November 12th

Fare thee Well

My class and semester is about to come to a close.  Though it hasn't always been easy I have learned quite a bit from  my Instructional Education class here at Stockton.  I have to admit that when I first signed up for this class I wasn't exactly looking forward to it.  I have often referred to myself as "technologically challenged" and figured that this class and I would not be getting along very well at all.  However I have been pleasantly surprised to find that I am not always horrible when it comes to different technology.  I have been able to incorporate different aspects of what we have learned in class into potential lessons plans for my high school English class.

Some of the things I really loved learning about where the different uses of the iPad, Sophia online, flipped classrooms, Google docs, and of course everyone's favorite the smart board.  Though we didn't go over it extensively the flipped classroom is something that really stuck with me and is something I would love to learn more about and even become certified in teaching one day. Taking the lectures home instead of in the classroom is a great idea to free up classroom time for further understanding and fun learning activities that make students want to learn more. The ipad and gamification can help in an inclusive classroom where students can "level up" at their own pace so no one is being left behind and no one is being held back.  Smart boards are perfect for reviews of a lesson, reading assignment, discussion topic, or sub day, and even teaching the lesson. The different activities and options can be applied to almost every lesson plan and the possibilities are endless.

Sophia and Google Docs make it so the students never miss a beat, even when they miss class.  In this way all of the lesson plans, activities, notes, and help videos can be found in one convenient place (or two if you want to use both). Students can upload their assignments straight to a class folder in Google docs, the dog ate my homework will never again be an excuse nor will not having any ink in the printer. These are both something that I can see myself greatly incorporating into my own classroom later on and am very  grateful that I was given the opportunity to learn about it all.

Though we learned a lot and some I will probably not use every little thing in my classroom I love that we have all of these options.  I am no longer quite as scared to use technology, though I have also learned you cannot always depend soley on technology and that you should  always have physical back ups. Just because we have all of this wonderful and amazing technological devices doesn't make them infallible. We have to take that into consideration as we create our lesson plans that way a technical difficulty won't ruin the whole lesson.

All in all I am grateful for this class and all that I have learned.  These techniques will be able to enhance my classroom and overall lesson plans. I may not use every single technique that we learned but I have the option too which will open more doors for me in the future.

October 29th

The Exciting World of Prezi's

Prezi's are the hip new way to capture an audience's attention as you relay your information on anything and everything.  There are so many different ways to create your Prezi that no two are ever exactly alike, which keeps things fun and entertaining to all.  With all the different kinds though I personally like ones with colors, an overall interesting picture, funny twists and turns, and overall easy and simple explanations.  Einstein did say that "if you can't explain it simply, you don't know it well enough."

From the list my three favorites are:

1. Mathametweets
First off I just love the overview design of this Prezi.  It was created by Maria Anderson as she explained her project of using twitter as a part of her math class's homework.  She used a drawing of students looking up at a tree with birds in it saying math quotes to one another.  Each little leaf is a slide of her presentation.  Her points were full of examples of tweets, such as how she taught her class to use twitter and some of their tweets as well.  She also used youtube videos to explain some of her points and concepts.  I loved how each slide was different and creative while swirling the audience around a beautifully drawn tree which connected all of the information in a way that would make sense to anyone who wanted to watch it.

2. Special Journeys
This Prezi is explaining the new concept of "Special Journeys" and how it will apply to the next few lessons in Miss Amie Bell's class.  I love how she uses this Prezi to explain the concept and as a reference for all of the lessons and activities that are being built off of it.  Not only does she connect her lessons and concepts with her words but she also shows those connects with arrows and visul connections between the different slides in her Prezi.  Students follow the arrows, that sometimes bring them back to a previous slide so that the students see all of the different connections and have a better overall understanding of the concept of Special Journeys.  Miss Bell even included her own personal example of a Special Journey to drive home exactly what it is she wants.  She also included questions throughout the Prezi for her students to stop and think about, this way they have to pay attention instead of just glazing over all of the information.  I think that was a good way to keep the students on task. I also love the different pictures and colors that were used in the Prezi, it made it more fun to look at and learn from.

3. The Magical Theory of Relativity
This Prezi was one of my favorites because it was fun and I was able to learn about the Theory of Relativity.  It was easy to understand everything that Petra Marja was explaining (which is saying something seeing as I never took physics to begin with).  Here he used creative designs and pictures to go along with his explanations to further the understanding of the topic.  Animation helps to keep the audience's attention and the brief step by step explanations breaks up the Theory in bite size and manageable pieces.  Everything flowed so well from one point to the next that you wanted to keep reading.


