Voice Thread

I loved creating this Voice Thread about chocolate and including a video that I took of my daughter, Jensen.  She is just as fun loving and spicy every day as she is in this video!

Social Bookmarking

  Social Bookmarking provides an avenue for sharing articles and websites that relate to a certain topic that is addressed.  Once a topic is identified, professionals, friends, any individual in the group can easily share and identify important passages in the article and create notes for others to read.
  I love the idea of social bookmarking in the classroom.  I could see it fitting in anywhere, but particularly when trying to site text evidence and provide reasons for a persuasive article.  Students can easily highlight articles to show where information was located, and make notes as to how it supports their point of view.  This would be easy to share with an instructor, or to refer back to as a paper was being written.
  I would enjoy utilizing this website when reading articles for staff meetings.  We are often asked to read information and be prepared to discuss.  If this could take place prior to the meeting, staff members could easily voice their thoughts in order to prepare for discussion.
  Social bookmarking has many positive possibilities that can be utilized in the class.

Personal Learning Networks

Personal Learning Networks, or PLNs, are groups of individuals that individuals connect with online to share common interests with the intent to discover or collaborate.   PLNs can provide members with ideas such as lessons, research, or ideas that one can implement in any area of life.  Following blogs, Pinterest as well as interest groups or professionals on Twitter serve as arenas of learning for educators. PLNs can serve easily professional development allowing an educator to ask questions and receiving a rapid response.  As described in “Your Personal Learning Network Made Easy,”  it is discussed that it does take time to build your community, however once the time is invested in connecting, the rewards are great.  It is also acknowledged that a majority of learning takes place on line and PLNs provide an avenue for that.

An Edutopia article suggests that PLNs are virtual lockers for students.  Students who are researching topics in school create personal web pages or wikis.  When learning about a subject, students can easily get real time research responses to questions that they have and acquire answers as well as share findings with classmates and teachers.  When students have their own iGoogle, the article suggests that it provides an organization method for information collected that has been researched.  Students can investigate what they want to know.  PLNs can serve as a specialized instruction for students and teachers.

Your Personal Learning Network Made Easy

http://onceateacher.wordpress.com/2009/05/05/pln-your-personal-learning-network-made-easy/

Personal Learning Networks Are Virtual Lockers For School Kids

http://www.edutopia.org/pln-web-pages

Personal Learning Networks

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/education/2011-08-15-personal-learning-networks-mentorship_n.htm

Learning From Gaming

Learning from gaming, or connecting digital games with learning, has increased over the past decade in the regular classroom setting.  Whether students are playing math fact drill games on the computer or participating in a virtual world of problem solving such as Minecraft, students are connecting in the classroom.

Gaming has a way of increasing students’ participation and interest in education.  Gaming can be considered as taking a subject, such as math, and drilling facts over a game.  The technology-based game provides instant feedback to the learner, and instant data for the instructor.  Many classrooms in fact do use this type of educational gaming, or something similar in the area of reading, math  and spelling.

Additional gaming opportunities also include situations where students participate in a virtual world, with an avatar, and are able to work through a simulation, using higher level thinking skills and in a team based setting.  Games such as Minecraft provide students the opportunity to connect games and discuss strategies and build together to solve problems. 

Games such as the later enhance the learning experience for many students, providing an opportunity for higher-level thinking and problem solving in a virtual setting.  Gaming can prove to be intrinsically motivating to many students, as subject area knowledge increases, as the players become learners.

For those who would like to read more about the research of successful gaming in the classroom, consider reviewing the following articles…

Unexpected Learning Opportunities Through Games

According to Heystead and Marzano, gaming in the classroom increases academic performance and achievement scores by 20%.   Gaming increases interest, enthusiasm and competition, engagement is increased and students refocus their attention to the curriculum.   Gaming increases collaboration and problem solving rather than passively listening to collect information in a classroom. (Schwartzman, 1997) 

Gaming Gains Respect

Will Richardson reports that gaming in the classroom is not new to teachers, in fact in a study completed by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop which strives to increase and enhance students’ learning in this digital age, found that 325 of 500 surveyed teachers use educational games in the classroom, and 18% use them every day. Overall teacher’s surveys suggested that gaming increases participation, individualizes instruction and assesses students’ knowledge both of which help collect meaningful data.

What students are playing is still a topic of conversation.  Simulations in gaming provide opportunities for students to collaborate and problem solve and develop solutions to real life situations.  Simulations provide the opportunity to increase higher-level thinking while incorporating multiple objectives across the curriculum.

The Art and Science of Teaching / Using Games to Enhance Student Achievement

Games are successful when used lightly and thoughtfully.  To get the most out of gaming in the classroom, Marzano suggests setting up revolving teams where competition is friendly in the classroom, not for points.  Allow teams to complete for light reinforcements only for fun.

Keep gaming curriculum based and focus on vocabulary that students need to master.  Discuss this during the gaming process, assessing this material.

Take time to debrief after gaming and discuss the outcomes of the gaming session.  As a group, have the students check in about how they felt about the procedure, and questions they may have had or what they are still working on learning.

Make connections through note taking.  Allow time for students to revise notes they have taken on the subject in older grades.   What did the game teach them?  In younger grades, your classes can make connections to the games, allowing for higher retention.

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A Wife, Mother and Teacher

  I am a wife and I have a truly amazing husband!  He is the love of my life and I don't know where I would be without his support, love, wisdom and optimism.  Our children mean the world to us!  We have a second grader and a kindergartner who are full of spunk and life!
  I truly enjoy teaching!  I began my teaching career in 2001 as a fourth grade teacher.  In 2006, when I took a year off to be home when my second child was born, I returned to school as a 3rd grade teacher. I was bumped to 5th grade for one year following, and then back to 3rd where I have been for now three additional years.
  I have my Masters in Educational Technology from Baldwin Wallace University and I went to Kent State for my undergrad.  I am currently contemplating heading back to school for yet another degree!