the most learning and engagement will recognize that he or she is not always capable of conveying all subject matter. Instead, bringing an expert in will provide students with a new perspective and a deeper understanding of the material.

Chapter 9: When Things Go Wrong

Something that really stood out to me from this chapter was the connection between social and academic problems. It is evident that students who have a difficult time making friends will feel disconnected from the academic experience because they are uncomfortable, thus withdrawn. Although I recognized that this would be difficult for students, the accounts from students solidified this situation.

I found Lauraliz's passage especially significant. While in high school, I did all I could to simply blend into the crowd, whether in dealing with other students or with the teachers. With teachers who do not work to make the connection to their students, it is very easy for these students who do not wish to stand out to never be noticed or helped. With this realization, I would like to approach my own students in a different manner, and try to reach all students. Although it will be easier to connect with students who willingly approach me, my goal is to always have a connection between all students. I hope to find a way to make quieter students feel more comfortable.

Reaction to Behavior 101 Movie

If this were my class I would send the student down to the office and at the same time call down to the office to say that a student was on the way down for behavioral problems. I would ask them to call me when the student arrived to ensure that the student actually went. If the student would not leave or left the classroom without going to the office, I would ask that someone from the office come to get the student in order to avoid leaving the rest of my students. I would later give the student detention.

Chapter 8: Teaching Teenagers Who Are Still Learning English

I learned quite a bit from the list of questions students wish teachers would ask them. It is interesting to see how perceptive these students are of their own learning and methods of achieving this learning. Also, it is completely necessary that teachers look past language barriers and focus primarily on the concepts students are working to get across.
The thing that struck me about this chapter was the absolute willingness to learn and grow. These students have already been through the school system, yet they are working to build back to the level at which they were once proficient. The students stumble over their words as they work to tell the teacher what they want and need. They all rely upon one another for assistance through and words lost in translation. This makes me question how best to reach these students if I myself am only capable of speaking English. However, I believe their desire to learn and my desire to teach will eventually bridge the gap if we continuously work toward this goal.

Chapter 7: Teaching Difficult Academic Material

The first paragraph of this chapter made a great deal of sense to me. Although this is rather basic information, it is true that the teacher and student need to create a mutual trust in order to gain success from the classroom. If a student trusts that the teachers cares about students and wants them to learn and grow, the student will recognize that the material being taught is useful and will be more likely to be engaged. Likewise, the teacher will understand and anticipate student needs, therefore adapting lessons in a way that fosters student success. I agree with the steps leading to fostering student growth, beginning with understanding what students already know, while at the same time building upon concepts students already understand to challenge them with harder work. Complicated work should be broken down, with various methods of approaching the target growth. Finally, real life connections should be made to engage students in their learning.


A great portion of this chapter was the portion based on pushing students to think. Rather than providing answers or accepting unformulated answers, students should be pushed to challenge their own thinking and assumptions. In addition, allowing time to think and draft allows for further student understanding. If we simply ask a question and expect a response, students will not have the time it takes to think deeply about a subject and will instead shut down. Instead, giving time to consider and discuss a topic allows for further growth.

Chapter 6: Motivation and Boredom

"The mark of... something about it" (103-104). Although this quote is exaggerated, at the same time it is very true. If a teacher is passionate about the subject they teach, they can teach the students anything as it is clear that it holds significance. Another important idea is breaking away from the book and using multiple resources which will engage students. Many of the most important learning occurs through real life experiences, thus the teacher should work to get away from traditional methods and work with students' intelligences.

Another important aspect is in making sure that students understand. One student's quote states that he has informed teachers before that he does not understand, yet he has simply been urged to complete the work anyway. Teachers can not expect students to care about mastering material if they themselves are not interested in student mastery.

Chapter 5: Teaching to the Individual, Working with the Group

"When I don't... out the answer" (87). This feels extremely familiar, and I strongly long to break away from this within my own classroom. There are always students who are willing to raise their hands within the classroom and if teachers tend to favor these students, others will not work to answer questions. Students who know the answer are unwillingly to step forward and raise their hands over the others. Therefore, I want to ensure that I always wait for a few hands to raise before I call on anyone. The next thing I found significant was the method of making group work meaningful. If a teacher is well aware of the learners within the classroom she can create groups that foster learning for all students.

