Whitaker Education Teaching : October 2015

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

ORC Lesson Plan

I have chosen to do an activity for Preschoolers, students aging from three to five years old will listen and read along to A Dinosaur Named After Me, a book where the children rename dinosaurs after themselves in the story. After reading the book, students describe the characteristics of the dinosaur they chose that best represents them and will use their imagination to create their Dinosaur however they want that best fits them.

The Common Core standards that this lesson meets are the students being able to describe their own emotions and of others, comparing the characteristics of themselves to the dinosaur that is most similar to them, and creating their "me-asaurus". The students will be using fine motor skills when first making the Dinosaurs; cutting, gluing, coloring. Afterwards, the students will be using gross motor skills to demonstrate what kind of Dinosaur they are and how they act; using their arms to show they can fly, jumping, or using their whole body, When the students state their emotions, they're expressing their feelings. When the students assign themselves a Dinosaur, they're comparing the Dinosaur to the characteristics of themselves. When the students create their "me-asaurus", they're making art. This assignment is meant to get the students thinking about themselves and others.

I will implement this lesson into the classroom after finding a student with an interest in Dinosaurs. I anticipate a problem being with the younger students who may have trouble expressing their emotions and feelings when trying to make their Dinosaur. A challenge the students may have might be figuring out their characteristics and then getting them on paper.

Links

http://rec.ohiorc.org/record/9260.aspx

Some fun activities that I found that I could branch off from A Dinosaur Named After Me are making a Dinosaur tooth, Dinosaur fossils, and Dinosaur eggs.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Khan/Koller Review

When you visited the site, was it something you envisioned using yourself?

After having visited the Khan Academy website, I could only see myself using the website to learn the basics of a subject. I am a visual hands on learner, so an online only class would not fit my needs if I needed something explained.

Is it something you could imagine encouraging your students to use?

I think students as young as Fourth or Fifth graders and older would be able to use Khan Academy because figuring everything out would be easier and natural for them compared to a First grader. My students, as young as Preschool up to the First grade would have trouble navigating the website without assistance.

After perusing some of the videos on the site, did you think they were easy to follow and learn from?

After watching some of the videos on the website, I did find them to be helpful if stuck on a problem. I found that I was able to understand and grasp the concept a lot better when they applied the problem to real life situations.

Do you believe that Salman Khan is right when he says that in the future, we will rely more on "credentialing" through the use of online courses? Do you think this style of education makes learning more accessible for more students? If so, why? If not, Why?

I think Salman Khan is correct about relying more on online classes. Technology is accelerating rapidly as we learn something new everyday. I think this learning style will be an advantage for those who it comes naturally to and can excel with it, but a disadvantage for those who, like me, do better in a classroom.

When you explore the coursera course offerings, what course looks most interesting to you?

After having explored Coursera, an interesting course I found was Think Again: How to Reason and Argue. I'd love to be able to learn how to win the arguments that I get involved in.

Does Columbus State accept Coursera transfer credits?

Columbus State does not accept Coursera credits.

Do Coursera courses appear to be more challenging or more interesting thank those you've experienced before? If yes, why? If not, why? Either way, could your opinion have something to do with WHO is teaching the Coursera courses?

I did find that certain courses appeared to more appealing than others on Coursera, and others were not. The ones that I found to be interesting were within the category of Personal Development. I base my opinion more on how the classes are presented and appeal to possible students rather than solely based on who the teacher is, though it is important.

Do you think that MOOCs (massive open online courses) are the "wave of the future"? How do you think MOOCs might change the way a student like you would receive their education?

I do believe that MOOC will continuously advance and grow in the amount of students they receive. Not everyone's schedule can accommodate campus classes, so online is the best and only solution for those people. As a society largely based on technology, I believe receiving education in this way will become an asset and beneficial.

Monday, October 12, 2015

Pinterest in the Classroom

1.What did you learn from the PINTEREST activity?

I really enjoyed using Pinterest to gather ideas whether it be about teaching or home décor. There are so many different ideas and ways to do things, and Pinterest makes it so you think out of the box for what you want to do. I learned that I shouldn't be so confined to my own ideas and venture out of my comfort zone.

2.How do you believe you will utilize PINTEREST as a teacher?

I believe I will use Pinterest as a teacher to get ideas from and use, and then expanding on those ideas for other activities.

3.What are the strengths of PINTEREST?

A strength of Pinterest is that it has everything. Everything you can think of from food to clothes with all kinds of ideas and suggestions.

4.What are some of the challenges of PINTEREST?

