OER

Open education resources are using modern technology in the best way possible.  OER's are educational resources published online for anyone to use.  They are often free and as this article says, many come from educational institutions.  There are so many benefits to OER.  It is instant access to vast amounts of reputable information.  It allows people who can't go to those insitutions or talk directly to experts to access their knowledge.  Before I read 7 Things You Should Know About OER I had heard about these resources but I learned a lot about the vast quantities of open educational resources out there.

I began looking into OER's that will be beneficial to me.  When I was in middle school I had a serious issue with bringing home books for homework.  I left them at school all the time and thus could not complete my work and then suffered the consequences.  Open education resources often included textbooks that are completely online that would eliminate this problem. This algebra book is actually one I have seen in a classroom.
As a student now there are times when I feel that the resources given in classes just do not explain a given topic accurately. Also some teachers offer biased points of view.  For example my philosophy teacher presents everything from a very Catholic standpoint, and admits it.  This course from M.I.T. talks about similar topics but from another point of view.  I feel that it helps me see perspective.\
Finally as a future teacher I can use these resources to go beyond the materials my school can offer me.  I may teach in a school that doesn't have the budget to buy new books or there are gaps that need filled in a curriculum.  Or maybe a student just needs extra help. Resources such as this one can help me in my endevors as a teacher.

This site from Penn State offers up their resources as part of an initiative. PSU Open Education Resources. This site tells you about top OER sites and materials. Finally this site seems good for elementary education teachers.

Teaching Channel

Teaching Channel is an incredible resource for teachers.  Often teachers and students seek educational videos to help drive home their point. This often leads to youtube which can be incredibly unreliable. You can spend hours searching for what you need, which makes sense with the immense content of youtube.

Teaching Channel is the (much, much) easier way to find edcuational videos.  It divides the videos into catergories based on subjects, grade level, and topics.  There is a vast array of content from.  I really enjoyed watching these videos and I know that I will keep this site in mind when I become a teacher.  Not only can I show this videos in my class, I can also find things like planning tools and classroom management ideas. (If you have an account you can even save content into an online drive called your "lesson planner"!!)

This video interested me in particular:

Flip Learning

Well What Is It?

     I think K. Walsh, from Emerging Ed. Tech, states the goals best "students consume learning content (i.e. ‘the lecture’) outside of the classroom, usually as homework, thereby freeing up valuable face-to-face classroom time to reinforce materials and work on assigned work."
     In a traditional classroom teachers lecture and instruct during meeting time and then assign homework, which is students are responsible for. In a flipped classroom the lectures, or instructional material are recoreded or delieved electronically and then actual class time is spent on application.

Possible Outcomes?

     This has so many benefits in today's day and age.  Teachers are being pressured to teach more and more and there simply isn't time in the day.  If students are responsible for watching and taking notes on a lecture at home then time with the teacher can be spent on higher order thinking.  When you have limited time to discover a topic you do not always get to those higher levels. This article reviewing Sam's and Bergman's book "Flip Your Classroom" breaks down other benefits.  Walsh states flipping has benefits for all types of students: busy students, students who are struggling, students of all ability levels and they can all excel.  Also it helps teachers interact with their students more, get to know your students better, differentiate styles, talk to parents and can even help with classroom management. There is something in it for everyone.  You can reach students it ways you never though possible and allow students that could never succeed to do great things. 
     Students who have special needs can benefit from a flipped classroom as well.  Many of these students need to work at their own pace or have adaptations. A flipped classroom is a wonderful way to make adaptations that do not affect your whole class.  Peggy Hammeken talks about differentiated intstruction in her book "The Teacher's Guide to Inclusive Education." Differentiated instruction focuses on a students' strengths and breaks apart content, process, and evalutaion.  A flipped classroom is an excellent vehicle to teach this way.  You can evaluate the appropriate content, and then in the actually teaching process you can use a flipped classroom to allow these students the time and style they need to learn. 
     21st Century Learners are being called to do different things than learners in the past. This video describes this very well.


This algebra teacher shows how beneficial flip learning has been in her classroom.

Drawbacks?

While Bart over there is meant to be a joke there are some downfalls to reverse instruction.  On the other side of special education flipped classrooms could be harmful to these students.  If they can not use the technology or do not understand they can become easily frustrated.  In fact any student can become easily frustrated.  They would be exposed to new content without the teacher, who is the expert instructor, to answer questions and help them work through any issues. Also when looking at this type of instruction you must think about your student's home life.  Some of your students may not have access to a computer when they are away from school.  In a flipped classroom there is really no way for them to recieves the lectures other than that computer, unless you make special arrangements.  This could pose some issues.  As with any new technique you try you must think about your students and what is best for them and what they need to get out of your class.

Implications?

     As a student I think this is great.  There is nothing more boring than sitting in a lecture that the teacher is reading off of a PowerPoint.  I am not dumb. I can read. Give me the notes to read before class, or let me watch a video or several and then use those facts and topics during class.  Make us apply the knowledge we have gained in a discussion, or a project, or a blog post (such as this one).  A teacher who uses reverse instruction could be much more effective and cover a greater amount of material in a college course which has so much flexibilty.

     As a teacher I could one day be teaching in a school such as Clintondale High School in Detroit.  The school has completely flipped and is seeing great amounts of success. They refer to their teachers as exceptional facilitators of learning, which is exactly what Edinboro is aiming to train us as.  As a teacher this gives you so much more time to actually spend with your students, working on the material as a team and allowing for discovery.  When all that flexibility in instruction is taken away by standards and AYP this gives you that back.  This gives you the chance for more in class time to develop ideas and confirm understanding rather than gaining basic knowledge. 
     A flipped classrooom has endless possibilities for both teacher and student.

     This site has many great ideas about reverse instructions and 21st century teaching and learning overall.