A significant aspect that I focused upon was progress rather than product. As students each reach learning levels at different times, the student should maintain a respect for this and work to encourage them as they build upon each level. Each product will be different, and the student must be well aware of this.

Chatper 4: Creating a Culture of Success

A very interesting aspect of this chapter was Veronica's first quote. She speaks of the challenges that students face outside the classroom and the reality that sometimes assignments will seem like a waste of time. Regardless, it is the teacher's responsibility to continue pushing the student to do better on the next assignment.

In the feedback section, I recognized the quote as I have experienced this from both a student's perspective and a teacher's perspective. Simply giving a student a negative grade without feedback will not help them to improve, but instead will discourage them from further progression. As teachers, we must always explain to students both what they have done successfully as well as where we have identified problems.

Chatper 3: Classroom Behavior

"But if teachers signal unwillingness to keep up their part, kids will immediately act to right the balance of power that makes the deal fair." (37) I fully agree with this quote. We must not work to make students trust us if we do not intend to hold up agreements we have made with them. Respect must be equal in either direction. I also really agree with the idea of putting an agenda on the board, regardless of how detailed the agenda may be. I highly depend on a syllabus when in a class, thus students should also be well aware of what they may expect within the classroom and for future homework.

A significant portion of this chapter was about interpreting student actions. Although we may believe that we understand why students act in a certain way, this chapter provides multiple possibilities. For example, if a student puts his or her head on the desk, that student may be tired, frustrated, confused, or even bored, thus moving beyond this issue may be challenging as we as educators do not know the solution. It is interesting to gain student perspectives and understand their reasoning for why they may act in a future way, as this helps me in working toward a solution.

My contributions to the WebQuest wikis

My contributions to the wiki were as follows:
1. The helpfulness of the introduction on the "Voices of the Holocaust" page.
2. The helpfulness of the task section of "The Write Stuff" page.
3. The helpfulness of the evaluation section of the "Voices of the Holocaust" page.

All found on this page:
http://webquestroles.wikispaces.com/WebQuestComponents

How to help someone use a computer.

I chose the phrase, "If it's not obvious to them, it's not obvious" because it is a statement that I absolutely identify with. When my laptop began to malfunction last year, I sought help from the company only to be talked down to as they questioned me in what was wrong with my computer. While I have grown up with technology, this is my first laptop and I had no base knowledge through which I could fix it. When I called to ask for help, they acted as though the information was obvious, yet I had no concept of how to fix my laptop. Although I was actually right, it was still frustrating to face computer specialists who speak down to me because I do not understand. The statement which I will need to work towards is "Don't take the keyboard. Let them do all the typing, even if it's slower that way, and even if you have to point them to every key they need to type. That's the only way they're going to learn from the interaction". While I have no excuse for being bad at this as I am an education major, I have a very hard time sitting back and watching students struggle, thus I have a tendency to take over rather than just instructing them through the process. This is definitely something for me to work on.
The first phrase ("If it's not obvious to them, it's not obvious") is very applicable to our project. Since we now understand the concept well, we can not forget that the people we are explaining it to do not understand.


http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/pagre/how-to-help.html

Copyright and Fair Use LR

13. In the case of the Holocaust interview, I was very surprised that it would work in such a way. It was very interesting to me as I was unaware how a scenario such as this would work. While I questioned how another school could use this material without asking permission, it makes sense as we all work to incorporate interesting information into our own products, thus why wouldn't another school? The interviewee has already given permission to use the information on the web, thus the second school has no new hoops to jump through, and can simply cite the first school as its source. This is very interesting to me. Rather than all this valuable information merely remaining on-line, it is being revamped on a new website, and even more people will now be able to use this information. Therefore, the main idea of using technology is coming through in multiple classrooms.

Copyright and Fair Use SR

1. The first question's result surprised me as I assumed this would go against copy right. However, while it states that the copying should be done only in emergencies, there are quite a few allowances, such as lost, stolen, or damaged copies, along with copies which are no longer available or overpriced. Therefore, I am still slightly confused by this rule.

