This class is a breath of fresh air! I know the next 6 weeks is going to be much easier than some of the other classes because I LOVE this stuff and LOVE working on fun, creative "stuff" like this. I am really looking forward to learning more about presentations & digital storytelling/pictures. I think I have a pretty good handle on digital pictures & storytelling but I know there is always room for growth & improvement.
I'm excited about the Posterous assignment but am a bit worried about posting the picture each day. I've been taking pictures every day but just got them all posted today. Now that I see how easy it is I'm hoping that I'll remember to do it each & every day. Once in a routine I'm sure I'll be just fine. I'm really interested in what we are going to be doing with the pictures at the end of the activity. It will be fun to check out all of my classmates' pictures to see what their hobbies/interests/etc are and learn even more about each of them.
Okay, now off to read some more & meet with my group. Lots of work to do....but I know it isn't going to seem like it is as much "work" as some of the other courses since this really is of interest & fun for me. :) G'night for now...
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
CEDO 525 Week 5
Because of a school commitment, I wasn't able to attend the class session last week. However, I did watch/listen to the recording, and I am still thinking about one part of the class over and over....and that is Kris's example of the business she toured and how the business incorporated each of the learning strategies that we have covered in this class. After her explanation, I started thinking about how my school incorporates each of the learning strategies or how certain strategies could potentially be improved. I really like the example provided about "Reinforcing Effort & Providing Recognition" at the business she toured. I would love to make a suggestion to my principals of a way that we, as a school, could do a better job of this. A simple bulletin board in the teacher work room/mail room with room for people to pin up "way to go" messages cheering on someone who is doing a great job or a public thanks/recognition on a particular project would go a long way. I realize that public recognition isn't necessary for everything but once in a while it sure is nice to have someone compliment your efforts or celebrate your success(es) in a way that can be shared with others.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
CEDO 525 Week 4 Strategies
Identifying Similarities & Differences
One of the recommendations for this strategy is "Have students use graphic organizers as a visual tool to represent the similarities and differences." Whenever applicable I do have my students use graphic organizers to arrange information in a logical, visual manner. I LOVE the new SmartArt tools in Microsoft Office 07 & newer; the word clouds, mind maps, flow charts, etc are super easy to use and look great! The SmartArt graphics are broken into categories which helps the user easily and quickly select the best option.
Homework & Practice
I rarely give true "homework" in my classes where students have to complete/finish activities outside of class. 99% of the learning activities take place during the class block as long as the given time is used wisely. Right now in one of my classes the students are working on a group project. There was class time given but a few of the groups will need to finish up the project outside of class prior to class on Thursday. One group in particular was listing off a million reasons why they wouldn't be able to finish their project; here are just a few given to me... "Some of us are in extra curriculars after school so we can't all get together to finish it then", "None of us have PowerPoint at home to finish up the project", "Ya de ya de ya da!" I realize that these "excuses" are not totally legit but instead of fighting that fight I just calmly told the group that all of what they told me was okay. I told them, "Just upload what you have done to Google Docs & finish your presentation online whenever you each have time to work on it." We've used Google Docs for many activities in that class so I'm surprised they even tried to give me all of those excuses regarding why they wouldn't be able to get the work done when they knew I'd probably "gently remind" them about Google Docs. Funny students.... :)
Generating & Testing Hypotheses
In my Intro to Business class the students complete an online business simulation called JA Titan. The students are put into groups, and they make various business decisions. After the decisions have been submitted they receive instant feedback. The students then look through the business reports and make the next quarter's decisions based on what happened in the previous quarter. This simulation certainly requires them to generate & test hypotheses each time they submit their decision and then review their reports. The students enjoy this simulation because it is very much "video game-like" and gives them instant feedback based on their decisions in the simulation.
One of the recommendations for this strategy is "Have students use graphic organizers as a visual tool to represent the similarities and differences." Whenever applicable I do have my students use graphic organizers to arrange information in a logical, visual manner. I LOVE the new SmartArt tools in Microsoft Office 07 & newer; the word clouds, mind maps, flow charts, etc are super easy to use and look great! The SmartArt graphics are broken into categories which helps the user easily and quickly select the best option.
Homework & Practice
I rarely give true "homework" in my classes where students have to complete/finish activities outside of class. 99% of the learning activities take place during the class block as long as the given time is used wisely. Right now in one of my classes the students are working on a group project. There was class time given but a few of the groups will need to finish up the project outside of class prior to class on Thursday. One group in particular was listing off a million reasons why they wouldn't be able to finish their project; here are just a few given to me... "Some of us are in extra curriculars after school so we can't all get together to finish it then", "None of us have PowerPoint at home to finish up the project", "Ya de ya de ya da!" I realize that these "excuses" are not totally legit but instead of fighting that fight I just calmly told the group that all of what they told me was okay. I told them, "Just upload what you have done to Google Docs & finish your presentation online whenever you each have time to work on it." We've used Google Docs for many activities in that class so I'm surprised they even tried to give me all of those excuses regarding why they wouldn't be able to get the work done when they knew I'd probably "gently remind" them about Google Docs. Funny students.... :)
Generating & Testing Hypotheses
In my Intro to Business class the students complete an online business simulation called JA Titan. The students are put into groups, and they make various business decisions. After the decisions have been submitted they receive instant feedback. The students then look through the business reports and make the next quarter's decisions based on what happened in the previous quarter. This simulation certainly requires them to generate & test hypotheses each time they submit their decision and then review their reports. The students enjoy this simulation because it is very much "video game-like" and gives them instant feedback based on their decisions in the simulation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)