So when all is said and done, the creative, bite sized information, and well connected (both visually and within the lesson's plans) Prezi's were my favorite ones.

Til Next Time,
Nikki

October 22nd

Flipped Classrooms

       I watched Todd's most recent webinar video on flipped classrooms.  His enthusiasm was contagious and made me excited to incorporate some of it into my future classroom.  As he stated though, it will be harder for me seeing as I want to be a high school English teacher and that is not as compartmentalized as math or science classes are.  But if I am able to use it for a lesson or two throughout the year I will consider that a small success in of itself.  His statistics of his student's success and  his assurance of their love for his class and over all style definitely makes me want to try it out in my own room.  Again, I would not be jumping in both feet first like Todd did but I would love to try to slowly incorporate it into my classroom.  I want my students to learn the material not just memorize answers for a test.  If they can fully grasp and understand the material than they will do fine on the test, especially if I do not make it seem like a huge deal.  

     

       One tip that I got from Todd that I found interesting was how he had all of his videos open from the very beginning so that his GT students could go ahead if they so desired.  He also leaves them open so that anyone can go back and re-watch in case they missed or forgot something.  This technique helps reach everyone in his inclusive classroom, no one feels like they are lagging behind and no one feels bored.  The pace is whatever the students needs to set for him or her self and I find that a great thing to use in any classroom.

      One question that I still have for Todd after all is said and done is how would he use this technique in an English classroom.  Though I can think of someways I would love to collaborate with him and see what he thinks as well.  

That's all I have for now!

TTFN Nikki

October 15th

Communication and Collaboration

               We can focus on two things that concern communication and collaboration, success in the classroom and success in the real world.

               In the classroom students will have at least one major group project per class within the year.  Students need to learn how to find the strengths and weaknesses of each person in the group and work with that.  If one student is a wonderful writer, another amazingly creative, and another a great public speaker (or at least not afraid to present to the class) then the duties should be divided accordingly to each individual.  Though that is an ideal situation and does not always happen, students must still learn to take everyone's thoughts and perspectives into consideration when coming up with group projects.  Students will than collaborate to create the best possible project that they can think of.  This same skill will be needed as an adult as people come together to solve any type of problem; the best way to move furniture in and out of a house, how to help little Susie with her IEP and schooling, a new idea and presentation to the boss for a possible promotion, among others.

              Similarly, students will need to learn to communicate with each other and the teacher in order to make sure 1. that everyone is on the same page and 2. that all ideas are heard and understood before a decision is made.  Students will have to communicate to set up study times with one another and to eventually be able to speak in front of the class.  If a student is confused they need to properly communicate the confusion to the teacher so it can be resolved.  What can anyone really learn if no one is communicating?  Nothing would ever be achieved and no one would ever be on the same page if people did not know how to properly communicate.  This is the same regardless of if you are in or out of school and the education system.  Many problems would dissolve if only for proper communication.  If that can be learned in the school than it can be applied to everything the concerns other people for the rest of the students lives.

October 8th

Gamification: Is it just another fad?

               Games have been around since there have been bored creatures.  Though the types and styles of games have changed over the years it has always been the best way to learn.  Children learn all about right, wrong, and socially acceptable behavior through play which translates into their understanding of the world around them.  Why not take this tactic and apply it to educational learning?  That is exactly what gamification is all about only with using video game- esq.  Before this games were still used in the classroom, I personally remember using a jeopardy template for study days before a big test in class.  The winning team could receive extra credit points on their test.  This made everyone want to participate and thus as a class we would study a little extra to do go on this.  Plus a little bit of competition can go a long way, things would get heated sometimes.  Even when a jeopardy template was not used, any form of question study game was always more fun than going over a study guide or just notes and the students would in fact study more, if only for the game portion.   

               Now there are more options than a simple test review competition in class.  Gamification can help students better understand that days lesson and encourage students to want to learn more.  Though these specific styles are new I do not believe that the idea is and thus this is not just another fad. Making a class and learning interactive will appeal to more students than just another power point lecture.  I am excited to utilize some of these fun aspects and techniques in my own classroom.

Until next time,
Nikki :)

October 1st

What's so great about YouTube?

With 100 hours of video being uploaded on to YouTube on average every minute, one can find just about anything they could ever want or need in this video format.  From explanations to mini lessons to experiments the potential is endless for its uses in an educational setting.  A teacher can make his or her own channel for the class to use to help them if need be.  One professor of mine would up load review lessons of himself to his YouTube account so if a student was absent or simply needed a refresher it was right there at our finger tips.  This same professor would also use other videos explaining the lessons in different ways so that everyone had the chance to understand in the way that they learned best.