6. This seems realistic to me. However, the only thing I question is why the teacher did not hold on to his sources, and the students were not asked to cite their sources within the project. Maybe this was just implied in the project descriptor?

7. This is very logical as the parents and students have already allowed the work to be posted on the website. This is evidence of learning, and it is fair that the teachers would want parents as well as other faculty members to see the students' progress. In addition, it is a matter of pride for the students who worked hard on the project!

8. Students must be very careful when partaking in activities such as the one in question 8. While it seems that this would not be a problem, the student must ensure that the site used has given credit and is allowed to use the video. The student should definitely cross check his resources.

9. I was confused by this answer. Unless it is implied but not stated, wouldn't the teacher need to pay for the MP3? I understand that the MP3s themselves are payed for, yet doesn't the teacher get in trouble for not purchasing audio clips?

10. Yet again, I am confused. The teacher may use these resources within the classroom, yet she can not post it on the web? I understand that there are rules in sharing information, yet wouldn't it be assumed that as long as credits were given, this would be acceptable?

11. While this surprised me, I am glad to know that actual video footage can be used for multimedia projects. My only question is whether there are actual rules regarding videos being used for multimedia? There wasn't too large of an explanation.

12. Teachers have infinite availability to video files if used for educational purposes. Since the student was not allowed to take the shower scene from the actual movie, the teacher was permitted to do so herself.

Web 2.0 Educator

I decided to follow Wes Fryer's blogs, and was greatly intrigued by his "you can too!" mentality. As a none digital native, it is nice to read the postings of an educator who believes that it is technology's responsibility to add to the educational experience. In reading his blog, "Tuning Into Educon 2.1, you can, too!" (http://www.infinitethinking.org/), Wes describes the Educon 2.0 leadership conference and the wonderful axioms passed on by this conference. I found his incorporation of the beliefs very insightful and was intrigued by the desire to empower the student within the classroom and to incorporate technology into all aspects of the classroom, such as research and creativity. In addition, I found the idea of networking student learning very interesting, as this enables teachers to build upon previously effective methods.

In the second blog I read, Wes presents a variety of Inauguration day activities that can be used within the classroom. He created a Historical Inauguration Jeopardy, allowing students to become involved in the historic inauguration while still incorporating technology. Students are given time to search online for answers, then allowed to challenge another class. Along with this idea, the Voice Thread is also an interesting idea. Students are given the opportunity to verbally post their ideas by microphone or cell phone, encouraging students to express themselves. Finally, Wes also explains the New York Times Interactive Inaugural Word page, permitting students to view the most popular words used on inauguration day. Not only this site hold historical context, but it also expands the vocabularies of students!

In his next blog, Wes discusses Brightstorm, a program which uses educational videos to prepare high school students for college. With the realization that teenagers tend to gravitate towards the internet as a resource, Wes uses this website to captivate the attention of learners. It is evident that he hopes to captivate learners in any way which will ensure student growth and development. He researches various mediums, working to find the most effective to teach a group of students.

The final blog I looked at really captivated my attention as it used various learning techniques, ending with the use of the internet. Previous to the elections, a Vermont middle school used various types of learning, beginning with students running through a mock election, then given the opportunity to cast their votes online, which will be tallied and available to teachers to use within the classroom. The students are given multiple opportunities to learn and voice their opinions. It is evident through the posts that I have read that Wes truly does all in his power to connect the education world with a variety of teaching methods used to engage students in their learning.

Type I and Type II Technology

The difference between Type one and Type two technology is the way in which it is incorporated into the classroom. The initial reason for differentiating between type one and type two occurred when they realized that technology was not being implemented correctly into the classroom. Upon visiting a school with high grade technology only to learn that the teachers did not participate, the professors were able to recognize the vast difference between well used technology and neglected technology. Rather than allowing the student to take full control of the technology, type one instead merely guides the user through the steps and does not contribute to additional learning. In the example of the classroom, the students were instructed through the use of a recorder while the teacher was allowed to sit in the front of the room without becoming involved. Rather than permitting this, type two technology instead uses the traditional teaching methods, then builds upon lessons learned in the classroom. Students are able to use problem solving as well as cognitive thinking as they process the various simulations.

