Blended learning post

Blended learning

The concept of blended learning to me sounds wonderful, but I would love the opportunity to sit in one of these classrooms and see it in action.

What I like about the concept is that you are addressing each student’s learning needs.  And you are making the students more responsible for their learning is something that helps them move higher function learning.

If I were in a school with blended learning I think my classroom would be a mixed of the Flipped classroom with students watching lectures at home and practicing in my classroom; and the station rotation which has various learning centers throughout the classroom and area for group instruction if need be. 

I like these two choices because as a teacher you already have centers that you have used in the past, these centers can be modified and put into use again within the needs of your students.  Of course all these activities and home instruction has to provide authentic exercises that make sense and can build on prior learning. 

As for the flipped classroom, there are plenty of resources teachers can find to have students learn at home with their technology and then provide practice and even individual instruction for those that need it in the classroom. 

My only fear with blended classrooms is that student that just may feel overwhelmed and not get the attention they need.   Each learner is different and every household is different.  If I rely on a student to get on the computer at home and watch a lecture or video on how to do a math problem but that student is not motivated or does not have the tech tools they need, what do I do then?  How do I get students motivated to follow through at home?  And how do I get my students to be at about the same level?  These are things that worry me. 

Although I love the concept, I would be extremely nervous and would use the resources I listed on the resource page to prepare me for what I have to do.  

*****Just so you know the schoology page kept crashing on me, I had to get out and back in 2x's and got very frustrated with the page, I did not post this in schoology.*****************

Mod 5 Reflective post

Mod 5 Reflective post

The Anderson article was interesting because as I was reading I could relate to the different on-line teachers I have had here at Findlay.  I am particularly drawn to the teacher that uses both real-time face time with students to introduce the subject matter and themselves to the students at first, gives us the low down on how the course will work and then sends us to tackle the course.  This type of teacher makes sure we understand that they are available for questions or comments and even sets up times for online meeting for any issues that may arise during the semester.  As we work through the course (in the case of Findlay it was usually Modules) we do different types of assignments and watch videos to gain knowledge.  This makes us responsible for our learning but not lost because we always have some place to go for questions.  This to me I the best type of online course. 

As the article discusses on-line teaching presence cannot be one way and cannot be stagnate you have to incorporate different learning objectives, with different types of assessment and you have to refine and change the course as needed all the time. If you do not balance these different learning activities and do the same thing over and over again the course then becomes boring and useless.

I am a huge fan of on-line learning, I have been part of Findlay’s online community for 4 years now.  I think there are benefits beyond not having to travel to campus but I also think you need to be disciplined as a learner to take such courses.  If you can’t do what is expected then you should be in the more traditional on campus class structure.  

Collective Intelligence activity

For the Collective Intelligence activity I found the overall product to be very unorganized and difficult to follow.  It is difficult for me to see how all students could benefit for something like this when we know that not every brain learns the same way, this I think would be confusing and cause anxiety to some students.
It is an interesting idea to use in a classroom but I would do a little different.  I would use a way to introduce a new topic and have all the student collaborate with me facilitating when they get stuck.  I would do as a whole class activity and use it so students could get a more concrete understanding of what we will be working on.  But again as a tool not a new way to teach@!

Mod 4 reflections on articles/video

I will start with the Lynn Ilon article on collective intelligence while I find the reading very interesting there was thing that kept creeping in my mind, what if someone inserts bogus or incorrect information into the collective and no one sees it.  You are just perpetuating bad information.  If schools as this point do not consider Wikipedia a valuable resource for students (and Wikipedia is a collective intelligence) then how can we assume it is good for our schools.  What I see collective intelligence being useful is a tool in the classroom.  I would use it as an activity to get students collaborating on a new subject, bounce ideas around and have them condense this collaborating down to what they need to know and use that to gain even better understanding of the subject.  But I would only use it as a tool. 

Bullock’s article was a good read, he is questioning how collective intelligence is affecting the new teachers and the educators educating these new teachers.  It is interesting that in the article Bullock never really states what side he lies on but he does say with all the new technologies out there EVERYONE needs to figure out how they fit into their schools and use these tools.  Bullock states in the last paragraph “these questions demand rigorous investigation. . .” (47) which says to me before we just throw all this new technology into a classroom we have to find out teach those that need to be taught, how the technology will be used and make sure we are not just using to use, it has to be a strong tool for the classroom. 

The Educause article starts with a scenario that has the student using blogging, RSS feeds, networking sites and sharing work to be critiqued; honestly, none of this is new to me, I have been introduced to all of these things at Findlay.  I think if the tool fits a need in the classroom then it should be used.  Again, we can’t just make students go to networking sites just because that is what everyone else is doing.  All of these applications need to have authentic uses and help students produce great work.  (I think I am kinda tired of typing that.)

I thought to myself when I was watching the video this girl knows how to organize a desktop and maximize apps and such.  I want her to teach me how to use my pad more efficiently!  But I am still more of a paper and pen person.  I read the research take notes and then write according to my notes, if that is not productive, sorry.  I know there are lots of students like this 7^th grader but I am not one of them but as I type this I don’t think I would discourage my students as long as they were using their PLE appropriately and not playing games.

