Webinar-ReadAbout:Content.Comprehension.Cool

After watching ReadAbout Webinar, I learned that reading declines after 4th grade. Research shows that 61% of 4th graders and 65% of 8th graders are not proficient in reading. Anchoring instructions improves students’ comprehension. Anchoring is providing a video to the students prior to the text. This method allows students to get information and make a mental model on what the author is trying to say, important for struggling students. Anchoring provides students with vocabulary support thus helping them to comprehend. Through anchoring teachers can teach the various learning styles that are in the classrooms and motivate students through fun interactive non-fictional content.

NAEYC- Professional Organization

The National Association for the Education of Young Children has a membership charge that varies from state to state. The annual membership for North Carolina is $110-Comp, $70-Reg, $55-Student. With more than 80,000 members, NAEYC is the largest early childhood professional organization in this country. This group publishes Young Children, an early childhood journal of ideas, findings, and issues. NAEYC also publishes books, posters, and other media materials. NAEYC has annual conferences that offer profession training on a range of important topics. To continue my educational endeavor I plan to become a member and attend annual conferences and workshops.

Using the Web Cam to Skype

Throughout this week, Carrie and I had sent each other e-mails about linking up on Saturday to Skype. I let Carrie pick the time on Saturday to link up because I knew that she had a three year old and finding the quite time to Skype would need the help from others in her family. We did our Skype on the web cam and we talked about references and resources for our final unit plan. We both were not sure if we were having a final exam in this class. We talked about how Skype would be a great tool for teacher conferences with parents who may not be able to come to the school. I really liked doing Skype this week. I plan to get my military friends who live far away to download Skype.

My First Skype

This week we had to download Skype and link up with a classmate to discuss our final project or something about technology, we then had to blog about our experience. I thought Skype was easy to download. On Friday, Butch had posted that he would be on that night along with his Skype contact name so that others could link up with him. I added Butch to my contacts and let him know that I would link up, Peaches also linked up with us. We talked about what technology we liked this semester and we talked about our final project; I was not sure want more we had to do on it. I liked that with Skype you can talk to multiple people and in different ways, e.g. through typing, talking, video. I really enjoyed getting to know some of my other classmates; I just wish we had learned about Skype more towards the beginning of the semester.

Cyber Bullying

www.pediatricsafety.net/.../cyberbullying-knowing-the-signs-can-save-your- child/

www.hazelden.org/web/public/rmmay10_bullying.page

kidshealth.org › Parents › Positive Parenting

Bullying today is not the same as it was when most of us were growing up. Today bullying is a very serious and sometimes a deadly thing. With technology at children’s fingers, they have become bold and more hurtful with their words and actions. Sadly, at times parents have lowered themselves to a child’s level of bullying with the help of technology. Cyber bullying is bullying through email, instant messaging, chat room exchanges, or digital messages/images sent by a cellular phone or personal digital assistant. Cyber bullying, is similar to the traditional bullying that most parents have seen growing up in that it involves an imbalance of power, aggression, and a negative action that at times repeated. Research has shown that most children will not tell an adult if cyber bullying is happening to them. Therefore, it is up to parents, teachers, and caregivers to look for any warning signs of cyber bullying in their child or student. Some signs to look for are nervous when an e-mail or text message appears, decrease in academic performance, trouble sleeping, loss of appetite, spend long hours on-line, or withdrawn from friends. Most schools have established procedures for responding to cyber bullying. Parents can take measures such as putting a block on the computer; limit your child’s access to the Internet, and knowing your child’s friends and what sites they visit to help reduce their chance of being a victim of cyber bullying. If your child is, cyber-bullying parents should explain how their actions affect others, and in severe cases seek professional help for their child.

My Reflection

Looking back to my first blog “My Goals” made me laugh a little. My blog was very simple and not a lot of personal information or detail on what my goals for this class was. I stated that I wanted to learn all that I could about technology, but don’t we all. I am willing to bet that no one is taking this class just to kill time. :)
Throughout this semester my blogs have been somewhat consistent on their length. Reading and looking at all my old blogs I noticed that they were pretty much brief and to the point. I think that has a lot to do with just being so set in my way of the KISS method that writing long blogs or anything seems hard for me to do. I have tried to make my blogs longer; I start out writing a long blog, but then at the end most of the information to me does not seem that important and I end up with my short few paragraphs blogs.
Rereading all my old blogs I noticed that as the semester moved along I did start to add personal information and my prior knowledge to the topics we were discussing, although that did not change the length of my blogs. Something that surprised me as I was reading my blogs was that at times I was not very confident in my technology skills. I know that there are others in the class that are way more advanced with technology than myself, but knowing that and my frustration with technology should not take away my confidence on what skills I do know and the ones that I am learning. I think that right now I am getting so much new information that at times it is hard for me to digest it all, but I know after this semester is over I will be in a more relaxed state of mind and have more free time to play around with the technology I have learned through this class.
This reflection has been fun. I plan on keeping a blog after this class is over and this summer working on expanding my Delicious account. I plan on only take 2 classes during summer semester so I will have more free time to expand and improve on my technology skills that I am learning right now.

