Sunday, April 26, 2015

Blog Post #5 Part B

At the beginning of this semester I had a little experience and knowledge with PLN's. In class I took at my previous school I used one at it was very helpful in my performance in the course. Now, while taking this course, I have a greater knowledge of PLN's. Not only on how to use them, but different examples of them as well. For example before taking this class I had no idea that Twitter classified as a PLN. One of things that I really enjoy about using PLN's is how it is able to connect me with my class mates and teachers. I am able to not only help myself but also help out my fellow class mates when it comes to solving a problem or helping out with an assignment. I am also able to ask my teachers questions at a moments notice.

Blog Post #14

Teaching can be a Profession by Joel Klein- This is an article that was written by Joel Klein who was in charge of running New York's public school system for eight years. In his article he points out several issues with future educators and what his solutions are.

Mr. Klein's first issue is the training that those in the education field receive. He states in his article that "23 cannot boast a single (teacher education) program that provides solid math preparation resembling the practices of high-performing nations." He feels that those in the education program need to be better educated themselves before they are allowed to educate.

I agree with Mr. Klein's point that we students in the education field are not getting all the proper training we need to become the best of teachers. I do feel that it is far better than it was say even five years ago. With there being more diverse education courses, and course such as this one that help integrate technology into teaching. But there are often times in a few of my course that I feel that we as a class and even students are going through the motions. If we continue this then we can never become the educators we need to be.

His second argument is how teachers are chosen or hired. He feels that they hire anyone with an education degree. His article suggest that schools hire teachers from those who are in the top one third of their graduating class.

I'm sort of at a half and half with this argument. While I do believe that teachers need to be hired more carefully. I don't believe that they should strictly be chosen just from being in the top one third of their class. I say this because I don't feel that great teachers are great solely based on their class rank or their knowledge. While I feel a teacher must be very well educated in order to teach, I also feel that teachers need to be great with people too. Just because someone has a higher GPA or class rank doesn't mean that they can commutate or even inspire others. Teachers in the elementary to high school level see their students five days a week. Sure one can just smash knowledge in their heads but that doesn't mean that they will genuinely educate their students.

His final argument is on how teachers are rewarded. He says it is based on seniority but should be based on performance.

I completely agree with this. Having had both "experienced" but poor teachers and young but great teachers I honestly couldn't agree with this more. It is very sad to hear that teachers receive more pay more benefits etc. just because they have they have been their a certain number of years. While a teacher who has only been their a few years and has excellent student success is not awarded the
same.
Overall I thought that Klein brought up and made many great issues as well as solutions. We cannot fix the problems that we have with student education without fixing the problems that we have with those who are teaching first. These problems must be addressed as soon as possible.
 

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Project #16 Part A

Technology and Teaching


Technology is always changing, transforming and improving. We believe that technology in the classroom is key for success in getting students ready for college and a career. The earlier we start teaching them technology and working with it consistently, the better. When the students reach college and career level they will need to know technology skills to keep up. The main issue right now is that most schools are unable to provide students with the necessary technology tools. If schools were equipped to aid in technology and teaching, it would revolutionize the way students learn and communicate.

tech n teach.jpg




Group Blog--Team Panther--Using Technology and the Smart board in the Classroom

As a team we discussed how using technology in the classroom has come a long way.  No longer is there just a chalkboard and  notebooks and pencils.  Technology has moved into the classroom. Technology has entered the classroom in two outstanding forms such as smart boards and computers device with all the capabilities that go along with them. With the smart board, an oral presentation now can have visual material to go along with the lecture. The smart board still has the capabilities of a chalkboard but it gives the student and teacher options of pictures and shapes and even sound to go along with their written material. The computer device in a classroom also changes the dynamics of how learning can be achieved. With the computers devices the students can go to the internet and explore material that their teacher has assigned to them. The internet not only has written material, but the students may also be able to see pictures or even videos on the assigned material for their class.