With so many videos you can almost always find exactly what you are looking for (with the right key words and some searching at times).  When it came to chemistry I would use it all the time, it made the reactions better to understand when I could see what was happening, not just the formulas.  I have also used it when tutoring; there are hundreds of fun and creative videos explaining literary techniques that make it much easier for some students to understand.

Of course there are some not so great things on YouTube but that doesn't mean as a teacher you have to forgo the whole service.  Incorporating fun and different videos can help stimulate learning and bring new perspectives to students who may be having trouble comprehending the lesson at hand.  I know it has helped the students I tutor as well as myself tremendously in doing just that.

'Til next time,
Nikki :)

September 24th

To Whom This May Concern,

          In today's technological age schools must keep up with all the advances to truly prepare our students for their futures.  On the same note, students learn differently today than they did ten years ago and as educators we must always take that into consideration.  Using technology as a key component in our lesson plans can help on both fronts.  One of the best and easiest ways to accomplish that is by incorporating iPads as a accessible classroom material, like notebooks and textbooks.
         Ipads have the ability to turn lessons into games and make learning more hands on.  Gone are the days where we want students to simply memorize content without full understanding; with the new Core standards we must make sure the students fully comprehend what they are learning. Making information interesting and engaging is one way that educators can help further understanding, what better way to do that than with the technology the students already love?
         This technology can also make it easier on the educator, so long as they know how to use the iPad to its full potential.  With inclusive classrooms becoming ever more popular educators must create lesson plans that can accommodate all the different students' learning levels in their classroom.  Incorporating online lesson plans with apps and educational games that go along with the topic of the day can allow students to work at their own pace.  This can work with students working or alone depending on the amount of iPads given in the classroom.  As students move at their own paces it frees the teacher up to help those students that are struggling and create extra activities for those who are ahead.  Ipads also create a one on one learning experience that is engaging for students of all learning abilities.  With the different apps to choose from one student could be master his or her basics while another is working on applying the newly learned concepts to real life or out of the box scenarios.
       With a workshop or two even the most technologically challenged of people can learn to use this helpful new technology to its full potential (speaking as one who is often technologically challenged and has learned to use this wonderful device).  Students will be excited to use them and thus excited for the lessons that allow them to do so.  They will be able to learn at their own pace as the teacher over sees and helps where needed without taking time away from the students who are advancing.  The iPad can help bring our classrooms to the new age, where our students already are.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Nicole Vancil

September 17th

September 17th

Five Things I've learned in my life:

1. Everyone has the potential to learn, though not everyone learns in the same way.
         When I was in first grade I had to be taken out for extra help in reading and writing.  I left my traditional classroom once a day to go for one on one help. I remember finding it easier to concentrate and read without other students waiting on me to hurry up and finish.  I was calmer and it was fun in that little classroom.  I did this every day until I took my placement test at the end of the year.  When I received my scores everyone was astonished, I went from below proficient at the beginning of the year to advanced proficient at the end.  Now I am a literature and education major.  From this I learned that it wasn't that I was stupid (which is how I felt) but that I did not learn the way that I was being taught.  You cannot expect one style of teaching to fit each and every student.  As a teacher learn to teach in more than just one way, learn to ask for others to show you their teaching styles.  As a student learn to realize you are not dumb for not understanding you simply learn in a different way than others.

2. Learning doesn't end nor begin at the classroom door (you can learn from just about anything, anywhere)
          Growing up my mom always wanted us to learn, to think.  If we wanted something she would ask why do we want it and do we think we deserve it.  If we were going somewhere knew would research it before hand (something I still do).  She encouraged us to always ask questions especially when we were confused and not to take things at face value.  We would go to all different historical places or nature parks, learning as much as we could and imagining life there.  These things made me more well rounded and helped me to understand the world better.  In my opinion, what's the point of knowledge if the outside world remains dark and incomprehensible?  Knowing your reading, writing, and arithmetic is all fine and dandy but your whole life is not defined by one school room and the test that in it.  As a teacher I will always bring outside things into my lessons, be it new forms of creativity or simply outside the classroom knowledge.  As a student I always wanted to connect all my different knowledge together and form connections to things that seemed at odds with each other.  Maybe that's why my favorite thing to study and research is comparative literature, where I get to make my own comparisons.