Math Scores Soar with SMART Response

I think the SMART Response is a great way for teachers to get students engaged in the classroom lessons. Most kids today know how to use a cell phone and are text messaging to friends all day long so for them to use this device would not be hard at all. With the SMART Response students only have to press a letter e.g., A, B, C, D, for multiple choice questions or they can text answers that are not multiple choice. Students and teachers get their results immediately on a display screen. With the SMART Response student participation is 100% because the response of each student is displayed on a screen, but students do not know each other responses thus, taking away the fear of embarrassment for saying the wrong answer.

I am doing weather for my unit plan and my age group is kindergarten. I think this would be a great tool for quizzing them on the types of clouds. I could name the characteristics and have them press the letter to the cloud the matches that characteristic.

Digital Content Creation- Podcast

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/digital-content-creation-manor/id3342966857?=61123816

For week 9/10 in EDU 271 we had to find a podcast on integrating technology into the classroom. I started by clicking on the different links that were in where to find podcast. After some time of just clicking and not sure what I was looking for I asked my daughters if they knew what a podcast was. My oldest daughter showed me a podcast on her IPod; she said she downloaded them from ITunes. I went to ITunes and checked out their podcasts. I had to download ITunes to my new computer because I had not done that yet. I then started looking for a podcast. I typed in education, integrating technology, and technology in the classroom. I found my digital content creation podcast in technology in the classroom.

The podcast digital content creation was not a very long podcast, but it was interesting to watch. The speaker was Les Simpson and he is a project base instructor at Manor New Tech High School in Manor, TX. He talked about i-Life and i-Work. The podcast was only about 3 minutes long, but what I got from it was that i-life and i –work allows students to create projects using multiple media tools without having to go through multiple software’s that may or may not work together. With i-life I could take pictures or videos of the students observing and reporting the weather. I could then add special effects, sound, or movie trailer to make it look like real news cast. I could then add it to Facebook and You Tube for parents to view.

Database

Database allows teachers and students to
• Organize
• Analyze
• Arrange or sort
• Select
• Categorize
• Choose
Some advantages of using database are
• Reduced data redundancy
• Reduced updating errors and increased consistency
• Greater data integrity and independence from applications programs
• Improved data access to users through use of host and query languages
• Improved data security
• Reduced data entry, storage, and retrieval costs
• Facilitated development of new applications program
Some disadvantages of using database are
• Database can be complex, difficult, and time-consuming to design
• Hardware and software start-up can be expensive
• Damage to database affects virtually all applications programs
• Extensive conversion costs in moving form a file-based system to a database system
• Initial training required for all programmers and users
Through database teachers and students can
• Create reflection journals on cloud observation
• Keep track of student projects

Word Processor

Word Processors allow teachers and students to
• Modify/Change
• Edit
• Differentiate
• Outline
• Paraphrase
• Create
• Punctuate
• Report/Write
Some disadvantages of using word processors are
• Compatibility
• Cost
• Internet Requirements
• Frequent Upgrades
• Learning Curve
Through a word processor teachers and students can
• Download a CNN editorial and replace the adjectives with ones that have similar meaning
• Download pictures of clouds and create a list of words that describe them
• Use weather data from the Internet to create the weather section of the classroom newsletter
• Locate clipart of the types of clouds and write a poem for each

Spreadsheets

Spreadsheets allow teachers and students to
• Convey information
• Modify
• Analyze
• Calculate
• Compare/contrast
• Estimate
• Predict
Some disadvantages of using a spreadsheet are
• Need for specialized software and hardware
• Time for planning
• Frustration
Through spreadsheets teachers and students can
• Compare/contrast the types of clouds
• Plot the average yearly precipitation in the USA
• Graph the cost difference between using natural gas verses electricity for heating a home during the winter months.

