Digital Blog Post #E

I have been surprised and intrigued by this class more times than I might be able to count. I came into learning this material with preconceived notions and have found that I was wrong on a fair number of those assumptions. This leads me right into the first concept in Chapter 11 in our text book that I found interesting. Revealing misconceptions about course material that students might have, and after revealing them correcting them. It is a very simple idea on the surface, but once you dig a little deeper it becomes more obvious that there are plenty of ideas that students can have about any subject being taught that can just be incorrect. Even simple phrases, that as adults we can cipher out the proper meaning, can be a challenge to students. The book poises that a teacher could diffuse a potential confrontation with a student who has a misconception by creating a whole class discussion, allowing all students to make a choice, and then revealing the correct answer with an explanation as to why the answer is what it is. I have seen assumptions in students before yet I never really could figure out a way that could confront the wrong idea without seeming harsh or singling out a student. Reading this section started to help me formulate my own ideas on the matter. Depending on the issue, topic or subject would change the implementation of an idea but here are a couple I came up with. First, a piece of paper could be taped onto a poster (and the poster could be flat on a table to maintain an anonymous answer) with four answers to a potential problem question, students could go up in turn (with the rest of the class doing an activity). When all students have selected their answer, the teacher could reveal the results and enter in to the lesson. Another idea is to verbalize some common misconceptions about a particular matter prior to starting the main section of a new lesson, for example with colonization of the New World the Native Americans freely gave up their land with simple trades. The truth of the matter is closer to the Native Americans did trade for land, but thought the new-comers were odd in thinking they could own land, they believed that the land could never belong to any one person. So, helping students have a clear understanding, free of their misconceptions without causing distress or confrontation is an important part of a class dynamic.

                By: b k found on Flickr

Another idea from Chapter 11 is using online surveys for pre-assessments in different subjects. This is helpful in two ways I think, the first is it can help a teacher see if there are any preconceptions about the subject matter and therefore be able to respond accordingly. Second, these assessments prior to the students actually being taught the material will allow the teacher to have a decent idea of where the class stands in what they already know, where they may need more help, or if a student is either very advanced or might need additional help. These tests that students take will aid the teacher in completing relevant and exciting lesson plans that will engage the students and help him or her enforce topics and ideas that are already familiar without basically “beating a dead horse”. I love the idea of giving the same pre-assessment test numerous times per year to be able to track the knowledge and understanding that students have gained. This is not only helpful for the teacher, but the students can have that feeling of accomplishment when they can see how far they have come and what they have learned. I am always encouraged by activities that can help boost the self-esteem of students because I truly feel that if they have a high self-esteem they will do better in school.

I created a Kahoot quiz the could be used as a pre-assessment for a class such as this one, just to get a little information on how people are thinking or feeling about education and technology.

                I think that when I become a teacher I will use the multi-modal learning technique most often. This is when you combine visual, auditory and/or kinesthetic learning into the same lesson plan. It does not take that much effort to be speaking to the class and adding important notes or drawing pictures on the board to help emphasize important concepts. It is also more fun for the students and they will be more engaged in the activity if while they are being taught with the teacher speaking to them, they have the chance to touch and manipulate something that adds to the lesson. There was a study mentioned in the text book that when students are exposed to both interactive and non-interactive learning they have gains in both basic and higher-order thinking. So, with strong benefits for students and in what I think of as a much more entertaining lesson for both teachers and students why not use more than one mode for teaching. As long as the teacher has good classroom management skills, subject knowledge, and a well thought out lesson plan, then this form of teaching can reach more students over using just one form of learning. Besides that, even students who are more auditory learners will eventually tune out a teacher that does nothing but lecture. I found this great YouTube video that shows a ESL teacher using a variety of “modes” to teach the English language and you can see how excited the students are to participate in all of the activities.

By: ESL Insider found on YouTube

References

Caruso, R. (2016, March 28). Technology in School. Kahoot. Kahoot.