A challenge of Pinterest is depending on what you're looking for, you have to be specific in your search. If you look up a topic too broad, you'll get thousands of results. However, if you look up a topic too narrow, you'll get a limited number of results.

5.What comments, questions, thoughts, opinions, and/or feedback do you have about PINTEREST?

My opinion of Pinterest is that it is easy to use and get inspiration from. I have an occasional Pinterest binge every now and then. I make a board for almost everything, and will look up anything to pin. I just love it.

Monday, October 5, 2015

Ohio DL Schools

Connections Academy has several centers in Ohio. They take their students on field trips and have clubs for the students to be involved in. While Connections Academy looks like they care about the students, there’s no “pull”; nothing stands out to me. The website is a consistent orange, making it not look “attractive”. The FAQ page was hard to find because it’s under a “Find Out More” tab. I would not pick this school for my child to go to.

The Virtual School House has a large calendar on the front page for what is to be expected by week and month. There is a Special Education page for information, and has blended learning as one of the learning styles. The students are given the ability for tutoring, field trips, sports, and family activities. I did not find a FAQ page. I would not pick this school for my child to go to because the layout is somewhat unappealing and boring. I would like it a lot more if there were more pictures of the students.

I love that the ECot website has pictures and a little background story of some of the students who went to ECot as the header. Down the page, there is a short video tutorial on how ECot works, and a video on a graduate’s experience with ECot. They were the first charter school in the nation to have students graduate in 2001. ECot is tuition free including supplies, like a computer and a broadband connection for home use. Parent and student orientations are held weekly, and students can enroll all year long. The FAQ page is under a tab referred as Enrollment. I would pick this school for my child to go because the teachers seem to actually care about their students and are engaging not just in the classroom, but also out of it.

The Ohio Virtual Academy is tuition free with materials such as books, CD’s, microscopes, a loaner computer, printer, and internet stipend delivered to the home. They offer over 240 courses with an array of advanced learning, AP classes, electives, and foreign languages. Ohio Virtual Academy also assigns a teacher to a student if they need help and a parent to parent hotline if they need to talk. Extracurricular clubs and activities are offered for the students as well as competitions, a DC Trip, a back to school picnic, and OHVA camp. The FAQ page was easily accessible. I would pick Ohio Virtual Academy for my child to go to because as I was researching, I caught myself wanting to go here. It made me look back on my High School experience and wish I had gotten involved in something like Student Council.

The Virtual Community School of Ohio is tuition and full time enrollment is free with a laptop and reimbursed for the internet service. Students and parents comment on their experience at Virtual Community School of Ohio, some even on the Alumni page. They have blended courses and Summer school as well as dual credit with Ohio Christian University. The FAQ page was a small link called How it Works. I would not pick Virtual Community School of Ohio for my child to go to because the website itself seemed unorganized and cluttered. Everything was compacted all in one area on the homepage.

Assistive Technology for Students with Visual Impairment

The disability I chose was visual impairment (ranging from mild to full blindness). Children and adults who have visual impairments struggle with learning because they have to use their other four senses to make up for their lack of vision. In doing so, their touch, smell, hearing, and taste will become intensified.
Just like a child who has perfect vision, a child who has low vision shouldn’t be restricted on their abilities. In a classroom setting, a child with a visual impairment should still participate in the activities, though possibly coming across some road bumps along the way. To help with the difficult situations they may face, the student should try to get a seat as close to the front as possible and the isle clear to walk through. The teacher can help the student by speaking and facing the students at the same time, and by allowing them to do hands on projects so they’re able to touch the objects. The students’ peers can help a visually impaired child by asking if they need any help, or by simply continuing walking by if they have a seeing-eye dog.
A desktop video magnifier is a computer-like device for people with low vision abilities. The LookStation video magnifier lets those people be able to see and read as normal as if they didn’t have

any vision problems. The screen comes with high capabilities such as picture quality, zooming, simple buttons, and convenient designs of anywhere access and aid for the wrists and hands. When using the magnifier, you put any object under the monitor to boldly show up on the screen.The Bradley Classic Mesh Watch is a stainless steel and fashionable accessory for those with low vision. The watch has specific raised markings for the recognizable time. A separate ball is placed on the inside of the watch for the minutes, while another is placed on the outside for the hours.

The future for the visually impaired and number of blindness is expected to rise as the population continues to expand. A future gadget, known as Smart Glasses, allows someone to wear and move around as if seeing independently. The glasses have small cameras on the lenses that take pictures for the wearer to see and headphones for the wearer to hear what that object is.