Blog Post 6- Asking Questions: What questions do we ask? How do we ask?

Asking questions- is there a right or wrong way to go about it? Yes, this is especially true as a teacher. Why?

here are some links that show how best to do this.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/asking-better-questions-deeper-learning-ben-johnson


http://teachingcenter.wustl.edu/strategies/Pages/asking-questions.aspx

http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-professor-blog/three-ways-to-ask-better-questions-in-the-classroom/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFMfEVdfDys

http://cet.usc.edu/resources/teaching_learning/docs/Asking_Better_Questions.pdf

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/10/for-students-why-the-question-is-more-important-than-the-answer/

http://youtu.be/5uKqs3D0Z0M

things to consider when asking questions -from-http://michelleburger.wordpress.com/page/6/

Students answering teacher’s question-raising hands-from-http://roshrulez.wordpress.com

Asking questions process-from-https://www.google.com/search

student asking teacher questions-from-https://www.google.com/search

teacher asking questions-https://www.google.com/search

The things to do/consider when asking questions:

• Prepare in advance when planning to ask your students questions-this will help your mind more attuned to what you are asking the students
• ask your own questions to yourself before asking your students
• consider if the question is relevant to what you want to teach
• consider if the question simply gives an answer or does it lead the students to the answer(which is what your goal should be)
• consider your goals for your questions
• consider whether or not the questions are challenging enough, too challenging or not challenging enough for your students' comprehension levels of the concept you are trying to teach
• do not assume that some students will know more than others and that some will sit silently and some will answer more during the discussion
• consider whether or not the students are going to be interested in the questions you are proposing.
• consider what your students' needs are when asking them your proposed questions.
• consider the size of your class and how they respond when asking questions-remember, every student is different. No two people are exactly the same.
• consider this question-do the questions you are proposing inspire your students to create and engage them in the learning process?

I think asking the right questions is important, because if you don't ask the question, how will you ever find the answer. 

Project # 8- Book Trailer on- "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" by Judy Blume

Project #7- This Is My Sentence/Passion Videos

Blog Post 5:How Can iCurio and Discovery Ed Be Used Effectively in Your Instruction? iCurio presentation- prezi

C4T # 1 summary

C4T-# 1  I had the wonderful opportunity to comment on Wesley Fryer's blog- Moving At The Speed of Creativity. I really enjoyed reading and commenting on his blog. It had a lot of interesting and fascinating information.


comment 1-  my first comment was on his post- Why Don't Some Teachers Let Students Create in Class? here's a link to the post on his blog so you can see my comment- http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2013/08/27/why-dont-some-teachers-let-students-create-in-class/

This post talked about all of the reasons that some (not all) teachers don't let their students create in class and do hands-on assignments. He went into much detail and talked about why it happens,and even used graphics to show all of the reasons some teachers don't let students create in class.

my comment let him know I found the post interesting and that I believed in creativity, as well as talking about ho it helps to students more if they are  able to create in class than if they don't create.

comment 2-the second comment was about Dr. Fryer's post about his conference presentation on opening doors for students for creating using technology, Here is a link to the post I commented on so you can see my comment (once it gets approved.-if it does at all)- http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2013/09/11/opening-doors-for-students-an-iste-2013-ignite-presentation/

This post showed his presentation, which talked about technology allowing students to be able to create more and in new ways than they had in the past. He talked about the pros and cons of using technology in classrooms but emphasized how much good it can do for students and how practice with creativity using technology really helps them.

my comment let him know his post was interesting and that I agreed that technology does open the door
to creativity for students and that it lets them learn in a way that they hadn't been able to previously. I also talked about it being important to the learning process and asked a question about why technology isn't implemented in every classroom.

Project # 3- Presentation on Project-Based Learning

Blog Post 4-Why Podcasts? How do we do a podcast?

What is a podcast?
a podcast is a file in which a video and a powerpoint becomes an mp3 format that can be listened to on an ipod or an mp3 player and can be listened to anytime and shared anywhere you wish it to be shared to.

How do you do a podcast? Podcasts are really simple to do-just record it using video software such as a webcam or using skype, etc. After you record your video you can upload it to a videoshare website such as YouTube. Next you create a powerpoint if applicable, and then you use software such as imovie to convert it to any other form you wish it to be in. Then you would share your podcast with whoever you want to view the entire podcast.

listening to a podcast on mp3 player-from-https://www.google.com/search

Why do we do them? Podcasts are important to learning because there are many auditory learners who love to listen to things on ipods or mp3s. It is also important to learning because it allows students to take their lessons anywhere they go using technology. It is also important so students can get information anytime, anywhere without having to ask anyone any questions about it-why would students want this? This is because students don't want to have to rely on their teacher for information, they want to be able to figure it out for themselves and be self-sufficient learners and resourceful individuals.

podcasting logo-from-https://www.google.com/search

podcast symbol-from-https://www.google.com/search

what a podcast is-from-https://www.google.com/search

Blog Post 3- How can you provide meaningful feedback for your peers?