History, W. V. (n.d.). Native American Clashes with European Settlers. Retrieved from West Virginia Division of Culture and History: http://www.wvculture.org/history/indland.html

Insider, E. (23, December 2014). Teaching English to Kids in 5 Fun Steps. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWe0T4UFXdU

k, b. (2010, August 28). Dawn above the Moenkopi farms. Retrieved from Flickr: https://flic.kr/p/8zdpci

Maloy, V.-O. E. (2014). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. Upper Saddle River: Pearson.

Digital Blog Post #D- Chapter 10

I really enjoyed every aspect from this chapter, so much so that I had a hard time choosing three specific ideas and concepts to reflect upon. After carefully thought and consideration on what really meant something to me and gave me more to think about I narrowed my list down to creating culturally relevant teaching, electronic spellers and dictionaries, and technologies that assist the student with the learning process. Each of these topics have touched me in a personal way and prior to this course I did not even consider these practices in the "big picture" of life.

While I was in high school I can recall hear and saying "Why do we need to learn this stuff? We are never going to use it in the real world!". When students have this feeling towards school and learning they will be shortchanged in how and what they learn. It is so important to engage students in meaningful ways and one way it to create lessons that use current events, cultural relevance, and also incorporate technology, which is a major aspect of students lives. If my teachers adjusted the subject matter being taught in a way that brought the "real world" into school I truly feel that school would have been much more interesting and I would have felt more engaged. I witnessed this "joining of two worlds" just a couple of weeks ago while at a local high school. In the government class the topic of conversation was a very relevant topic for "real world" within the scope of class, what happens when a justice dies? I can also imagine that using culturally relevant topics, tailored to the diversity of a class, could also help engage students, when a student feels as if they are an important part of class they are more likely to want to participate and pay better attention. If we as teachers are able to show how each lesson is rooted in activities and actions that might be relevant to life after school and incorporate technology which students are becoming more fluent with then society as a whole has the chance to see more engaged, happy and relevant learners.

When I was reading about the electronic spellers and dictionaries at first I was skeptical about the practical uses in the classroom or at home. This was one topic that I thought about more than others because I have a child that has a hard time with remembering how to spell, knowing what words mean, and the proper use of words. I am guilty of becoming frustrated when she asks questions over and over regarding words, but I know she is doing her best to try to learn. If we had an electronic speller/dictionary it would enable her to explore these words on her own and at her own pace. If the definition has another word she doesn't understand, she would simply have to look that one up (called "jumping to a word" in the book) (Maloy, 2014). I think that when a student has the chance to make their own mistakes, explore possibilities on their own and are an active part of learning then they enjoy it more and are able to retain information with greater ease. With the help of an electronic speller/dictionary they have that chance, the big downside is if the student uses it too much it may hinder the ability to use critical thinking when learning how to spell new words by sounding them out on their own without the help of technology.


When students who have disabilities or difficulties that can hinder the learner experience having technology that assists them can include them in the class in ways that were previously not available. I knew a boy in middle school and high school that was born blind and my experiences with him have forever changed my outlook on how learning can occur. He had a machine that he was able to use all the time in order to help facilitate his learning experience. With this machine he was able to take notes, write papers and do anything a student would be able to but instead of using pen and paper, he created braille notes. Our teachers were able to connect his machine to their computer and transfer his written assignments to a form in which they were able to read. He was able to use books that were purchased for him so he could read the assigned tasks and never feel excluded for being differently able. With technology advancing on a daily basis every student has the chance to be included and feel a sense of accomplishment when they are able to have technology that helps and encourages the student to achieve their potential.



By: Visualpun.ch from Flickr

References

Caruso, R. (2016, March 1). Relevant Curriculum. Via: Wordle.

Maloy, V.-O. E. (2014). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. Upper Saddle River: Pearson.

Visualpun.ch. (2010, November 23). René Jaun's braille display [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/visualpunch/5201363064