Click on the title to hear the audiofile.
Many times the second grade curriculum needs to be demonstrated or practiced in a concrete way so the students can understand the concept. Our current science unit is The Sun and Family. While the students can see the sun, most students assume that the sun is moving around the Earth because we see the sun rise in the east and set in the west. I demonstrate how the Earth rotates by setting up an overhead projecter to act as the sun and we use the globe for the Earth. Then the students can see the light from the projector/sun lighting one half of the globe/Earth at a time. They can see how the Earth’s rotation causes day and night.
To aid in this understanding, I have also found a site on the Internet to show this concept. (http://www.cne-siar.gov.uk/school/tolstaprimary/dayandnight/) Sometimes the students need to practice the concept multiple times before the understanding is complete. I will quickly tire of spinning the globe around the overhead projector, but the computer will continue to play the same sequence over and over tirelessly. (I guess if I would find someone to videotape me spinning the globe I could become tireless too!)
I also search the Internet for graphics, video clips or short movies to demonstrate concepts of space. Unitedstreaming.com is a great source of videos and videoclips. Brainpop.com also offers great cartoon mini movies on many topics for a range of learners. Unfortunately, these sites are not free.
I believe that hands-on projects and simulations do help the students to learn more effectively. They become active participants in their own learning by performing the steps of the process. Hands-on experiments, computer simulations and videos can all aid in the students’ learning.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Monday, October 23, 2006
Video in the Classroom
Click on the title to view my mini-movie made using Jumpcut at Jumpcut.com.
In my second grade classroom, we have done some beginning steps leading up to video production but have not actually made any videos.
The class went on a field trip last week to Adams’ Wildlife Sanctuary. On this trip, each adult leader carried a digital camera. When the group stopped at a station, they were required to prove that they had completed the station by posing for a picture. These pictures were downloaded into iPhoto on a stationary iMac. A slideshow will be produced for the parents to watch while waiting for Parent/Teacher conferences this week. I will also use these pictures in our newsletter, upload some to our class web page and some will be used for writing workshop. Each child receives a picture and writes about it using complete sentences and details. Sometimes these are printed for a book. They could also be used in the storyboard for a movie retelling our field trip.
I used Jumpcut to practice making a very short movie with pictures from our trip, clipart and an audiofile. The clips and audio uploaded easily. It was simple to add titles and audio. I also changed the style. The only difficulty I experienced was impatience. I kept trying to change things while things were rendering or uploading. I was using my quick connection at school and not my modem at home! I have used iMovie in the past. Jumpcut seemed to work similarly.
My students would require quite a bit of supervision during a project like this. I have thought about trying some short videos showing the students completing an action. For example, some could hop and some could jump and some could swing. These could be put together into a short video about verbs. Hopefully, this would help them to understand a verb as an action word.
It is good to know that these movies can be saved and displayed on a web page. I would need to know how to condense the movie to make it open more easily using slower connections. Jeff had good suggestions regarding shooting video that I would need to consider during the preproduction, production and postproduction stages of video-making.
In my second grade classroom, we have done some beginning steps leading up to video production but have not actually made any videos.
The class went on a field trip last week to Adams’ Wildlife Sanctuary. On this trip, each adult leader carried a digital camera. When the group stopped at a station, they were required to prove that they had completed the station by posing for a picture. These pictures were downloaded into iPhoto on a stationary iMac. A slideshow will be produced for the parents to watch while waiting for Parent/Teacher conferences this week. I will also use these pictures in our newsletter, upload some to our class web page and some will be used for writing workshop. Each child receives a picture and writes about it using complete sentences and details. Sometimes these are printed for a book. They could also be used in the storyboard for a movie retelling our field trip.
I used Jumpcut to practice making a very short movie with pictures from our trip, clipart and an audiofile. The clips and audio uploaded easily. It was simple to add titles and audio. I also changed the style. The only difficulty I experienced was impatience. I kept trying to change things while things were rendering or uploading. I was using my quick connection at school and not my modem at home! I have used iMovie in the past. Jumpcut seemed to work similarly.
My students would require quite a bit of supervision during a project like this. I have thought about trying some short videos showing the students completing an action. For example, some could hop and some could jump and some could swing. These could be put together into a short video about verbs. Hopefully, this would help them to understand a verb as an action word.
It is good to know that these movies can be saved and displayed on a web page. I would need to know how to condense the movie to make it open more easily using slower connections. Jeff had good suggestions regarding shooting video that I would need to consider during the preproduction, production and postproduction stages of video-making.
Monday, October 16, 2006
PDA Articles
Click the title to hear the audiofile.
In the recent past, I thought that Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) were only used by business people to keep track of appointments through a calendar and to organize the addresses and phone numbers of contacts. As I began reading this week, I learned about using PDAs on field trips to collect data using probes and taking notes with a writing program. I began to see uses for older students in classrooms.