 
                                  images



A smart board and computer devices in the classroom has definitely changed the way we perform teaching, but using project based approach to learning is one of the main reasons this technology works so effectively in the classroom. Project based learning approach can be the format to which teachers guide their class through the assignments that she would have given them. The project base learning approach has many benefits.  It can be used by individual students, small groups or even by the entire class. There is no limitation on the degree to which a student can engage in the topic because the internet has a vast amount of information on the subject and related topics given to any assignment. Project base learning has moved the class from pencil and paper to the internet. The class is no longer limited to just the knowledge of the teacher but to the unlimited vast material on the internet concerning the assigned topic. The teacher, as well as the students then both become learners of the given assignment. Technology and project base learning have started an ever changing transformation in the classroom. The only sure thing about technology and project base learning is it will continually be changing the way our students will find new ways to learn.

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Blog Post #13

Instructions:
Since I am a secondary education major in the field of social sciences I will be creating my own blog post assignment that is in the field of history. More specifically American History. I this assignment I will post links that contains  articles about the four major leaders during World War II. This are Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, and Joseph Stalin. Each student is to write a summary of the  article about these four individuals on what they have learned. Then each student will write a summary on which one of these four men they found to be the most fascinating to research and learn about and explain why.


Franklin Roosevelt: The students are required to read the article, but may watch the videos if the y so choose.









Winston Churchill War Leader:




















Adolf Hitler:

















Joseph Stalin:



Thursday, April 16, 2015

C4T#4

Post:
Me and My Dad
In this post Jeff Utecht shares a special memory with his dad. He tells those who are viewing the blog about the time he and his dad went to the Mariners practice during spring camp for baseball. He talks about how the pitchers are doing an exercise called Pitch Fielding Practice (PFP) and how as a child that this routine seemed pointless. He then tells how the Rookie Nelson Cruz hit a ball 400ft, and continued to do so two more times. But the real point of his post was to spread awareness for a disease in the brain called Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) which effects a persons speech patterns and executive functioning. He shares this with us because his dad is one of the people that suffers from this. He goes on to say that while being at the spring practice with his dad was one of his greatest memories, it is also one of his most difficult. His dad, who has a clear memory of the dad, could not show or  struggled to show any sort of emotional reaction. Jeff was torn about this because there was so much that he wanted to discus and share with his dad about the Mariners spring practice but he simply could not due to his fathers condition. Though he is distraught about his dad's condition he knows that he still has that memory.












My Comment:


Jeff,
Hi I am Patrick Roane and I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Mobile where I am currently studying secondary education in hopes to be a history teacher one day. I have been assigned post from different teachers throughout the semester, but I have to say that this is my favorite one. Like you I am extremely close to my dad. He’s the one guy I can talk to about anything, whether it’s good or bad or even if I just need advice. Also like you and your dad when it comes to both your common interest in the Mariners my dad and I have the same connection when it comes to Auburn Football. We go to home games, spring games, even practices. It’s one of the many common interest we have and it really brings us closer together each year. I am also truly sorry about your dads condition of Frontotemporal Dementia. I had no idea that this was even a condition that people can get and once again I am truly sorry for that. I also would like to say that I enjoyed to the memory you shared about you and your dad practicing for baseball. It brought back some memories of my own with my dad while reading about yours. I hope that my relationship with dad continues to grow and has the same strength that you clearly have with yours

Monday, April 13, 2015

Project #6 C4K #8#-#10

 

Post #1:


Volleyball   
Categories: Blog March 27, 2015 @ 1:06 PM 0 Comments      

Volleyball is often thought of as a boring sport, that requires little effort and skill. Those people are absolutely wrong on multiple levels because Volleyball is  actually an extremely competitive sport. You have to not only hit the ball precisely at the right time but also hit the ball in exactly the right way, while communicating  with your team members. Not only that but, you have to remember your positions and rotations or you get penalized. As for not being aggressive,  there is a reason why the players wear knee pads. Coaches will often punish players with running or push ups if they don’t make an enormous aggressive effort to get the ball. Volleyball has three main steps, bump (pass), set,and spike, explicitly in that order. Each require a lot of skill and correct positioning because even if one player moves out of position or rotates the wrong way the players will run into each other. Even thought it takes effort and practice, volleyball is one of the best sports ever.