Experiencing Group

Group projects are always challenging.  You have to deal with different personalities and how they work as a group dynamic. Then you have to deal with work ethic and style.  Group work is a unique challenge that can come up with some pretty great results.  Though we had a few stumbles along the way I am very pleased with the product.  Our group project was on why recess is important in 21st century classrooms, which I feel very strongly about.  With the research paper and subsequent Prezi presentation (included below) I feel we effectively delievered our points and made a compelling case.  I really did enjoy the topic of this project and the presentation but the paper definitely caused me some strife.  I learned a lot about how I work within a group though. I am definitely a leader and I have realized that this means people expect more of me. This project forced me to know my limits and allowed me to really feel comfortable holding other people accountable for the work they actually did.

As for the technology used (a big part of this project) I really enjoyed Prezi. At first it was overwhelming to use because it does so much more than PowerPoint which I am really used to.  Prezi is so dynamic and interesting and makes the presentation stand out even more.  I also really liked using Google drive.  The first day we discovered this tool I remember sitting there being a bit amazed and just goofing around.  I liked how we could work on the paper together at the same time and not have to be together.  I liked this technology so much I am using it for a group project in another class.

These technologies are obviously useful to me as a learner. As I said I am already using Google drive and I know I will use Prezi in other classes as an altenative to PowerPoint.  In a future classroom you could use Google drive to communicate with students and parents.  With students they could upload work and have feedback before they turn it in.  To communicate with parents you could upload a class newletter and then allow them to comment on it to ask questions or add information.  Both of these tools are very unique and useful to students and teachers.

Why Is Recess Critical To a 21st Century Classroom on Prezi

I Believe in Me

I was introduced to this video in one of my other classes....I think it is right on.  This kid has got the answers for teachers and sets it all on the table.  It is worth a watch and really makes you think.

Powerpoint (Terrific)

This project.

 



We were asked to create a Power Point, but it was for something else other than what we are used to Power Point.  The project called for us to do something with Power Point that wasn't direct instruction.  After reading an article called "Beyond Power Point" I was convinced this was a great idea.  The article talked about how Power Point is used, and later in one of my classes the wrong way to use PP was reinforced. We were forced to go outside of our "Power Point" comfort zone. And as a future educator, I think this is invaluable.
Another point of view on Power Point is here.

 

Well, I really liked this project.

I have worked with Power Point for many projects before but never in depth.  I discovered a lot with this project and I am really proud of my project.  I made my project based on a standard about community living and roles within the community. I focused on emergency services and their role in the community.  The presentation was made to be the beginning of the lesson as a personal discovery so that students could drive their own learning.
I learned how to use Power Point in a new and fun way.  I learned that Power Point is very time consuming, but I learned that it had so many different capabilities. I was also able to connect my Power Point to the internet and have a lot of fun things added in, like this website.
I created something that I am proud of and will use in another way sometime in my life.

Presentation of Projects

I like presenting my project to peers.  I worked really hard on my project, and I know that my peers did as well.  It was nice to see how other people took the project and what they did.  This project was highly personalized so you got to see a part of your peers personality. 

If you didn't realize I enjoyed my work, so here it is.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bw9JaM9rKljdVENnZ1NtWHBOMHM/preview"

And here was where the lesson plan was supposed to go.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bw9JaM9rKljdUU5YaHgxUnFiMDg/preview

Two More for The Blog Roll

The first blog I chose was purely based on interest.  I love music and I love music in education. As my earlier blog post displays, music was extremely crucial to my education.

This blog MusTech talks about educational musical at all different levels.

I think it is beneficial because not only is it witty and entertaining but also holds a lot of resources for music teachers.  It talks about music education and music technology, which is especially important in today's educational realm. As a teacher, not specifically in the music field, with a little creativity I believe I could apply his ideas to my future classroom.

The other blog I chose was First Grade Blue Skies which applies directly to my major.

This teacher once again makes her blog witty and entertaining while also keeping it informative.  She has a varity of different post topics and fun ideas for the classroom. This blog feels authentic because she is a teaching living and breathing what we are learning about.

My Beliefs about Technology and Learning

I enjoy technology.  It makes my life much easier most of the time.  Instant communication of information and free flow of knowledge are two of the best things that come from technology. Technology has shrunk the world and you can talk to someone hundreds or even thousands of miles away in seconds.

In a classroom technology can be helpful…to a point. As an Early Childhood Education and Special Education teacher I believe that I will be responsible for exposing students to technology and how it can help them.  As a teacher I can use the resources to make my classroom much more interactive and enjoyable for the children. With special education students technology may be the only way they can be successful in school.  Faced with these things I have no choice but to use technology in my future classroom, and I think that is great.  The downfalls of educational technology in a classroom are that students may lose the ability to write properly or do math problems by hand if the classroom is all technology based.  Some things must always be taught the same way so as not to lose those skills further down the line.

As a teacher technology opens up and entire world of resources that were never even a thought before.  From the simple technology such as a CriCut machine that makes bulletin boards easier all the way to the vast bank of resources online.

Technology is going to be in the classroom whether we are ready or not.  It is best to use the technology to your advantage rather than letting it get away from you and out of your control.

 

Important To Me

Music in schools.  My choir and band classes were so important to me and many days where the only reason I went to school. My music classes were fun and made school fun for me.  Most of my best memories, and friends, came from those classes.  I had great teachers in my academic classes and fully grasp the importance of those core classes. But, I learned many invaluable life lessons from those classes. Our musci program demanded respect and people looked to us as leaders.  With that leadership I learned responsibility and accountablilty.  Music pulled creativity out of me and developed my thought process in a different way. I am who I am today because of music, and I truly believe that music helped me to be a better student.

Some of my music experiences...