Digital Storytelling Project

I think that the hardest thing about doing something like this in my classroom would be being accessible for all of the kids. I think that there would be alot of questions and there is a lot to teach and unless the kids are paying close attention at every moment they could quickly get lost.

These are the story's that I watched and commented on:

1) Abraham Lincoln- http://kyliemm.blogspot.com/
2) Sylvester meets Little Red Riding Hood- http://mariahteaches.blogspot.com/
3) Body Language- http://laurynblog56.blogspot.com/
4) A Children's ABC Book- http://rkalilimoku.blogspot.com/
5) Goin' Fishin- http://carolhoffer.blogspot.com/
6) I wonder why Dad is so Thoroughly Mad. http://laurencr.blogspot.com/

Time Out Video

IP&T 301 Teaching Reflection

When creating a lesson it is much easier to sit down, make a PowerPoint presentation and stand in front of the class and begin reading the PowerPoint word for word. But what’s the point because no one remembers what you said anyways. That is why Kerry and I decided that we needed to implement different teaching strategies into our lesson.
We decided that we needed something at the very beginning of class to grasp the student’s attention. We gave them a test in which not only grasped there attention at the beginning but also allowed us to use as a teaching tool later on in our lesson. Because they had just taken a test we then took their scores and used them to teach concepts and terms to each of them. I believed that this increases what the student learns because it gives them hands on experience using a test they have taken.
Another principle of teaching that is important is keeping the student involved and active in the lesson. This allows the students to conceptualize and almost teach themselves the information, which allows them to comprehend the information. To do this we allowed the students to create and present skits teaching the class of different styles of tests.
I would say that the strengths of our presentation is that the students were able to interact and be involved in the lesson. I also really like our assessment because it allowed the teacher to evaluate what the students had learned but wasn’t overly time consuming. It was also more fun for the students than a paper and pencil test.
I thought our weaknesses were that by giving them a test at the beginning can sometimes give them a negative feeling toward the lesson before it even starts, depending on the students feelings towards tests. Another weakness, I felt, was the over use of our PowerPoint presentation.
If I were to give this lesson again I would print off more diagnostic tests that the students could view and take home with them. I would also ask a lot more questions and had the students be more involved in the teaching process through effective questioning.

IP&T 301 Week 4 Modules 4 and 22

1. The four ways in which I would create emotional intelligence in my classroom I would have a block set aside in which for about 15 minutes a week I could talk about emotions. As a class we would talk about different aspects of emotions and discuss what is the appropriate way to react in certain situations.
I would also make a mental note to treat my students and react to my students in an appropriate way in which I would want them to mimic my behavior. This allows each student to have a role model in their life in which they can see healthy ways to handle behaviors.
I would have an area on one of my walls showing different emotions and some ideas of what be causing a student to feel this way. Next to it I would also have solutions to helping and coping with these emotions.
The last thing I would do is make sure that children know exactly which emotions are appropriate for my classroom. This allows them to show restraint as they know certain behaviors or emotions are not welcome in the classroom.

2. I would have to say either linguistic or intrapersonal because I feel that if we can teach students to be in control of themselves and than be able to effectively communicate their ideas or feelings we are going to have an environment that allows learning to thrive.

3. I personal don't really believe in IQ testing. I think that through simple classroom testing and observations of the student you are able to determine what type of student they are going to be. I definitely don't think that you should use an IQ test to categorize students.

TPACK allows you to create a good learning environment in your classroom. It uses technology content, and pedagogy that allows students to learn effectively. We can see that each area is equally important because a teacher can not teach with out having the content knowledge themselves. The pedagogy is important because even if you have the content knowledge but don't know how to organize or present it you are still suffering as a teacher. Technology is another aspect that allows you to enhance and enrich your classroom environment. If a teacher has good content knowledge aswell as a good pedagogy can allow for an highly effective learning environment. Having technology in a classroom eliminates some busy work and can allow things to be more to the point.