3. Everyone has their own version of reality
           Growing up it took me a while to understand why things that upset me didn't upset everyone and why things that didn't upset me upset others.  It was hard to empathize with people when I thought that everyone's home lives were the same as mine.  Even my sister and I see the world very differently from one another.  A person's reality is created by their past and the theories that they have created to survive their own life.  To a person who has always moved around a lot people are disposable and replaceable to them, that is their reality.  To a child that has been abused, a hit is what is to be expected after a verbal disagreement.  To them in their reality that is just a fact.  These different realities will transfer over into the classroom, especially an English class where I will be asking for opinions or personal connections for the readings.  As a teacher I must be understand of everyone's personal realities and how they translate over into the classroom.  It's part of my job to help broaden their realities and make them see others.  Reality is subjective to the eyes that behold it, hopefully I will help others see that as well.

4. There is nothing that a good laugh, a good cry, or good food cannot fix.
             This one is simple.  Sometimes all people need in life is a little break from it all, to be able to climb back into bed and begin the day again.  Though we are not all so lucky as to have a midday nap there are other ways to restart and recharge.  Personally when I am truly upset about something and do not want to talk about it, I call my friend who can make me laugh even when all I want to do is cry.  After talking to him I am always ready to start again.  When my sister is upset I always bake for her, well make the dough anyway.  We sit and eat my uncooked dough and watch the Office, sometimes she tells me what's up, other times we just laugh at the characters.  Being able to take a break from it all and just decompress is something that needs to be remembered as a teacher, who is going to learn anything if they are trapped in their own mind?

5. If you think you've hit bottom smile, you can only go up from there.  
           People seem to fear starting over.  They see it as a failure and want nothing more than to give up.  To me it is a fresh start with a better starting point.  You have just learned one way that something does not work.  Take that knowledge, learn from it (why didn't it work?), and try again.

September 10th

           Walking into class today I was much better prepared for what lay ahead.  I knew from the first class that it was going to be intense and that we were going to learn a lot.  Thank goodness everything is also written down somewhere so if I forget something I can go back over it at my leisure.  I have used Google docs in the past but never to this extent and I am excited to be able to use try it out for my own personal use.  This way I can get in the habit of using it and will be easily able to teach it to my students and incorporate it into my lessons.
            Also I tend to be an unorganized mess so I make myself extremely organized to combat it.  This being said I believe that incorporating google docs and everything else will greatly help me with my endeavor. This way if I forget something somewhere or am not sure I know I can access docs every where (and don't have to worry about my computer crashing).  Speaking of computers mind has decided it is too old to keep up with the times.  I was terrified that I would lose everything (I had had it for five years now) but thankfully I was able to save everything to my google drive (and organize it based on the new things that we recently learned in class).  Now when I finally get a new one I can put those files right back on it if I so which (and if anyone has advice for a new laptop I am all ears).
            I love how I keep imagining how to use these new techniques in my own classroom.  For instance, if I wanted my students to do a group power point or slide show I could set it up so that each group would have one, can see who did how much, and they can upload or share it right to a class folder.  This way I now everyone did their part and when it is time to present it is right there, no more messing with emails or flash drives.  This way I could also look over everything while it is being done so if there are questions I can comment right on their projects.  I can make a mini test that is based on all of the slides for the students to take after the last presentation as well. This way it is still fresh in their heads and they can see their grades sooner.  I can also see if I need to go over specifics or move on, thus keeping the right pace for my class.
           If I can plan this much already I am excited to learn more.  Though this is a very long class I'm eager to move forward and become better adapted to our technological age.

Until next time,
Nikki

September 3rd

September 3rd

        Today was my first day of classes and thus my first day of Instructional Tech, it was a long day.  My day started at 6 am and I have been going nonstop since than, so needless to say I was tired walking it.  Though I have had other 6 to 10 classes before, each one is different and I wondered how long we would really be staying.  Learning that it was until 9:45 was a little exhausting, but hey it is what I signed up for.  However, when walking in I was pleasantly surprised to see some friends in the class when we started.  It is always nice to see some familiar faces.

      I am proud that I was able to understand and create my webpage and blog.  It was comically frustrating when it took over 20 minutes to log in to my computer though.  However I always joke that technology hates me and I am technologically challenged, so it was just my luck (Irish or not). Thank goodness for Tom, our handy and amazing tech guy!  He was able to help everyone in the class to reboot and log into their computers so we could start our class.
      Once we got the ball rolling we were able to go over quite a bit of information as well as overview the entire course and what is expected of us.  Besides being a full 4 hour class I am excited to learn new things and to see if i can overcome some of technological incompetence and enhance my potential teaching abilities.  I am probably most excited to learn about Gamification, however everything will be exciting a new to me.

 Until next time!

~Nikki