My Comment:
March 31, 2015 at 11:25 AM Brenna,
I am Patrick Roane and I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. I completely agree with everything you have said in this post. While I have not played volleyball in an organized environment such as high school. I have played volleyball for fun and I must say that it is a difficult sport to excel at. While playing I found myself hitting the ball all over the place and I was also moving around and diving a lot. I am glad that you posted about this and hopefully after reading this post others will see how difficult this sport can be.


Post #2:



Charlotte and Ebony's School Slideshow

In this post the students Charlotte and Ebony present us a slideshow of their school which consist of their playground, classroom, and offices.

My Comment:
I am Patrick Roane and I am a student the University of South Alabama in Mobile. I found this to quite interesting and really enjoyed the slide show of your school.
 
 
Post #3:
 

 
 
Rabbit salad
Snake soup with brain sauce
Steak with teeth
Blood with a table spoon of lava
Ice cream guts
Eat up William!!!!!!!!
This is the menu that Hailey has written for William. I don't know about anyone else but this seems a little too exquisite for me.



My Comment:
 Hailey,
I am Patrick Roane and I am a student at the University of South Alabama in the EDM 310 class. I found this post to be quite enjoyable to read. It’s nice to see that you have some different ideas for the food industry. Also I don’t about William, but that rabbit soup sounds delicious!




 

Blog Post #12

<iframe src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/18cdgFHWlH7fa29LmdIbHFB409A29oh8hwGyWAR_LjCU/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000" frameborder="0" width="960" height="569" allowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true"></iframe>



CLICK ON THE LINK TO VIEW THESLIDE SHOW.

Sunday, April 12, 2015

C4T#3

Post #1: March 26, 2015
 
 
 
Teaching is a unique profession that those not in education often do not fully understand. People ask me all the time, "Why are you a teacher?" Each day I have a different answer to that question based on an experience from the day. I am a teacher and I am thankful.  Maddie, a former student, wrote a beautiful essay about me and I earned the honor of B93.3's Teacher of the Month Award. This month was filled with compliments, stories and memories about the award, my students, and my profession. I always teach my students the importance of reflecting on struggle, growth and celebrating success. I have had more than my share that led me to this point of overwhelming gratitude. I am especially thankful for my students, my family, and my professional growth.

I am incredibly thankful for my students over my twenty years of teaching.  The relationships I have built with them will be remembered for a lifetime. I treasure all the notes, visits, and updates from my former and current students. I have discovered that being a Language Arts teacher is a special gift because you are able to learn more about students through their writing, blogging and one on one conferences. My 6th grade students have always mentored younger students with writing and technology.  When I moved to Pewaukee School District, a few of my former Merton students who were experienced bloggers mentored my new 6th grade students and continue to comment on our blogs.  They are dedicated writers and mentors, and wanted to share their experience with younger students because they knew they could teach their skills to others.  I am so proud of them.  They were willing to do this for students they didn't even know at a different school.

I have also discovered that my students are the ones who help me stay the course when my life seems upside down personally or professionally.  My classroom is always a place I feel at home and accepted.  I hope my students feel that way too.  It was a hard decision for me to leave Merton after 19 years, and I wasn't sure how my students would take the news.  They understood and respected my decision and said all the right things. Students seem to find the solutions to problems that adults find complicated.  I love that about them. They take risks, innovate, collaborate, talk, smile, laugh, cry, create, fail, try again, write, all with me throughout the day.  Why am I a teacher? I am a teacher because of my students and I am so thankful for the time I get to spend with them.