One example of type one technology is video games. While many are interactive, there are video games which simply guide the user throughout the process without forcing the user to participate. Another example is channel one news in the classroom, an expensive yet non productive education method. While some schools may be capable of productively utilizing channel one news, I have been told of many teachers who merely turned off the television during the news or spoke over the announcements. If used correctly, channel one news could be effective, yet many schools do not use it properly. The third example occurred for me during sixth grade. We were given computer classes, yet only given automated instructions while the teacher stood idly by. As for my experiences in type two technologies, I had an extremely different experience my seventh grade year. We were given laptops to use within the classroom, and the laptop was very helpful as the teachers were well trained in helping us to utilize the computers. Digital cameras can be used as type two technology as students may use cameras to enhance projects, then use this new media in coordination with videos and various power points. My final example of a type two technology is a smart board, an excellent resource in guiding students through a daily lesson. If students have laptops, they can utilize their own laptops as well as the smart board and walk through the lesson with the student. Previous to college, I had never experienced a smart board, yet I think they are one of the most useful technologies we can use within the classroom.

Chapter 2: Respect, Liking, Trust, and Fairness

I found the coaching example from this chapter to be beneficial. There is an example given of a well liked coached who never pushed his team, yet in the long run, the team was highly unsuccessful. While the players greatly enjoyed their ability to manipulate the coach, their constant loses earned the coach no respect. When they were given a new coach, they thoroughly disliked him as he forced the team to push themselves, yet they gained a sense of respect for him in the long run when they realized the effects of working harder. This was a great example as students will admit that respect is a more important factor than enjoying the person.

While a teacher may wish for his students to like him as a person, in order to gain respect the primary focus must remain upon teaching the students in an effective manner. Both teachers and students must realize that learning must come first, and all else will fall into place in time. While students may not initially like their teachers, they will eventually grow to respect them and in theory like them as a person. I think this is extremely important to keep in mind as a new teacher just entering the field. Although it may at times be difficult to come to terms with students not "liking" me, this example will help me to remember that this must not be my primary concern and that if I am an effective teacher, the rest will follow in time.

Chapter 1: Knowing Students Well

There were many aspects of chapter 1 which surprised me, yet I believe the idea of "Teacher Tours" was the most surprising. I thought it was fascinating that the students were so self empowering that they were willing to bring teachers into their neighborhoods and expose them to the lives which these students led. Although the students strictly stated that a teacher arriving at their home for conferences or to check in would be an invasion of their privacy, these students were more than willing to show teachers who they were on their own time. I found this wonderful as I never believed that students would be so willing to take control of their own lives. I would love to work toward my students trusting me in such a manner that they would wish for me to truly understand the lives they lead.

This portion of the text jumped out at me as it reminded me yet again that students will willingly trust their teachers if they believe the teacher will not betray that trust. Similar to other aspects of the text, this shows that students are not hesitant to allow teachers into their lives as long as this transition is not forced upon the student. Many of the interviewed students expressed interest in sharing their hobbies with teachers, yet they did not want these teachers to cross boundaries by attempting to fit into a very different lifestyle than their own. However, if a teacher can establish a strong yet appropriate bond between herself and her students than she will be capable of reaching these students on a whole new level.

Learning Style Inventory Results

My style scores were as follows:

Social 17
Verbal 15
Solitary 15
Aural 12
Physical 9
Logical 9
Visual 5

This information and this image were obtained through: learning-styles-online.com

I thought that the results were relatively accurate as my primary learning style was social. However, I thought it was strange that I was also mostly solitary as solitary and social clash. However, I consider the results accurate as many times I enjoy working alone, yet whenever I encounter problems I ask others for advice, and I enjoy the company of others. Verbal was equal to solitary, which makes sense as my concentration is English and I greatly enjoy discussing and analyzing various topics with others. These results made even more sense to me after I took Dr. Grace's learning styles quiz. Yet again my results showed that I am a very social, or interpersonal, learner. While solitary was extremely low on the other quiz, verbal was my secondary learning style.