Podcasting

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Posted by Charles | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on November 30, 2015

podcastingPhoto Reference: http://justforcrits.com/podcasts-podcasts-everywhere/

Here is my first attempt at podcasting.  For this first episode I interviewed three students to gain their perspective on technology how it is being implemented in the classroom.

 

21st-Century Skills

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Posted by Charles | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on November 19, 2015

title2

 

     My first impression about www.P21.com is that it has a wealth of information.  At first it seems a little overwhelming and I was not sure where to start.  After reading the mission statement, it was clear the intent of the website was to build a collaborative environment between education, business, community, and government.  With the aid of this collaboration, students can begin to build 21st-century skills to thrive in the evolving workforce.  It is evident that the world we live in today is different from fifteen years ago, so it would stand to reason that the skills and the technology that is needed today are also different.

After exploring the site a little deeper, I was intrigued to find “21st-century student outcomes.”  These are the skills that students should display in order to succeed in life and in the workplace.  (1) Content Knowledge and 21st Century Themes is the first outcome listed.  It goes without saying that students should have a firm grasp of content knowledge.  The students should have skills in Math, English,  Science, and History to name a few.  In an effort to increase the rigor of these courses it is suggested to implement 21st -century interdisciplinary themes into the curriculum.  Some themes that are presented are Global awareness, financial, economic, business and entrepreneurial literacy, Civic literacy, Health literacy, and  Environmental literacy.  (2) The second outcome should be Learning and Innovation Skills.  This outcome should focus on  creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration.  Resources and additional information is provided to address each of these areas.  (3) The third outcome is information, media, and technology skills.  With the increase in the use of technology in the day-to-day operation of many jobs, students must become comfortable with the implementation of this technology (P21).

 (P21, 2011)

   It was refreshing to see how many companies and organizations participate in P21.  As a member, the companies have the opportunity to shape the landscape of how to implement the framework of 21st-century learning.  It is with this collaboration that change can begin to take place.  I found the abundance of resources to be the most beneficial to me.  As a teacher, resources that provide examples of what 21st-century learning looks like is a benefit.  The YouTube video titled “Above and Beyond” did a great job of demonstrating the possibilities when students communicate, collaborate, think critically, and implement creativity  into their projects.  This is a demonstration of what they call the 4C’s.    I was also impressed with a high school in Manor Texas, that infused Project Based Learning into their district.   It was shocking to hear that within a four-year period (9th – 12th) students will have participated in over 200 projects.  Each year students partake in about 50 projects, and students are required to complete 40 hours of community service.  The results of this project based learning are also very impressive.  Manor High School is graduating 98% of their student body with 100% of these students accepted into college (Nobori 2012).  I was enthused to see that a sample of the implementation of one of these projects which were provided by Edutopia, view sample at http://tinyurl.com/njf5ydd. 

After visiting P21, I am motivated to implement some of the great  ideas into my classroom.  While I have always been a big fan of project-based learning, I have been hesitant to immerse myself in the concept.  I am willing to make the commitment this year to address the 4C’s more frequently through project-based learning.  As an educator, I owe it to my students to provide tools that are necessary to succeed in today’s world.  While covering content still plays a valuable role in education, we must provide students with a deeper and more meaningful experience within the content.

Upon reading one of my students blogs, I learned that he was interested in creating an after-school gaming club.  Due to the early stages of this gaming club, he is in need of a sponsor.  I thought, what a wonderful opportunity to implement the 4C’s (communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity)  into a subject matter that the group of students already enjoys.  Why limit students to just playing games when they can be creating the game.  My vision would be for students to communicate and collaborate in the design process.  During this design process, students could use critical thinking to develop their characters and environments.   The student would then have the opportunity to create their game using technologies such as sploder, gamemaker3D, and flowlab. While I am sure there will be challenges along the way, the students will benefit tremendously.

