I watched a video podcast featured by WGBH. It was titled, "Why doesn't the moon fall down? This video was for grades K-5." It was kid friendly and easy for them to understand. They lady talking said that the moon was always falling towards the earth. The moon is moving so fast that it won't hit the Earth. She used a tennis ball to illustrate the moon. She said when we throw and object, gravity brings it down to the center of the earth. The moon falls around the Earth in a continuous circle. If the moon were to go faster, it would escape Earth's gravity and fly off into space. If it were to go slower, gravity would pull it down into Earth. The moon going around the Earth is called Orbit. The Balance of speed and Gravity works together.
Video's like this is a great way to incorporate into a lesson. Student's learn in different ways. The lady shows a illustration and this can help student's understand better. When teaching a lesson you can take a minute and let them watch the video and then finish on with the lesson. After watching this, a project could be done on the solar system, etc. There are many different things that could be done.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
A new way of teaching!
I watched two videos that were very interesting. The first one was called The Edible Schoolyard. This took place in California, at Martin Luther King Middle School. The students had a class where they planted, harvested and ate organic food. The garden and kitchen was used for Social Studies. It also covered other educational areas like Math, by learning how to measure when cooking. Also in Science, the way things grow. The garden was made for the center of teaching. The students also learned the basics of Ecology. This garden taught them how to cooperate, do projects, and build a community. This garden was started in 1994 by Alice Water, to improve the school lunch program. If the students grow it, they cook it, then they want to eat it. They also learned how to set a table, talk, values, and generosity.
This is what we need more of today. Student do not know where their food comes from. This is great for them to have hands on learning. They will learn more and they will appreciate where food comes from. They will never forget it.
The second video was A Night in a Global Village. Some children from Denver went to a Ranch in Arkansas, to walk one night in the less fortunate shoes. They took numbers and split up into groups, with a teacher to make a family. They were told what country they were from and what resources they had. Each family received only a bucket of supplies, but it wasn't all that they needed. They had to do some bargaining with the other countries for food or supplies. The structures that they lived in where those of other countries. They focused on poverty, hunger and sustainable development. One member of each family was made to look like they were pregnant and another loses an arm. This was done so they can understand the struggles of the culture. As the night falls they scramble for resources. They eventually learn how to work together. The next morning they had breakfast and shared their experiences. They also feed the farm animals and performed skits of what happened that night. There are three more of these facilities for students across the nation and 2 different classrooms teaching about animals and U.S. consumer choices that affect other countries. Instead of teaching about other countries, Nothing beats living the lesson and experiencing it for a night!
At my middle school when I was younger, they had a garden like the one The edible school yard. I wasn't fortunate enough to be in the class. Classes like this should be required at some point in the a childs education. It gives them a better uderstanding where things come from and an apprection for hard work. It also covers all aspects in education.
Video's like these two can make me better as a techer, if the resouces are available in the schools. I want to have lots of hands of activities in my classroom. I always learn better doing things hands on! You are not only learning it, you are experincing it. Most than likely the students will never forget it.
Click the link to watch A night in a Global Village. Click Here
Click the link to watch The Edible Schoolyard.Click Here
This is what we need more of today. Student do not know where their food comes from. This is great for them to have hands on learning. They will learn more and they will appreciate where food comes from. They will never forget it.
The second video was A Night in a Global Village. Some children from Denver went to a Ranch in Arkansas, to walk one night in the less fortunate shoes. They took numbers and split up into groups, with a teacher to make a family. They were told what country they were from and what resources they had. Each family received only a bucket of supplies, but it wasn't all that they needed. They had to do some bargaining with the other countries for food or supplies. The structures that they lived in where those of other countries. They focused on poverty, hunger and sustainable development. One member of each family was made to look like they were pregnant and another loses an arm. This was done so they can understand the struggles of the culture. As the night falls they scramble for resources. They eventually learn how to work together. The next morning they had breakfast and shared their experiences. They also feed the farm animals and performed skits of what happened that night. There are three more of these facilities for students across the nation and 2 different classrooms teaching about animals and U.S. consumer choices that affect other countries. Instead of teaching about other countries, Nothing beats living the lesson and experiencing it for a night!
At my middle school when I was younger, they had a garden like the one The edible school yard. I wasn't fortunate enough to be in the class. Classes like this should be required at some point in the a childs education. It gives them a better uderstanding where things come from and an apprection for hard work. It also covers all aspects in education.
Video's like these two can make me better as a techer, if the resouces are available in the schools. I want to have lots of hands of activities in my classroom. I always learn better doing things hands on! You are not only learning it, you are experincing it. Most than likely the students will never forget it.
Click the link to watch A night in a Global Village. Click Here
Click the link to watch The Edible Schoolyard.Click Here
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Podcasts
I listened to 6 different podcasts to get an overview of how they presented themselves and their information. This assignment was designed for me to familiarize with different approaches, that are taken to podcast. Some of them were hard to listen to and not well presented, while others did a good job.
The fist one was MacBreak Weekly episode 114. It is about topics on Macintosh. The beginning of the podcast was very professional. The talker had a good radio voice. As it went on they had some technical difficulties. Basically they talked about Mac news and views from some of the top journalist.
The second one I listened to was KidCast podcast episode 57. It was about bringing podcasting to the classroom. The speaker had a good intro. He talked about 2008 kidcast podcasting awards in Education. The speaker tells you ideas of how to get your students podcasting and how to help them become better. This podcast was kind of a instructional/learning podcast.
The next podcast was This week in Photography episode 56. There were four men talking, Alex, Scott, Steve, and Ron. This is a discussion of photography tips, techniques, and technology. They were talking about things I've never heard of! It was a good intro but I was lost!
