blog 10

As a result of participating in this class I feel like I'm more comfortable with technology. Usually I'm always scared that I'm gonna break something but I'm a little more comfortable now. I think I've also grown as a result of that group project. As difficult as it was at times, I feel like it has helped me to learn to work better with others and learn about different options when creating a unit. Something that I'm interested in learning more about is really just how the technology can be implemented in the classroom in a meaningful way. I feel like I know more about what technologies are available but I haven't really put together just how the students can use them. I would like to know more about the different projects students can do with technology.

blog 9

In my future classroom I think I would use group work for project based learning. I think the students can draw on each other's strengths and weaknesses to learn new things. I think I would also use group work for labs. I think depending on how the groups are functioning it would be of a lot of value to students. Group work teaches responsibility and communication skills. I think it's a necessary tool to be able to work with others. Group work seems like it would be difficult to grade. I think a good way would be to have a list of responsibilities laid out (who's doing what, etc) and see how much work that student put into the assignment, if they even completed the assignment.

blog 8

Now that our unit plans are coming to a close I can say that using technology to work with other group members was a positive thing. I think it made it a lot easier. We did our unit in Google docs. I liked how we were able to see what was happening and the professor could see how much each person contributed. The technology aspect did make it a lot easier than having to meet in person when people may not be available at the same times or be inconvenienced. I also like how all group members were able to see comments the professor and other people made instead of just one person being able to see comments made, as would be the case if the unit designs were done in paper format. Every group member could be working at the same time; I think this is a good thing.
Something I might do differently when working in another group is make a list of responsibilities from the beginning. We started doing this towards the end of this assignment but I would like to incorporate it earlier. Sometimes people are unaware of what's going on, we don't know who's supposed to do what, but if we have a clear list of responsibilities we have a better chance of everyone being on the same page. Communicating a little better is probably a good idea too.

blog 7

The class in Elluminate actually wasn't that bad. It did have its glitches though and I got a little restless sitting in front of the computer from 4:30-7. I can see this being used in lieu of a class at times but not often. The whiteboard feature does not really accommodate a lot of users and at times it was difficult to hear the professor. However, I did like how quickly she was able to respond to our questions and problems. I also liked how she was able to show us exactly what she was doing so it made it easier for us to follow along. It did have its good features.

blog 6

I thought the article "Let Kids Rule the School" by Susan Engel was really interesting. I think that when students have an opportunity to take control of their learning they develop their own interests and retain the information better. Sometimes when students become passive learners and strictly memorize what the school deems important students lose interest and sight of what is important to themselves. For instance a student in the article says that "I did well before [the Independent Project]. But I had forgotten what I actually like doing" (p.2). When control is given to the students they become more interested in what they are learning and become active participants in the seeking of new information. As in the article, the students were allowed to come up with their own curriculum framing questions and concentrated on these. These questions were things the students wanted to know more about and things the students found interesting. I found it to be a really great thing that the students who participated in the Independent Project were able to accomplish more than what the school expected of them. The students also performed better in subjects that they had previously been doing poorly in. It's important that the students have some say in their education, after all it is their education. 

blog 5

I know that we're supposed to be blogging about our unit. I'm not really sure what to say so this will probably just be me rambling on for a little bit...just a heads up. Our unit comprises Spanish, history, and earth science. It's a little frustrating trying to get all of this done when I really haven't ever made a lesson plan before. I'm taking curriculum and instruction now where we're working on a unit and lesson plan. I really have no idea what I'm doing. I also find that sometimes it can be difficult working in a group when everyone has different schedules, I just like to get things done and not have to rely on other people. That said, I think my group is working pretty well together. This assignment is just adding stress to my life...aaahhhh. But I do see the positives: learning to work in a group, creating a unit/lesson plans, and collaboration.

blog 4

Our unit combines Spanish, history, and earth science. I think it can be a little difficult at times combining these three subjects. It's hard when I'm trying to explain something from my content and trying to relate it to another content area when I don't really know a lot about the other subjects; it's difficult seeing how we all fit together but it can be done. Our group is working well together and I think we have a definite direction where we think we're headed.
To involve the community we were maybe thinking of some type of field trip where students can explore caves or mines or a trip to a Spanish restaurant where students can explore that culture.