References

Partnership for 21st Century Skills
http://www.p21.org/

Nobori, M. (2012, May 23) A Step-by-Step Guide to the Best Projects. Edutopia.com. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/stw-project-based-learning-best-practices-guide

P21 (Producer). (2011). Above & Beyond [Web Video] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTbuFN8_D_s#t=27

Image Source

http://21stcenturyskillsbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/title2.jpg

Blogs and Their Implementation

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Posted by Charles | Posted in walden | Posted on November 5, 2015

start-a-blog-now

I consider myself fairly new to blogging, however now that I am teaching a web design course for the very first time, I find myself delving into uncharted territory. I find myself wearing many hats this year, I am teaching Geometry, Robotics, Web Design, and an Audio-Visual course. Along with these courses, I am also serving as the High School Web Master. One of the requirements for my Web Design students is for them to create and utilize their own blog. I chose to set the example for my students and create my very first blog. While my blog is still in the early stages of development, I have found many benefits for both my students and me.

I choose to create and use a blog for several reasons. One of the first ideas I had was to utilize the blog to share students work and showcase their products. Students are creating some great products and I felt it would be nice to share those products with their parents and the community. After posting these products, I thought why not utilize this platform to have students reflect about their project or product. I now have students posting comments regarding projects and reflecting on what they may do differently in the future. The posting by students has also had the added benefit of reinforcing writing skills. My district requires teachers, of all content areas, to have students write critically. The blog postings will provide my students the opportunity to write critically.

At this point, my blog has been used more to showcase students work, and a platform for students to reflect on their work, however, I do intend to share thoughts and ideas for my colleagues and others that are interested. It is my belief that everyone has something to offer. I have had the opportunity to learn and implement some great ideas from others that have shared through their blogs. My hope is that one day I will have the opportunity to return the favor.

While I have found many benefits from creating my own blog, students have also found some benefits of their own.   While some students were a little hesitant about creating a blog, others were very excited. Many students expressed to me that they had always wanted to start a blog, but were not sure how to. After a few days of designing and writing, many students were off and running. In an effort to encourage students to take ownership of their blog, I provided them the opportunity to use the blog for both personal and professional use. I made it very clear that I would share their work with others including administrators. This has helped in keeping many of the post appropriate. I have learned so much about my students through their blogs; it is amazing what some of these students are interested in. The blogs have really given the students the opportunity to share their interests and still have some educational value. Students have also had the opportunity to share their own projects, by posting their work and reflections on their blog. As students are in the early stages of blogging, it is imperative that students are coached into posting and responding using appropriate etiquette (Laureate Education n.d)). In the age of texting and hashtags, it is important that we create rubrics for students to demonstrate what type of writing is appropriate for blogging. It must be stressed that student work is visible to the masses, and we must put effort into producing quality work.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAt this point, my focus for blogging has been concentrated on my web design students and a little with my Robotic student. As I find myself becoming more comfortable with the platform, I am eager to start implementing blogging with my Geometry students as well as my Audio Visual students.   It is important as teachers that we make connections in our practice first in an effort to understand the pedagogical implications in the class (Richardson, 2010). I see great potential in blogging with my Geometry students. I envision that blogs could be used to serve as both support and an extension of student’s math proficiency. Jayme Linton of Lenoir-Ryne University suggests that there are eight Standards of Mathematical Practice that can be enhanced and strengthened through blogging.

(1) Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them

(2) Reason abstractly and quantitatively

(3) Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others

(4) Model with Mathematics

(5) Use appropriate tools strategically

(6) Attend to precision

(7) Look for and make use of structure

(8) Look for and express regularly in repeated reasoning

Through the act of blogging there are three obvious benefits: (1) making their learning visible, (2) provide feedback between teachers and students, and (3) it also allows for students to keep a record of their learning. Many teachers already have students creating journals, so having students creating blogs is not much of a stretch (Linton).

Blogs have earned a unique spot in education. There are many benefits for teachers and students in creating blogs.  While I have much to learn about blogs and their implementation, I believe there is a definite role they play in education. It is our job as teachers to find a way to seamlessly implement them into our curriculum.

I have posted student blog samples as well as my blog under the student work tab.

 

References:

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d.). Spotlight on technology: Blogging in the classroom [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Linton, J (2013, February 5). Using Student Blogs to Develop Proficiency with Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practice. Retrieved from http://www.fractuslearning.com/2013/02/05/student-blogs-common-core-math/

 

Image References:

http://konacompany.com/3-benefits-of-blogging/

http://www.fractuslearning.com/2013/02/05/student-blogs-common-core-math/

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