The next podcast was SmartBoard lessons episode 150. It had a good intro. It sounded very professional. Some of the podcast available, like this one, needed to get to the point. If something doesn't have a good intro I lose track.
Ed Tech Talk is Live,Interactive Ed tech conversation. This one is episode 15. It seemed a little unprofessional to me and they didn't know what they were doing. Although you can't expect technology to go right 100% of the time. They talked about computer safety. You need to monitor the children, know the children's passwords and talk to them. Even though the computer is in the Family room doesn't mean they won't go to sites that they are not supost to. They need to be monitored for their own safety.
The last one that I listened to was called iOpening-connect,learn,explore. They talked about Adobe and how Jaws was a free download. They also talked about how to do different technology. This podcast is designed to teach more about technology and computing.
After listening to all these podcast I don't think I would openly go on and listen to any one's podcast. First of all, I don't have the time! If it was pertaining to school I would. Although It is something new and exciting in technology. Different presenters had their podcast more organized than others. Some needed to work on their technology. It seemed they didn't know what they were doing. While other were rambling on about nothing.
The fist one was MacBreak Weekly episode 114. It is about topics on Macintosh. The beginning of the podcast was very professional. The talker had a good radio voice. As it went on they had some technical difficulties. Basically they talked about Mac news and views from some of the top journalist.
The second one I listened to was KidCast podcast episode 57. It was about bringing podcasting to the classroom. The speaker had a good intro. He talked about 2008 kidcast podcasting awards in Education. The speaker tells you ideas of how to get your students podcasting and how to help them become better. This podcast was kind of a instructional/learning podcast.
The next podcast was This week in Photography episode 56. There were four men talking, Alex, Scott, Steve, and Ron. This is a discussion of photography tips, techniques, and technology. They were talking about things I've never heard of! It was a good intro but I was lost!
The next podcast was SmartBoard lessons episode 150. It had a good intro. It sounded very professional. Some of the podcast available, like this one, needed to get to the point. If something doesn't have a good intro I lose track.
Ed Tech Talk is Live,Interactive Ed tech conversation. This one is episode 15. It seemed a little unprofessional to me and they didn't know what they were doing. Although you can't expect technology to go right 100% of the time. They talked about computer safety. You need to monitor the children, know the children's passwords and talk to them. Even though the computer is in the Family room doesn't mean they won't go to sites that they are not supost to. They need to be monitored for their own safety.
The last one that I listened to was called iOpening-connect,learn,explore. They talked about Adobe and how Jaws was a free download. They also talked about how to do different technology. This podcast is designed to teach more about technology and computing.
After listening to all these podcast I don't think I would openly go on and listen to any one's podcast. First of all, I don't have the time! If it was pertaining to school I would. Although It is something new and exciting in technology. Different presenters had their podcast more organized than others. Some needed to work on their technology. It seemed they didn't know what they were doing. While other were rambling on about nothing.
Randy Pausch's Last Lecture
Randy Pausch was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer with only a few months to live. He was a Professor at MIT and did his last lecture on, "Really Achieving your Childhood Dreams." At the time of the video he had three to six months of good health left. With him knowing he was going to die, he had a great sense of humor! He talked about his childhood dreams, while being comical and teaching a lesson.
One of the things he said was, "Always have something to bring to the table. You will be more welcomed." Another thing he said was, "When screwing up and no one is saying anything to you anymore, that means they gave up." This means a lot to me. When I become a teacher, I need to help the children and show them the right way. Not to give up on them and let them go in the wrong direction. This could be based in many different areas, academically, in sports, etc. Don't give up on your students or children, some take longer to learn than others. Mr. Pausch also said that, "If you wait long enough, people will surprise and impress you. You haven't given them enough time." It makes you think.
He also said, "Brick walls are there for a reason! Brick walls are not there to keep us out. They let us prove how badly we want things. It stops the people that don't want it badly enough." This is so true and again it can be based on my different aspects. I started my own business in 2006. I wasn't going to let a brick wall stop me! I had many people come against me and tell me it was not a good idea. I wouldn't take that experience away for anything. Also when I decided to go back to school to be a teacher, again I had people telling me that I was crazy. No matter what you do in life, you need to do what is best for yourself and not worry about others. Some people will always have negaitave things to say. Achieve your goals and dreams! A brick wall isn't going to stop me, I'll find another route!
Randy talks about many things throughout his lecture. He was so fun and out going. He said, "We learn from our students. Are you a Tigger or an Eeyore?" This video helped me realize that I have a lot to live up to. I want to be the best teacher that I could be! I'm not going to let anything stop me and I'm not going to give up on my children! At the end of the lecture Randy stated that, "This was not how to achieve your dreams, It was how to lead your life and this lecture was for his children."
Everyone should watch this video!
Click Here
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
My experience with the Access program.
Angela Heyer and myself visited the Access program in Daphne, AL. ACCESS stands for Alabama Connecting Student's Statewide. Daphne is the only one up and running in Baldwin County at this time. Mr. Roh is the coordinator of this program, at Daphne High School. He was very nice and took us through everything. There are two ways to the Access program, web based and video conferencing,or IVC. At this time the school is using web based. Web based is like courses taken online. This system was fully functional in January 2007. The IVC allows a teacher to broadcast live video and sound to any other similarly equipped school in Alabama. Using two remote controlled camera's at either end of the classroom. Mr. Roh teaches online chemistry to student's at a high school in Uriah,AL. The teacher decided to retire all of a sudden in the middle of the school year. He decided to offer this to that school. There are 50 ACCESS teachers in Baldwin County. Forty two students are now enrolled in this program. I think this is great! Students can take classes they are not offered at there school. Especially in lower income schools where not much is offered.
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