After looking over all of the peer reviewing tips provided in the EDM 310 instructions, I fully believe that these materials will help me be a better peer reviewer. After looking over the materials I now fully understand how to give quality feedback using peer review, and I understand the problems with peer review. I believe learning how to properly do peer reviews is an essential part of the learning process and helps others learn as well. I found these materials interesting as well as informative, but most of all, helpful. Through the materials I learned that many things were important in peer review-and that is complimenting what was done well, suggestions for improvement and staying positive when giving suggestions for improvement. Why stay positive? Because peer reviews are not meant to be overly critical of a person's work but to be constructive criticism that can help them improve. It is so important to learn how to peer review because as a teacher part of the job is to review students' work and show them what they can do better.

man looking over plans for review-from-https://www.google.com/search

paper being reviewed-from-https://www.google.com/search

man reviewing work using rubric/checklist-from-https://www.google.com/search

Blog Post 2- “What Will Teaching In The 21st Century Be Like"-collaborative project-Braque group-Morgan Rushlow, Daniel LoVett and Mary Brabston

Dr. Dancelot video response with Daniel LoVett and Mary Brabston.

Mr. Dancealot went about trying to teach the students dances by using the lecture/regurgitation model of education instead of demonstrating and letting the students perform the dances for themselves until the exam, which was not a good way to go about it. Why? because the students were confused, bored and unsure about what to do when it came time for the exam- the students were not engaged in the learning process- it was unable to start up for them-just like a vehicle that has lost its fuel and oil and can’t start, demonstration and hands-on experiences with concepts are the fuel that drives the learning process and learning can’t begin without it. This shows a problem in education still today because this method of education is still use  and it causes the same problems for the students that it did in this video. My thought was-hope those students were able to figure out how to do the dances on their own and pass Mr. Dancealot’s test.

Morgan Rushlow individual video response- “Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts”

Vicky Davis in this video- “Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts” believes that learning is better done simply by doing and finding information than just being lectured to. Davis believes that students can learn more in just a few short days of just doing research and getting practice with concepts than they would simply learning through lecture-or rote learning in a month. She believes that learning  about  using technology through just using it for whatever it is, research, or creating something is a better way to learn than just sitting  through a lecture. She believes you don’t have to know everything right away to learn, you just need some demonstration from trained experts and practice.

Mary Brabston individual video response- “The Networked Student”

“The Networked Student” by Wendy Drexler was a very interesting clip to watch and to think about.  In the 21st century, teachers and students are quickly realizing that technology is not only used for entertainment purposes but for educational purposes also.  Teachers are no longer using handouts and textbooks to educate students instead they are using laptops, and iPads to educate their students.  Some students feel that since all of their assignments, assessments, and projects are completed online that they basically do not even have a teacher or an instructor and they are the ones actually educating themselves which brings up a great question: “why does the networked student even need a teacher?”

One of the main theories in Wendy Drexler’s video is connectivism, which is a theory that presumes that learning occurs as part of a social network of many diverse connections and ties, but this network is only made possible through various tools and technology.   Drexler makes a good point that, “the tools are not as important though as the connections made possible through them,” referring to how important it is for students to make personal connections first to establish their own personal learning networking system.  Creating a personal learning network system is quite easy in today’s society since there are so many social networking websites such as Facebook, linked-in, twitter, blogspot etc.  Once a student either posts or shares a status, blogs, or tweets a website, article, video etc. about a specific topic they have found interesting, others too that have the same interest in that topic can comment and use the information they found.  Social media has opened doors for many educational purposes in the 21st century.  

Another 21st century technology device that can be used for educational purposes is an iTouch or an iPhone.  Since both the iTouch and iPhone is under the Apple operating system, students use the iTunes store to explore educational podcasts, videos, sound clips etc. about a specific topic they are interested in learning about.  iTunes also has a program called “iTunes U” which has tons of recorded courses and lectures from actual professors from top universities such as Yale, Stanford, Harvard, and other huge universities.  Students are becoming more of their own teacher today with all of these 21st technologies that are available because they are in control of what they are using as sources for their information.  It is also very important for any online student or any student in general to make sure they get class information/research from a credible website such as google scholar or an university or college school database system.  Students automatically assume once they find information or research that it is credible and useful but with today’s technology and various search engines, the information they could be using could be completely false.

Daniel Lovett individual video response- "Teaching in the 21st Century”

Kevin Roberts ultimately thinks that teaching in the 21st century means that “teachers are no longer the main source of information, they are filters,” and I could not agree more. As more technology is introduced into the average American classroom, educators need to implement these tools so that their students may look up information on their own, and not be “spoon-fed” facts. This ultimately leads students to do the same thing when asked an everyday question such as: “who should I vote for? Roberts sees teaching changing toward a more facilitating role. Teaching is changing due to the fact that an average student is capable of having access to an endless amount of information very easily. Information may be accessed through cellphones, Wikipedia, Facebook, Twitter, Google, online surveys, etc. I feel very convicted about the positions expressed in this video. Students need to learn that every question is followed by answering with creativity.To create, students must research, upload, post, link, network, and collaborate with others. Using any of these creativity techniques will give students a better chance at a deeper understanding of material. This Prezi by Kevin Roberts will affect me as an educator in many ways but overall it will help me be more efficient. I will show my students how publish and evaluate their work by using wikis, video, audio, and graphics. They will collaborate by using Skype, Google Docs, Twitter, Facebook, and create e-portfolios which they can reflect on their work and see progress. I will engage students rather than entertain them.

students using computers-from-https://www.google.com/search

the transition of education from traditional to digital/PBL learning-from-https://www.google.com/search

brain working-from-https://www.google.com/search

graduation cap and diploma-from-https://www.google.com/search