PDAs can provide portability that is not as easily available with laptop computers. For several years we have taken a field trip to Adams’ Wildlife Sanctuary. Each group brings a digital camera to record their findings. Each child takes a pencil and “spy book” to record their data. Recording their thoughts on the trip makes it much easier for them to remember the trip when we return to the classroom. Taking PDAs on field trips would provide a similar option that could be downloaded into a computer or printed upon our return.
When I found the examples from elementary schools, I began to rethink my views on PDAs. On page 59 in the article, Palm Education Pioneers Program Final Report (www.palmgrants.sri.com/PEP_Final_Report.pdf), some ESL teachers began to use the word wall on PDAs. This provided a portable word wall. (A word wall is actually a place on the wall where words are placed that are highly used and difficult to spell or words that will aid in the spelling of other words.) It no longer matters where the student is sitting in the room or even if they want to write in the library or in a special teachers classroom. They can have the word wall with them.
I could also relate to the student from Arlington Public Schools that couldn’t write more than a few sentences but can finish a rough draft in one sitting using a PDA. (http://www.palm.com/us/education/studies/index.html) These students are using a program called FreeWrite to work through the steps of the writing process. The article said that editing and revising with peers became more popular when the writing could be “beamed” to a peer or traded on the PDA. The students also wrote more because they were interested in using the technology. I have a few students that probably would be affected in the same way.
Finally, reading some of the suggestions from the 101 Uses for Handhelds found at www.k12handhelds.com made me wonder why I had never purchased a PDA for myself. A PDA can also be a valuable resource for a teacher in the areas of grading, organization and web use. Learning about PDAs opened a new area of technology in the classroom for me.
In the recent past, I thought that Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) were only used by business people to keep track of appointments through a calendar and to organize the addresses and phone numbers of contacts. As I began reading this week, I learned about using PDAs on field trips to collect data using probes and taking notes with a writing program. I began to see uses for older students in classrooms.
PDAs can provide portability that is not as easily available with laptop computers. For several years we have taken a field trip to Adams’ Wildlife Sanctuary. Each group brings a digital camera to record their findings. Each child takes a pencil and “spy book” to record their data. Recording their thoughts on the trip makes it much easier for them to remember the trip when we return to the classroom. Taking PDAs on field trips would provide a similar option that could be downloaded into a computer or printed upon our return.
When I found the examples from elementary schools, I began to rethink my views on PDAs. On page 59 in the article, Palm Education Pioneers Program Final Report (www.palmgrants.sri.com/PEP_Final_Report.pdf), some ESL teachers began to use the word wall on PDAs. This provided a portable word wall. (A word wall is actually a place on the wall where words are placed that are highly used and difficult to spell or words that will aid in the spelling of other words.) It no longer matters where the student is sitting in the room or even if they want to write in the library or in a special teachers classroom. They can have the word wall with them.
I could also relate to the student from Arlington Public Schools that couldn’t write more than a few sentences but can finish a rough draft in one sitting using a PDA. (http://www.palm.com/us/education/studies/index.html) These students are using a program called FreeWrite to work through the steps of the writing process. The article said that editing and revising with peers became more popular when the writing could be “beamed” to a peer or traded on the PDA. The students also wrote more because they were interested in using the technology. I have a few students that probably would be affected in the same way.
Finally, reading some of the suggestions from the 101 Uses for Handhelds found at www.k12handhelds.com made me wonder why I had never purchased a PDA for myself. A PDA can also be a valuable resource for a teacher in the areas of grading, organization and web use. Learning about PDAs opened a new area of technology in the classroom for me.
Simulations, Gaming and Virtual Reality
Click on the title to hear the audiofile.
According to Ellen Wagner in the article, Enabling Mobile Learning, mobile learning will respond to the on-demand learning interests of connected citizens in an informationcentric world. (p. 44) My students are learning to multitask. It is part of their world. The television is usually on while a conversation is happening and everyone is eating dinner. Many students do their homework while listening to the television, radio or iPod and talking on the phone. This is our students’ life.
The Wikipedia article that contains information about the Croquet Project paraphases Papert in saying that children growing up in France naturally learn French. In the past, I had students in my classroom from other countries that did not speak English. The total immersion in an English speaking atmosphere helped them to quickly learn many Engish words. Therefore, if students could virtually visit other countries or time periods or even a land of math it seems that they could learn more quickly and easily through the experience.
At first, I thought there was no possible way to incorporate gaming into my classroom in the next six months. We don’t have enough updated equipment. I don’t know enough about creating or finding appropriate sites to correlate with the curriculum. But then I started to break the concept down into smaller more appropriate pieces.