This was a tough subject for me, I kept thinking as I was reading these are tools not new ways for schools to structure themselves or teachers to completely teach this way.  It was hard to see them any other way.  So interesting reads yes, but I would need much more convincing to not use as tools in my classroom.

Lesson Plan

4th Grade, OHIO History

I believe this is a constructivist lesson because the lesson builds on the little knowledge students may have on Ohio Canals.  The lesson provides ways to see what the canal boats looked like, what the canals did, and how they worked.  It even provides students with 2 different Canal spots still in existence to visit and expand their knowledge.  

https://hti.osu.edu/connect/classroom-activities/lessonplan/OhioandErieCanal

The Ohio and Erie Canal

Grade Level:  4-6

Estimated Duration of Lesson:  30-45 minutes

 Standards & Indicators:

 Grade 4 

History #5: Explain how canals changed settlement patterns in Ohio.  

Study Skills and Methods #3:  Use primary and secondary sources to answer questions about Ohio History.

Lesson Summary:

 The students will travel the Ohio and Erie Canal using primary sources and draw conclusions as to how the canals were built and operated, construction of the canal boats, and the purpose of the canal system.

Instructional Steps to Implement the Lesson:

1. Class Starter: Students will complete a pretest using a primary source relating to the canal system. Distribute one historic photograph to each student—print out several copies of each of the photos above so students will be looking at a variety of images.

2. Guided Lesson: 

Canals: What were they? Where were they? How did they change Ohio? Use the PowerPoint found here to explain the history of the Ohio and Erie Canal

(For some reason I can’t get the Powerpoint to transfer here.)

For historical content, review these sources:

Ohio and Erie Canal from Ohio History Central 

Canal Lands: Ohio Division of Natural Resources 

At appropriate point in the PowerPoint, show the video “Canal Movie.”

Here, students will visit three stops on the Ohio and Erie Canal. 

Stop 1 Lock 38 – View a video clip explaining how the lock system works and construction of locks.  

Stop 2 Boston Lock 29 – Construction of canal boats.

Stop 3 Canal Fulton Lock 4 – Traveling the canal in a canal boat.

3. Closing:  Think-Pair-Share Strategy. Students will share something they learned or found interesting at one of the stops first with a partner then the entire class.

Another resource for lesson plan. 

The Ohio Canal System 

ORC RESOURCE ID: 14674

GO TO RESOURCE >>

http:​/​/www​.canalsocietyohio​.org​/ohio_map​.html

PROFESSIONAL COMMENTARY

The interactive Ohio Canal System map by The Canal Society of Ohio allows users to click on 25 different Ohio locations to learn how the canal system impacted settlement and the economy of various communities in the Buckeye State. Fourth graders and their teachers will be able to use this content resource to meet the state fourth grade history standard. Not only is information just a mouse click away, but users also have access to a colorful Ohio map with a useful key. While this resource does not cover railroads or give much information on how Ohio's politcal status changed, it does provide teachers with enough background information for general discussion. Students could use this site for research projects.

SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS (2001)

History

Grade Level Indicators (Grade 4)

5.

Explain how canals and railroads changed settlement patterns in Ohio and Ohio's economic and political status in the United States.

Mod 3 article reviews

OM GOODNESS!  The Clark article was some of the most difficult reading I have ever done.  I kept thinking to myself is this guy for real.  How can you not think media (whatever that media may be) does not help some students learn?  Any student in education knows that every student learns differently, because of this every student that needs media to learn benefits from this media. 

The hardest part for me is what did Clark specifically define media as?  To me, media TV, computers, computer programs, etc. but I am not sure what he meant.  He mentions TV several times in the first part of the article and then in the latter part of the article he mentions computers.  Not sure which was his “media”. 

Also, it seems as you read the article, that regardless of what the research says, Clark does not and will not believe the results.  On page 447, Clark has it set in his mind that all research in this field is confounded and if the research states otherwise then it is not a good study.  You can’t just write off any research that you do not like, I don’t get his stance.   

Now the Kozma article was great!  He picked apart Clark’s stance and provided research that proved that media is beneficial to learners.  Kozma states that some learners may not need or even benefit from media there are learners (as the research he presents in the article) that will use a media and construct knowledge which is what we as educators want.  We want to give students whatever tools they need and can use to build their knowledge.  These devices (whatever they may be) are tools teachers can use to reach those that need help and provide ways to build on what they know already. 

I liked Kozma, he makes sense.

I think with Jonassen’s article, he was presenting yet another way to present information in the classroom.  His last paragraph states teachers need to apply components of strategies they have at their disposal in order to best teach and foster student learning.  With constructivism it means taking what know, collaborate with others and build a meaning on those collaborations.  It means teachers have to facilitate more and “teach” less.  Not a bad idea.

The last article by Chapman was mainly giving educators ideas of how to provide technology to all students.  Having tech centers and/or clubs available to all students so they have access to technology.  These particular centers had 3D printers and software to edit and make movies.  Some schools can’t afford such items so forming centers and clubs can still get students involved but outside of the school setting.  Great thing if it can be implemented in school systems that have very little money.