The Final Stretch

We're finally here. The last month of classes before the summer. I am so excited. I have a lot going on though and that can be overwhelmingly. I have tests and final projects to finish up in these final weeks. As well as lots of other social things that I am stoked for. Tonight I get to go to see the Christian comedian Tim Hawkins. Then next weekend I am leaving to go the Olympic Wrestling Trials and I can not wait!

Spring Break

This week is the first week back from vacation. It's been crazy getting back into the schedule of doing homework and going to classes as well as work. It's amazing how just one week can ruin a person's schedule. Over break I went to my old high school to complete a technology survey for Teac 259. When I returned to my high school I had a great experience. I was a little skeptical returning to those halls. I haven't been back in that school in years. I got to meet with one of my favorite teachers, as well as the principal, and I also got to observe another teacher's class. Later on in the week I got an email from my old teacher that she had teaching materials she wanted to give me for my future classroom. It was awesome! I have a bag full of movies and lab books to use in the future. I also learned about a really cool program called the World Food Prize that  I encourage everyone to go research. It is a great opportunity for students, so hopefully that sparks your curiousity enough to research more!!

3/17/16

Today in class we were shown three different types of technology. First we used littlebits. They were these interesting little electronic pieces you could hook together to make different things. They were described to us as Legos with a battery. Next, we used a leap motion which is a lot like an educational video game. It has a sensor that reads your hand motion instead of using an actual mouse.  Lastly, we looked at Makey Makeys,  which are wires that connect with your computer and any object you want to be a keyboard key. I think the one that I would most likely incorporate into the classroom is the Leap motion. It had a lot of cool science uses that I think would be a fun study tool for students, as well as a possible alternative to labs if budgeting and time doesn't allow. I would be weary of how to grade the students usage of the leap motion however. My group struggled with getting the leap motion to do what we wanted to it, so I think it would be something a used for extra credit, or study time and not core points in my grade book. I think I would maybe incorporate the other two technologies in my classroom in an optional way. I think they would be nice to have set up in stations for if students are done with their work, or even as extra credit optional projects as well. I think there are a lot of possibilities on how to connect these technologies into a biology classroom!

Old School Teaching

Being in college I am exposed to many different teaching styles. Each professor brings different styles into their lectures. Since I have become an education major I have found myself picking up on bad teaching techniques as well as good ones. Currently I am taking chemistry. The class has a very traditional lecture. My professor is very old school in every sense of the word. He uses PowerPoint, but writes most of his notes out on the white board for us to copy down. I have found that I actually learn so much  more form him when he does this. He'll write out problems and walk us through how to solve them, instead of just lecturing off the PowerPoint he has. I think this is a very effective way of teaching.  When I come to class I have to actually actively pay attention and copy down notes as opposed to just downloading his notes later from blackboard.  Even though this professor has a very traditional style of teaching he still incorporates technology. Each week we have assignments that are due online. We also get points from participating in clicker questions. I like the way he teaches and runs the class. It is a good teaching model. I think that when I have my own classroom I will probably be incorporating technology in similar ways while still keeping it old school and simple.

Maker March

This month is Maker March in class. This means that our class is focused on new technology and new ideas. This week in class we were assigned to create something that would be helpful to education. My group decided that since we are science majors with one social science major we should obviously focus on a science related creation. We had issues coming up with an idea at first. We started out by determining if we wanted to make an app or some physical type of tool. We quickly realized none of us had the skill set to make an app. So then we started talking about what we could make. We came up with the wonderful idea of board games. We had issues determining how we wanted to pursue a science board game. At first our board game was just going to be a psychology related one, then it expanded and kept expanding. Finally we nailed down that it would be a series of board games. One for each subject within the science field. We thought this would make it more marketable to schools. Then we determined we wanted the boards to be a candyland style. Lastly, we talked about question types and rules. Ideally the questions written for the board game will follow the Core standards for science education.  If I were assigned to create something individually instead of as a group, I think I would still take the board game route for my creation. I really struggle with understanding technology so creating an app would be hard for me. Also as discussed in previous blog posts I like the idea of bringing games to the classroom. I think it makes learning fun and interactive for the students.

Finals Week - Spoken Word by Stefan Vandenkooy from Daniel Robinson on Vimeo.
This week I wanted to share this video. I think it has a really good message. It says a lot about the values of our current society, as well as teaching. In class we have been talking a lot about teaching for understanding. I think this video calls us out as college students for doing the very thing we want to avoid our students doing. Instead of just memorizing to get a grade, to pass a class, to get a degree we should be absorbing everything. Our education now is what is going to prepare us for the hard decisions and situations we face in the classroom. Another key message I love about this video is it hits home talking about the self centered society we live in. As teachers our jobs our to help others. I know personally if I were going to school for a job that would make me rich, I wouldn't have chosen teaching. I chose teaching because I want to impact others. I want to make a different in each of my students lives. I want to invest in students the way  my coach and teachers invested in me. Even though it's not finals week, I constantly find myself being too busy to invest in others. I should be taking time to be pouring into my friends lives and getting to hear about their struggles. I think that maybe taking time to get experience and knowledge of the way other people live and invest in them would help prepare me to be in a classroom. Every individual in a classroom brings in their own story and influences. Being able to relate and understand students and their life situations will make me a better teacher. Investing in people now when I am busy will help me be able to invest in my students later when I have five thousand papers to grade and lesson planning to do.

TOW- Kahoot!

The tech of the week is Kahoot! It is an online quiz/survey/discussion generator. I am not a huge fan of this site. I would rather just create a quiz on paper. I personally take tests better on paper than on the computer. So as a teacher most of my tests will probably be given this way. I could maybe see using Kahoot! as a fun assignment for students to make their own quizzes over material I have taught them. I tried Kahoot out and made a quiz over information about myself that I have put in my blog.
See how well you know me!
Kahoot! Quiz