Kerpoof Web-based

I loved this site. I bought a membership so that my girls could play around with it; they love to draw as well as make stories up and act them out. I liked the make a picture section on Kerpoof. It made me think back to when I was little and I had those vinyl static pictures where you can change the dolls clothes and accessories. They looked like stickers, but they were a static.
For my unit plan I would let the students make a drawing and then add it to their weather book. They could also get on and chat with others to collaborate about the types of clouds. Kerpoof works for all learning styles and most of the NETS-S can be used. I think this website is appropriate for young kids because they have a strict etiquette and they place a heavy emphasis on safe online communication.

Discovery Education~ JumpStart Advanced Kindergarten

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/parents/reviewconer/software/jumpstartadvkindergartn
This week I reviewed software that I would like my school to adopt. JumpStart Advanced Kindergarten was one of the software’s that I reviewed and liked. I remember having this for my own girls when they were starting kindergarten, it has changed some since then, but I found it to still be a good and reliable educational tool for young children. When the student first logs on they are given a test to see what level they are at. Each student gets to choose a tutorial buddy to help them along in an area they may be struggling in. Another thing that I liked about this software is that it allows each child to work at his or her own level and learning style. As the children play and develop their skills they are awarded carrots and they can trade them in to power up. I would incorporate this title during the first week of school. I would have a computer center in my classroom along with other centers and while the students are at the computer center they could use JumpStart Advance Kindergarten. I think this software would help students who are having a hard time grasping concepts; this gives them a visual learning tool as well as audio. This software could help a child that is not fluent in English by allowing them to work at their own pace in learning English and build self-esteem.

Reflection: Mobile Computing Devices

Before taking this class I had no idea what a whiteboard (SMART board) was. After watching the video clips I asked my youngest daughter if she used a SMART board in her class, I thought she would say no, but to my surprise she was like yeah we use one all the time. I asked her if she liked using it and she said yes. I think kids today are so into all the hand held technology stuff that they love using the SMART board. I think some of the advantages of using iPods in the classrooms would be that it would help keep the students interested in the lesson; it would help with the multiple learning styles that are in the classrooms today due to the diversity of America and the increase of schools going towards inclusion classrooms. Students can use their iPod to translate a word, to record their reading, or watch a video if they are not grasping a concept. Students can take their learning anywhere. A disadvantage to the iPod could be some students may not be able to afford one. Although comparing iPod prices to a high school student’s calculator for pre-calculus, the iPod is not that expensive for the features it provides. Students could become distracted, and then there is theft, that would be my issue, as my daughter has had an iPod stolen from her purse during school time with no help from the school in getting it back. Looking at the pros and cons of iPods in the classroom I would have to say the pros outweigh the cons.
I would use iPods to enhance student learning by using the iPods to translate the different languages in my classroom, thus helping a student that is not fluent in English feel part of the class and more likely participate in class activities. I would also use it for students to hear books that we are reading as a class, not all students have the same learning style. I would use it to show a video to a student that may be struggling with a lesson. I would also use the iPod to help keep the students up to date on when assignments are due and other important school dates.

NETS-S Technology Operations and Concepts

This week I learned that although I find technology frustrating at times I do know and understand how some of the many systems that are out today work. After I finished with my assessments for this class I found that it would not let me copy, but it would let me print. Sitting at my computer and thinking for a few minutes of how was I going to get my answers onto the blackboard page I final thought hey I know how to scan. I then printed out my answers and scanned them to my computer. I was then able to submit it onto blackboard. Then a few days later I was checking the assignment page for our class and Dr. Keesee had mentioned you could do it that way along with some other ways e.g., You can print the screen and paste it into a word document and submit the word document; that I do not know how to do, but this weekend I am going to go to the link that she provided to find out how. I was able to add information to my wiki final unit plan after setting up the lesson pages. This week I worked with Dell to find out why my NEW computer is randomly shutting off on me. I am constantly saving information because I just never know when it will shut off on me. After about three hours of communicating with Dell and watching them go through all my files, I had a firm understanding that no matter what warranty I buy that one does not cover for the problem I am having, but they will be happy to let me buy the one that I need.