Teaching is a profession that takes an enormous amount of time and dedication. You need a family that supports and understands your level of commitment to your career, but also find a balance between work and home.  I am so thankful for my husband, Chris,  who is my biggest supporter and holds our family together. He does this along with his professional role of Middle School Principal.  We have two amazing boys, 9 and 2, so our schedules are crazy.  I am grateful that he values my role as a teacher just as much as his role as a principal. We are equals, personally and professionally. The time he spends with our boys allows me to work on my professional passions. Chris is not only a great leader at work, but also at home.  I am so thankful our boys have a role model like him.

I am thankful to be selected Teacher of the Month in November for personal reasons as well as professional. 10 years ago, my mom passed away in November. She was also a teacher who made a difference in the lives of many middle school students in West Bend, WI.  Her birthday was also in November. Being raised by two dedicated educators, and now following that tradition with my own family, I am filled with pride. Why am I a teacher? I am a teacher because I have a family that supports me and has taught me the importance of education. I will always be a lifelong learner, and I hope that our boys will value education as much as my husband and I do.

Professional growth and change is something I always considered a necessity in education.  Not everyone agrees with me, but when we consider the fact that our world is ever changing, we need to look at our practices as educators and realize that professional growth and change should be ongoing.  This year I am thankful for the Pewaukee School District because they believe in professional growth and change. I have found a wonderful home at Horizon Elementary School.  My new leaders, Pete Gull and Jodi Swanson, start our staff meetings with "appreciations" for each other.  I leave our meetings with all I need to know about standards-based grading and SLO's, but I also feel thankful knowing more about my colleagues and all the great things they are doing.  I miss all my teacher friends I left after 19 years at Merton, but was welcomed by new friends at Horizon. Change is scary because it seems unknown, but if you are in a position where you are no longer growing, it's time to move on.  I am so thankful I did.  Teaching is the ultimate opportunity for professional growth and an opportunity to follow your passions.  Why am I a teacher?  I am a teacher because I believe in the power of learning and growth.

As teachers, we all have days and lessons that don't go well.  We have students who don't like us. We have parents who disagree with a decision we made. I admit that I am one of those teachers who take those criticisms to heart. I wish I could "Shake It Off" like Taylor Swift advises me to do in such a wonderful sing song way, but instead I obsess over it. I want to be the best teacher I can, and any criticism is hard to hear. That is why I wanted to write this today.  To remind myself how lucky I was to be recognized by Maddie in November of 2014, along with all the other letters, cards and emails I have received over the years.  As educators we should be thankful to everyone who supports us, celebrate, remember all our hard work, and do our best to shake off the occasional criticism.




My Comment:
Mrs. Reuter,
I am Patrick Roane and I am a student at the University of Alabama where I am studying secondary education. I really enjoyed reading this blog post. I loved how you talked how you still jeep in touch with former students or vice versa. It really shows the impact that this profession can have on people. I also enjoyed the part were you say your students are the reason that helps you keep going. We obviously don't do this for the money and you seem to show the real reason why people choose to become educators.















