Flipped Classroom

I attempted to Attach my video that I would use to introduce my lesson teaching a flipped lesson on the Declaration of Independence. I was unsuccessful in this attempt as it says that I am unable to upload a video because I am in the free version of WordPress.

Instead I have emailed the video and uploaded it to the google classroom assignment.

Project Based Learning

While edutopia.org had some very good articles on PBL, I found one article that outlined pointers for jumping in to project based learning. The article was from 2015, however the information is still pertinent to today’s practices in the classroom. The article, titled PBL Elementary Teachers Offer Field–Tested Advice, by Andrew Miller, have several tips on integrating project based learning successfully. Some of the tips offered were, start slow with your integration, build background knowledge, be intentional with your assessment, and stick with it, even though you may get some naysayers and questions. Above all though, I thought the most important advice given was to build success skills first. This means take the time to teach your students how to collaborate, communicate, and critically think before jumping into a project. I believe this is crucial! How can you work well together if you have not been first taught the skills to do so? This article was the most beneficial to me as it was written by teachers using these methods with real world advice. Instead of just telling me what PBL is the article addressed the underlining and foundational points to making project based learning a success in the classroom. These factors are points that can be easily forgotten when creating a project based unit.

Interactive whiteboards

While I have subbed in classrooms and completed observation hours as well, I have utilized interactive whiteboards that often. I can imagine that I would use it in numerous ways however. First at the start of class I would use it for management purposes, attendance, lunch count, and tracking behavior. I can also see using it to include videos and music into my lessons. Further, for whole group instruction, showing work examples, displaying student work and movement breaks. I have also seen them used for morning messages, games, and calendar. I am sure there might be more that I am not aware of, but I think it is a great tool to integrate all styles of learning and engage students in learning.

Educational Videos in the Class

After reading the article from Zane education on the benefits of educational video in the class it is obvious that this an effective medium to use to enhance your teaching within the classroom. As stated in the article, 94% of class teachers integrate video into their teaching so it must be beneficial! The main value that I can see from utilizing educational videos is the ability to speak to many different learning styles. With the video on, including captioning, students can watch, listen, or read the presented material. Another great benefit is the flexibility it provides to both the teacher and the students. If needed the teacher can pause or replay a video to make sure the content is understood or to add to what is being shown. Students, that may be working on laptops, can also do the same to make sure they did not miss any key details or ask questions. Lastly, it is obvious, in today’s day and age that this type of medium is what engages children. If a student is engaged in their learning they are more likely to retain the concept!

Class Website

I have completed my class website!!! Welcome to Mrs. Horschel’s class! The website can be found at http://classhorschel.weebly.com

I found this assignment very challenging. Maybe it is just because I am not super tech savvy, but it took me probably 7 hours or more to complete the website. I can see how time consuming this might be as a teacher!! I think the biggest struggle would be remembering to update it to keep it current. One more little note, the children’s pictures on my website currently are my own children and their friends. I know it is okay that I added these pictures! Thank you for reading!

Internet Ethics for Students

A search of internet ethics for students provides a slue of information that is both informative and a times a bit overwhelming. The thought of teaching class alone, for an up and coming teacher is a big undertaking in and of itself. Now with technology growing in leaps and bounds, and computers being the choice device for communication, teachers must include computer ethics to the list of highly important topics students must learn. That being said, the sites I reviewed pointed out the importance of understanding the ethical issues students are facing today. We must first understand, if we are to teach! I feel the following site reviews were informative for any teacher, parent, or adult trying to teach students or kids how to use the internet safely.

On the website, https://study.com/, one of the major points made was how important it is to teach internet ethics to students in much the same fashion as you do manners. Teachers need to take the time to teach these ethics in a face to face manner to make sure students are able to understand without the distraction of their computer. The biggest ethical issues of concern to students are academic honesty, electronic communications, cyberbullying and confidentiality. As stated in the ISTE standards we need to take the time to teach are students acceptable internet behavior and teach them how to engage safely and appropriately when on the internet. It is of utmost importance that we take the time to outline the rules for using technology and take the time to explain why these rules are needed. Teachers need to create clear boundaries for computer use in the classroom.

In an article on http://www.educationworld.com about proper internet use, Jerry Crystal, a technology coordinator at Carmen Arace Middle School in Connecticut, discusses how all teachers need to provide lessons on ethical computer use. As he sees it there does not need to be a separate curriculum on cyber ethics, but rather cyber ethics need to be embedded in with teaching. This to me is an important point as we are moving to classroom where technology is used throughout the day in all classes. He states that the best defense to misuse is to create a culture that incorporates proper technology use. He further suggested that we need to make sure we make the issues relevant to our students and make the issues true to life. We, as teachers, can not expect students to understand the importance of ethical technology use without making it pertinent to them. As teachers we cannot protect students from all evils on the internet, but we can instill in them the understanding and knowledge to use the internet safely.

Resources

https://study.com/blog/ethical-issues-with-using-technology-in-the-classroom.html

https://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech055.shtml