TEAC 259

[davidshestak-blog]

Great Teaching Quotes!

Here is a link to a bunch of great teaching quotes!

http://www.inspirational-quotes.info/teacher-quotes.html

[davidshestak-blog]

Professional Organizations

National Level Organizations:

National Educators Association

http://www.nea.org/

NEA has membership benefits that include: Insurance programs, investment services, and financial programs.

Regional level: Student Education Association of Nebraska (SEAN), also Nebraska Student Education Association (NSEA)

https://www.nsea.org/

Get a subscription to The Voice magazine put out by NSEA.

The site also offers resources to help Nebraska teachers with job placements. They give links where teachers can go to apply for teaching positions around the state of Nebraska.

The NAEYC or Nebraska Association for the Education of Young Children, Inc. is a great local organization in Nebraska for elementary education educators.

http://nebraskaaeyc.org/

The student fee is $40 and it allows pre-service teachers and certified teachers ($50 regular fee) access to 5 issues of Young Children and Teaching Young Children.

The site also has a lot of great resources for teachers and there are also opportunities to be employed by the NAEYC!

[davidshestak-blog]

Classroom introduction using Voki!

Here is my introducation I made using Voki! Here is the URL for it as well, http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?scid=6329043&height=267&width=200

[davidshestak-blog]

Helpful Educational links!

http://www.ideastoinspire.co.uk/index.html#2

http://kitzu.com/

http://www.smartteaching.org/blog/2008/08/50-ways-to-use-wikis-for-a-more-collaborative-and-interactive-classroom/

http://pbskids.org/whiteboard/

http://storybird.com/

http://voicethread.com/

http://www.livebinders.com/shelf/featured

http://qrvoice.net/

http://voki.com/

http://lessonplans.mrdonn.org/lessons.html

[davidshestak-blog]

Glogster!

[davidshestak-blog]

The Digital Divide

A new term has been popping up since the early 90's and it is referred to as the "digital divide." What is the digital divide? With the on going increase in technology use (computers, internet, smart phones), there is a small but slowly decreasing gap between those who have access to this technology and those who do not. It raises the question that could this digital divide become a problem in the future? I believe that this divide will only continue to decrease. As companies continue to provide us with more up to date technology it will continue to get cheaper which will allow for more people to gain access to it. But there will always be those few who will be unable to have that technology and that is why I feel, as teachers, we need to make sure students have access to that technology in the classroom. As the years progress the world is becoming more reliable on technology and it is starting to become a required thing to know and have. Teachers need to provide students with opportunities to interact with the new technology so that they may stay up to date with everything.

[davidshestak-blog]

Learning styles are helpful to instruction because....

My opinion on whether or not Gardner’s Learning Styles is beneficial or not in the classroom is that they are. According to a post by David Glenn from The Chronicle, no matter how the subject material is taught the students will learn the same. Learning styles do not matter when it comes to learning the material. As I was going through school I can remember I hated reading the text and although I did learn from it, I found that I learned better when everything was hands on. I think that learning styles are important even though Daniel Willingham thinks otherwise. Daniel gave the example of kinesthetic and auditory learning. He stated that they don’t actually teach you the concept because that isn’t what they are defined to do. I think he is wrong because every student has a different method that works best for them when it comes to learning. For example, there may be a student who has a hard time concentrating when he/she must read the text but loves being able to move around while learning. In this case this student is a kinesthetic learner. Providing the student with the opportunity to move while learning will put that child in their best learning environment and in result that child will want to learn rather than trying to force the child to learn through just reading the text. Another example, lets say a student is having a hard time understanding the text that he/she just read. The teacher decided to show the student some pictures to help that student understand better what he/she just read. This student would be a visual learner. I think Daniel Willingham or any other person against Gardner’s Learning Styles is right when they say that all of the students can learn the same way but this might not necessarily mean it is the best way. There are ways, individually, that each student might learn better and Gardner’s Learning Styles is a great insight into several different ways students can learn the way that is best for them. Teachers are always wanting students to reach their highest potential when in the classroom and in order to do so we need to take into account each student's’ individual need. Gardner’s Learning Styles may not be a proven concept but it can at least give us a better view into how we can help our children and students succeed.

Links:

http://chronicle.com/article/Matching-Teaching-Style-to/49497/

http://www.danielwillingham.com/learning-styles-faq.html

[davidshestak-blog]

The Flipped Classroom

What is a flipped classroom? A flipped classroom inverts teaching methods, delivering instruction online outside of the classroom and moving "homework" into the classroom. There are two key concepts to a flipped classroom and those are educational technology and activity learning. One benefit to using the flipped classroom method is that it give teachers more time to help students and explain hard concepts. One negative to this method would be for students of a low SES (socioeconomic status) background. Those students may not have access to a computer to view the online lecture. Another benefit to the flipped classroom is that it increases student interaction. It also changes the way teachers talk with parents. When parents come into a conference with a flipped classroom concept the questions asked will rather be, is your student learning or not? If not what can we do to help them. With a flipped classroom, students are able to work on the concepts they have learned from the lectures viewed outside the classroom. These lectures may only be 5-7 minutes long. The students come into class and work on activities to practice those concepts they have learned. If a teacher sees several students struggling then that teacher is able to pull that small group aside and help them understand that concept better. The flipped classroom is a new and unique way of teaching students that could become more popular in the future.

More information about a flipped classroom:

Knewton-Flipped Classroom

The Daily Riff

[davidshestak-blog]

This blog talks about being a teacher-leader not just a teacher.

[alexisrae15-blog]

What a great idea! Smart teachers suggest getting your students parents involved by creating your own website! Parents sometimes have crazy schedules, this will allow them access to you as the teacher and knowledge of whats going on in the classroom. The page can include class activities and lessons being taught, homework for the week, and how to get your child help if they are struggling.

[davidshestak-blog]

This is a blog that discusses research done that shows spending time outdoors provides significant cognitive benefits!

[lsedson-deactivated20130604]

Alton Brown is pretty much the best at explaining the science behind the food we eat and the proper way to cook it.  His videos are short and entertaining.

[efeld78-blog]

Different ways to teach using technology lessons

[katlin92]

A great website for learning about many different time periods in history. 

[davidshestak-blog]

Educational games for students in elementary, middle school, and high school. It is a great way to extend learning beyond the classroom!

[heatherhans-blog]

Includes many resources on WWI, including and index of countries and people who were vital parts of the war. Also includes lesson plans.

[holson3-blog]

Real life stories of teachers and their teaching experiences.