Post #2
Revolutions and Encouragements, Can they Co-Exist


After recording a good old fashioned podcast a couple weeks ago, I felt inclined to post a blog post in response to another post. Just like old days.
So Will Richardson references a tweet by George Couros questioning the dichotomy between acknowledging the good work of teachers and fighting for a revolutionary change in education. As someone who has argued both sides I thought I’d share how I deal with this.
People like myself and Will and George speak to a lot of teachers and I’m continually surprised at how many have not fully realized the impact and potential of technology for learning and, in particular, its disruptive nature. Then again, I sometimes forget that I have had the privilege of thinking and learning about this almost exclusively for 15 or so years. Will is a master at laying out the potential of modern learning and the problems with our current system. I’ve learned a great deal from him over the years and he continues to push my thinking and others. He’s a <insert adjective> disturber.  He’s also very respectful to teachers. But he’s been challenging people to wake up.
Of late, I’ve taken a slightly different approach with teachers. While trying to point out how things might be different, I’ve also tried to work with a strength-based approach. Since I began teaching over 25 years ago, teachers have been asked to change. Long before the conversation around technology, many districts/provinces/states have been sending the unintended message to teachers that “you’re doing it wrong” If you hear this enough, you’ll get your guard up. Most teachers I deal with can relate to this at some level. I’m trying to stop that kind of sentiment and instead have teachers reflect on what they do that works. I also suggest this needs to be shared in open, public spaces.
I couple this message with the belief that the biggest change comes in the role of the teacher. No longer should teacher and instructor be synonymous but as Phil Schlecty suggests teachers take on as their primary role, designer, and guide. This is where it begins to get uncomfortable for some. My belief is that relationships with students matter more now than ever. Technology is enabling them to focus more on the individual and the human connection becomes critical. The thing is, there are many teachers and a few schools that are already doing this well. They aren’t in need of a revolution but rather more support and encouragement.
Could our education use an overhaul? Do we need to rethink grading, groupings, assessment, etc? Yes. Currently, this is more of a political issue than a classroom issue. It’s easier to change a classroom and for me, that’s what I’m focusing on.
I still want Will to push for big changes. I don’t think it demeans teachers. But teachers are a bit gun shy and I think we need them to keep doing what’s working, share that and shift to more focus on relationships and individuals. I’m not suggesting my approach is the right one but I also think we need more than one approach.


My Comment:

Patrick Roane
Hi Dean,
I am Patrick Roane and I am a secondary education major at the University of South Alabama. I agree that technology should be implemented into more and more classrooms as it does make teaching easier and allows for students to have more freedom in their studies in order for it tot feel more personal. I also agree that many teachers "stuck in their ways" they are confident that their methods and resources are the best way for their students to learn. As I am currently learning in my EDM 310 class. The methods used by teachers even just 5 years ago are out of date and need to change in order for our students to learn.

 

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Project #14

Major Events of World War II



This project will give students an understanding of the major events that helped cause and change to outcome of World War II. Students will be into in assigned groups and prepare a PowerPoint presentation on one of the following: Germany's Invasion of Poland, Pearl Harbor, Battle of Midway, Normandy, or Hiroshima.

Links Below:

PBL Individual Rubric

PBL Group Rubric

PBL Essential Elements

Project Overview

Project Calendar



Blog Post #11

Back To The Future- This video features Brain Crosby, a 30 plus year teacher. I was able to learn several things about learning from this video about the teaching profession. I learned that students today have the opportunity to set their own learning goals and create their own learning networks. I also learned that teaching can be more that just lectures from books, but can be hands on and also involving sharing ones work. Crosby teaches us that the learning can be unlimited once the students are allowed to be creative.



Mr. Paul Anderson- This is a video blog done by Mr. Paul Anderson. In his video blog he shares the three types of questions that students ask. Factual, recall, and application, he explains that the students respond better to hands on activities.



Blended Learning Cycle- This video, which is also done by Anderson, is a video on how he incorporates the blended learning cycle in his classes.  He uses blended learning which consist  of online, mobile and classroom tools with the learning cycle of engage , evaluate, explore expand and explain. This allows us as future educators to receives different ideas on how to approach our classroom with our students in terms of how we are to teach them.







Making Thinking Visible- This is a video done by Mark Church. He explains that visualization is important in term of understanding materials and absorbing knowledge. He feels that if you really want the students to gain true understanding then you must be able to give them a visual guide. I found this to be extremely helpful and will most likely incorporate this in my future classroom.




Sam Pane 4th Grade- In this video fourth grade teacher Sam Pane how she uses a program called building comics to help her students learn. This program is extremely helpful for students, this allows them to improve their reading skills while also having a visual aid so to speak to help them fully understand what the yare reading. What I have learned is that students can learn form this program.