Delicious Bookmarks

This week we were asked to create a Delicious account and bookmark websites for our Final Unit Plan. Now at first I was scared, I am still trying to get use to all this technology stuff, I know we are in week 5 and I should be okay with it, but it still scares me. I was surprised at how easy it was to get started with the whole bookmarks and making tags. After I found my websites and put tags on them I spent the rest of the day just clicking and looking at different tags and reading information. I was hoping that maybe I could find something that would help my daughter in her pre-calculus class, back in my days we only needed three math credits so I did not have to take pre-calculus, though I am sure I would not remember it today even if I had. I think bookmarking is such a great thing for teachers, students, and others to share thoughts, and ideas. Now with delicious you don’t even have to ask someone for ideas, which sometimes can be hard because not everyone wants to share their ideas with others, I am not like that I will share any good idea I have with others, but I have met people and have family members that will not share a recipe or good idea with anyone

Reflection: TLR Wiki Group Project

For EDU 271 we were to do a collaborative project using wiki. I choose the topic of constructivism. I was thinking this would be a good topic to research and I was excited to get started. I waited to see who else was going to sign up for this topic, not that it mattered, I don’t know anyone personally, but I just did not want to be the only one doing this topic. I started to add stuff to our project not really sure what I was doing, I had never used or even heard of wiki until now and adding a YouTube video was the first for me. At first it sounded like a good idea and I started to look for videos, but my vision and my knowledge of technology just were not in sync. I wanted to add pictures of the theorist as someone in our group had mentioned and I did down load pictures of our theorist, but I could not figure out how to get them onto the wiki page, I could not get the pictures to insert. I spent hours trying to figure out how, but just could not. Finally I just gave up. I guess I should have communicated with my group, but I know others were just as confused as I was. Looking back on this group project I think we should have communicated more. I know for me there were days that I just did not know what was going on, who was doing what. I know one of our members did mention meeting and I would have loved to do that, I think that would have helped a lot, but I live about 2-2 ½ hours from Fayetteville so driving to meet was just not in the cards. I know for future projects meeting with group members would really help. I know one member did start a discussion board, but that did not seem to work out too well for some reason. Overall I think we did okay for our first group project on wiki.

Cloud Types: http:// www.theweatherprediction.com/clouds/

Student Name: Amy McRoberts Date of Evaluation: February 9, 2011
Name of the Website: Cloud Types
URL of the Website: http://www.theweatherprediction.com/clouds/
Accuracy of the Web Page Yes No Notes
1. Can you find the author of the page?
Hint: Scroll to the bottom of the page. It may be an institution. X Author Name: Jeff Haby
2. Can the author be contacted:
Hint: Look for an “About Us” or “Contact Link” X Author email: haby@genosci.msstate.edu
3. Do you think this person or institution is qualified to publish this webpage? X Why or why not? Jeff Haby is a meteorologist thus; he would know the many different types of clouds and can give an accurate definition of each.
Authority of the Web Page
1. Check the domain of the URL, particularly the extension.
Is this a commercial site? The URL can give clues to the authority. X What does the extension tell you? The URL is .com therefore it is a commercial site.
2. Are there credentials listed for the author(s)?
If not, try Googling the name of the author or the institution.
X What did you find? Mr. Haby received his bachelors of science in meteorology from the University of Oklahoma. He received his masters form the University of Mississippi in geoscience and broadcast meteorology. Since 1998 Mr. Haby has been an instructor at the University of Mississippi and has taught every meteorologist distance learning course.
Purpose of the Web Page
1. Read over the information on this website carefully. Can you determine the purpose of this web page? X Why is this web page on-line? Think critically about possible opinions or bias? To help beginners and advance forecasters predict the weather.

Currency of the Web Page
1. Can you find a publishing date? X When was it published?
2. Can you find the date it was last updated? X When was it updated?
3. Are the links working and current?
Click on some of the links to check. X What do you think about the links? I liked that you could download surface maps, radar images, satellites, and computer models / analysis for classroom use.
Looking at your answers, do you think this website would be a reliable, credible source of information? X Why or Why not? Looking at Mr. Haby’s credentials and clicking into all the different links.




I think this site will be helpful to me in my Final Unit Plan because it describes the different types of clouds and it explains how they are formed. This site also has a map page where you can download surface maps, radars, satellites, and computer models/ analysis. I think showing the children how clouds move on the computer will give them an understanding of clouds and help them in the class activity e.g. going outside and observing the clouds. Through seeing how clouds move and form on the computer they may grasp a better understanding and know what to look for to predict the weather. This site is for beginners and advance forecasters so I think it will work well for elementary children that are learning about weather and clouds. Another thing that this site had that I liked was bookmarks. I just found out what bookmarks are this week through doing delicious and I really like them a lot. I think it is a great way for teachers to share information.