Mimi Ito and Angela MacFarlane from the conference presentation last week stated that gaming is a social event. It is a good way for students to combine their talents and work together toward a common goal. Tom Snyder has developed some software based on simulations and a gaming concept. It divides the students into groups and provides a math or science problem that must be solved. The teams work together to solve the problem. The problem is presented through a computer or DVD interface. Many of the problems are geared toward older students, but I can check into this software and see if any is appropriate for second graders.
Staying with the theme of working together and multitasking, I can continue to provide some group projects. We usually do one or two a quarter and try to add more each year. Learning to work together with others is an important concept that can be built on in the future.
Finally, I know that there are some panoramic views already created on the Internet for use in the classroom. I will look for some that correlate with our curriculum and try to use them during instruction.
According to Ellen Wagner in the article, Enabling Mobile Learning, mobile learning will respond to the on-demand learning interests of connected citizens in an informationcentric world. (p. 44) My students are learning to multitask. It is part of their world. The television is usually on while a conversation is happening and everyone is eating dinner. Many students do their homework while listening to the television, radio or iPod and talking on the phone. This is our students’ life.
The Wikipedia article that contains information about the Croquet Project paraphases Papert in saying that children growing up in France naturally learn French. In the past, I had students in my classroom from other countries that did not speak English. The total immersion in an English speaking atmosphere helped them to quickly learn many Engish words. Therefore, if students could virtually visit other countries or time periods or even a land of math it seems that they could learn more quickly and easily through the experience.
At first, I thought there was no possible way to incorporate gaming into my classroom in the next six months. We don’t have enough updated equipment. I don’t know enough about creating or finding appropriate sites to correlate with the curriculum. But then I started to break the concept down into smaller more appropriate pieces.
Mimi Ito and Angela MacFarlane from the conference presentation last week stated that gaming is a social event. It is a good way for students to combine their talents and work together toward a common goal. Tom Snyder has developed some software based on simulations and a gaming concept. It divides the students into groups and provides a math or science problem that must be solved. The teams work together to solve the problem. The problem is presented through a computer or DVD interface. Many of the problems are geared toward older students, but I can check into this software and see if any is appropriate for second graders.
Staying with the theme of working together and multitasking, I can continue to provide some group projects. We usually do one or two a quarter and try to add more each year. Learning to work together with others is an important concept that can be built on in the future.
Finally, I know that there are some panoramic views already created on the Internet for use in the classroom. I will look for some that correlate with our curriculum and try to use them during instruction.
Monday, October 02, 2006
Article Review
Brain-Based Learning: Possible Implications for Online Instruction
URL - http://www.bucks.edu/IDlab/onlinetips_brainbased.htm
Author - This article was written by Stephanie A. Clemons, Associate Professor, Department of Design & Merchandising, Colorado State University. This article was published in the International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning.
Thesis - The author provides a correlation between brain-based learning and online learning. She also provides tips for online instruction based on ways the brain retains information.
Content -Clemons begins the article by reviewing the parts of the brain and how it functions. She also summarizes brain-based learning with websites provided for additional information. Then, she furnishes tips to enhance classroom instruction based on brain-based learning information.
Conclusions - Clemons believes that brain-based learning can aid in the memorization of information. All participants need to be actively involved in the learning process. The class needs to be structured to make meaningful connections for each learner and delivered in a learner centered environment. She also cautions instructors to carefully think about the brain, how students learn and their program of instruction considering the benefits of altering the current program.
I found Clemons’ tips worth considering for any class. For instance, I believe that establishing a safe environment is important in all learning situations and providing experiences based on different learning styles can reach more learners. These tips helped to relate the brain information to daily classroom instruction.
URL - http://www.bucks.edu/IDlab/onlinetips_brainbased.htm
Author - This article was written by Stephanie A. Clemons, Associate Professor, Department of Design & Merchandising, Colorado State University. This article was published in the International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning.
Thesis - The author provides a correlation between brain-based learning and online learning. She also provides tips for online instruction based on ways the brain retains information.
Content -Clemons begins the article by reviewing the parts of the brain and how it functions. She also summarizes brain-based learning with websites provided for additional information. Then, she furnishes tips to enhance classroom instruction based on brain-based learning information.
Conclusions - Clemons believes that brain-based learning can aid in the memorization of information. All participants need to be actively involved in the learning process. The class needs to be structured to make meaningful connections for each learner and delivered in a learner centered environment. She also cautions instructors to carefully think about the brain, how students learn and their program of instruction considering the benefits of altering the current program.
I found Clemons’ tips worth considering for any class. For instance, I believe that establishing a safe environment is important in all learning situations and providing experiences based on different learning styles can reach more learners. These tips helped to relate the brain information to daily classroom instruction.
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