Content Standards

Content standards are a clear outline of skills, knowledge, and understanding that each child must master in a given area such as language, math, and science. Benchmarks are standards to help teachers and schools determine if a child is performing in the skills and knowledge for their grade level. The purposes of these standards are to make sure that all students meet or exceed academic content so that they are prepared for continuous learning.

Before developing instructions teachers should learn about each child in their classroom. Teachers should know such things as their background, culture, interests, talents, home language, strengths and weaknesses and learning style. When teachers understand each child’s characteristics they can plan a curriculum that allows each child reach their full potential.

Learning is a process that is divided into three stages, they are (1) receiving information, (2) connecting the information to prior knowledge, (3) using the information. When students are paying attention the information is entered into their brain and stored in what is called their short term memory or working memory and is stored for a short time. Teachers can help students move the information to their long term memory by organizing information into categories, repeating information, grouping information, or using key word strategies e.g. ARITHMETIC( A, Rat, In, Toms, House, May, Eat, Toms, Ice-cream). Now the information is in the student’s long-term memory and teachers will use the information in other lessons. Teachers may link information previous learned through webbing or from the students outside of the classroom interests.

Adapting instructions allows teachers to maximize student’s independence, to maximize student’s participation in all classroom activities, and teaches students to be effective peer tutors, thus allowing students to learn from each other. Adaption is necessary to meet the success of all students in the class including children with disabilities.

There are three components of a good assessment. First the assessment provides relevant evidence, second it will measure the skills knowledge or abilities the teacher holds important, and third it will match purpose with skills assessed; ex. factual test (multiple choice, match, and fill in) with conceptual understanding us essay, short answer.

The three stages of instructional cycle are; Intended in structural outcome, Planning, and Assessment. During intended in structural outcome teachers will look at the school standards and know what skills and knowledge the students must master. Once the teacher knows what skills must be mastered they will plan a lesson around meeting those skills and they will plan what type of assessment they will perform to make sure those skills are being mastered. Finally the teacher will perform an assessment to determine if the students have met the learning outcome. The assessments can be performed during and after instructions.

In order for teachers to meet the needs of all the students they must analyze the general curriculum, know what materials they need in order for the students to reach the learner outcome, and what strategies they will need to use to have those goals met. Teachers can identify lesson topics with instructions by asking challenging questions or doing a survey before the start of the lesson to get the students interested in the lesson, discuss what you as a teacher will be doing and what they as a student will be doing to reach the learner outcome, monitor the students learning during the lesson, and close the lesson with restating the goal of the learner outcome.

Help From the Blog.

Before taking this class I had never really thought about blogging. I guess because for one I am not that great with technology and second at times technology just frustrates me. For example on Monday my computer, which I have only had for four months decided to act up on me. I was taking a test in another class, one that was a timed test and my computer decided to shut down on me, not good since I hate timed test and now my test was sent unfinished. After I calmed down I e-mailed my instructor on what had happened and she was kind enough to reset it for me. I thought well nothing more could go wrong, but I was wrong, all day it kept shutting down. Finally I just decided to get off my computer and use my daughter’s mini laptop. I don’t really like using hers because the screen is very small, but it works and it is great for teenagers.
I logged into my blogger and decided to read the comments that were sent to me. I started checking on my wiki, and group project. Through my class blog I have found that many of my fellow classmates are just like me; confused and at times overwhelmed with all this new technology. Now some of my fellow classmates are good with technology and I hope to learn from them, but it is still nice to know that I am not alone. I enjoy reading my fellow classmates blogs and learning about the different technologies that will not only help me in this class, but in my career as an Early Childhood Education Teacher.

Why Blog?

No longer are we in the day where a bookshelf of multiple encyclopedias is needed in order for a student to succeed. We no longer have sales people knocking on our doors telling us the importance of our children having their encyclopedias. Today students have all the information they need right at their fingertips. Information that allows them to, think outside the box, ask questions, and expand their knowledge.
Through technology such as blogging, a student can learn information on a topic they are studying in a new way. When a student blogs, their information becomes public information and other students and people around the world have the opportunity to add their knowledge to that student’s topic. Blogging allows students to go back and revisit information; they can go back days, weeks, even years. Blogging is also very cheap, unlike encyclopedias. Blogging allows you as a person to see the mistakes you are making through other peoples knowledge, no one is perfect. Blogging is a social network.

Group Members

During my first week with EDU 271 I learned a lot about my fellow classmates. I enjoyed reading everyone’s posts and learning that some of my fellow classmates have similar hobbies. I enjoyed learning about those who had different hobbies, ones that I have never tried, but would like to try. I always say you can never say you don’t like something unless you try it. I enjoyed reading about the different backgrounds and cultures in our on line class. I think learning and understanding all the different cultures will enable me to be a great teacher. I enjoyed learning that I am not the only person that is crazy enough to take on 5 classes and raise children and animals. I could not really find a lot that I did not like with my group. I am a visual person and I like to put faces with names so one thing that I dislike with on line is the fact that you might connect with someone on a friendship level, but walk right past them in the mall because you do not know what they look like. Sometimes you do have classmate that will put their picture up and I like that.
This week I have learned some problem solving techniques that will help in my career success. The techniques that I learned are: Creativity, looking at my fellow classmates blogs I see many have different backgrounds and it brings me to finding different backgrounds. I think the one I have right now with the books is a good one for me since I do love to read, but I am one who likes to change things around, I guess that is one thing that makes me a good Army wife lol. I also learned more about brainstorming, through the class blog and other blogs and getting ideas from others. I have never done wiki so this week I learned from my classmates that I am not the only one that is lost and confused at times. I make sure to check the help forum site as many of my classmates are asking questions to the same problems that I am having.

My Philosophy

As a teacher it is my role to foster each child’s development and personal growth. It is my job to nurture each child and guide them in learning new things and allowing them to choose the learning style that works best for them. As a teacher I will plan my lessons and change my teaching style to allow each child to grow and develop at their level and ability.

Children are active by nature and as a teacher I will welcome their energy. I believe that children learn best when they can explore their learning environment. I feel that learning is not simply sitting at a desk reading textbooks; learning can be outdoors exploring nature, listening to a fellow student’s culture views and interests, or building a structure on the computer. I believe children enjoy learning when they fell respected and have a sense of self-worth. I believe that children learn by asking questions and should not be afraid to do so.

A classroom should be inviting to all children. I believe that children should be provided time throughout the day to explore their learning environment. As a teacher I will supply a development appropriate environment, and materials that are interesting to each child. I believe that a classroom should have a routine, but also flexibility.

We are in the age of technology. Technology today offers many avenues of learning for students. Students can communicate with other students all over the world. Technology allows students to problem solve and develop independent thinking skills. Technology is here to stay and we should not be afraid to use it. Developing a balance between developmental appropriate activities and technology will allow each student to reach their full potential.

Learing Through Communtiy

In a community centeredness students learn to respect others and their differences. Students learn to ask questions, they are not afraid to say I do not know or understand something. Students in community centeredness develop confidence in their own knowledge.

In the past I have made themes about diversity. During one theme week the children made passports during art time and later dressed up in clothes from their culture (I asked all the parents if they could donate the clothes). During lunch I had food from each child’s culture. Learning about the different cultures help them share their interests and learn about diversity.

I can evaluate daily. I can do a quick assessment as the children come into the classroom by making sure they are not showing signs of an illness or injury. I can observe each child during playtime to see if they are learning and growing in the environment. By collecting this information I can build a curriculum around their interest, and classroom behavior.

Centered Instructions and Assessment

While all centered instructions are part of the community of learning each have different elements and roles. Teachers who use a learner centered instruction with their classroom will use a theme based curriculum. Teachers will understand each child's background knowledge, interest, and cultural values and apply them to classroom activities. Restaurant role playing in the dramatic play learning center is a good example. I am currently not teaching, but I have used a theme based curriculum in the past.

Another centered instruction teachers may use is a knowledge. The knowledge centered instruction introduces facts and ideas to the students. Students understand the material and are guided to learn information and not just memorize.

Both learner and Knowledge will have assessments. An assessment can be formative or summative. Formative assessments provide information at a classroom level and are done through observation or journals. Summative assessments are quite different; they provide information at a school or program level and are done through state testing or bench marks. Although different both evaluate and provide information for student success.

My Goals

My Goals for this class is to learn as much about technology as I can. I have no clue what wiki, skype, and all the other things that are out today are. I am not into tweeter, I do have facebook. I do not use a GPS, I am a plain old map girl. I have a cell phone, but rarely use it, it is more for emergencies. I am hoping this class will help me get up to date with this generation of kids. I hate that my kids know more than me.