Takeaways:As far as takeaways from this production are concerned I already knew a lot of the information discussed. A lot of the historic information about the Americans with Disabilities Act that was provided was a refresher for me from a class I previously took called Consultation, Litigation and Transition in Special Education. Additionally, a lot of the information mentioned about intelligence testing was also review for me from two other courses I have taken titled Exceptional Learners and Assessment in Special Education. Mainly what I took away from this film was how much of an impact it had on the community and how it started so many meaningful conversations. Possible Implementation:I could use this production and others like it in my future as a tool for bringing awareness to others. I could show it in my classrooms, create an opportunity to show it school-wide or put on something similar to what the teacher from Grove City did and make it community-wide. I also think it could be used as a great resource for parents of students with intellectual disabilities who are still in the denial stage or who have misconceptions.
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What is it? The letters PLN stand for Professional Learning Network. A Professional Learning Network is a community that continually grows in size as educators use social media and technology to connect, collaborate, and create with colleagues around the world at any time. Having and maintaining a PLN requires effort, it is not the outcome of a conference held by your school district. A successful and worthwhile PLN is dependent upon the teacher's attempts and diligence. Developing a PLN is also a key step in implementing a lot of the aspects of Danielson Domain 4. For example, components 4D and 4E both call for educators to participate and grow within the professional community which is exactly what a PLN helps teachers to do. Why do we need it? Teachers need PLN's because as educators we are obligated to pursue lifelong learning. If we expect our students to be committed to the learning process then we must also make an effort to grow in different ways too. The Danielson Framework for teaching is an invaluable model for teachers to assess their practices. PLN's allow educators the ability and opportunity to implement key components of Domain 4 of the Danielson Framework into their practices. PLN's are necessary so that educators everywhere can continue to uphold their professional responsibilities. My thoughts: When I first heard of the term PLN I will admit that I did not fully understand it's value. While I knew that collaboration was important and that building up a network of colleagues was beneficial I had no idea how much I would learn and grow as an educator. In order to begin building my own PLN, I created a professional Twitter account. Next I began participating in education chats on Twitter and after that everything changed. I have met (through Twitter) fellow educators not just from the United States but from all over the world. It has helped me to not only implement components 4D and 4E but communicating with other educators has provided me with numerous ideas regarding how to implement components 1B, 1D, every component in Domain 2, and component 3C into my classroom. I am so grateful that we, as educators, have the resources and opportunities to encourage and help each other grow. Future plan: In order to continue to grow my PLN long into the future, I plan on participating in an education chat at least once a month on Twitter. Twitter chats are terrific opportunities in which to expand your PLN and engage in meaningful discussions about a variety of education related topics. I also plan on maintaining my professional Pinterest as a means of meeting new educators and adding to my PLN. Lastly, attending conferences, workshops, and lectures whenever possible is something that will help to build up my PLN and simultaneously help me in implementing both Danielson components 4D and 4E into my practices as an educator. You're welcome to follow me on Pinterest and Twitter so we can both grow our PLN's! Click the button below if you want to see when all the education chats are scheduled for! Sources:
Elizabeth Spartas on Twitter. (2017). Twitter. Retrieved 4 December 2017, from https://twitter.com/i/web/status/862036664776101892 PLN Reasons. (2017). Pbs.twimg.com. Retrieved 4 December 2017, from https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C54I2wpU4AAP_uU.jpg Tonight: Chat With Carol Ann Tomlinson About Differentiated Instruction. (2017). Education Week - Teaching Now. Retrieved 4 December 2017, from http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teaching_now/2014/07/chat_with_ascd_and_carol_ann_tomlinson.html The Connected Educator. (2017). Pbs.twimg.com. Retrieved 4 December 2017, from https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTYxbWZU8AA7iik.png Whitby, T. (2013). How Do I Get a PLN?. Edutopia. Retrieved 4 December 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-do-i-get-a-pln-tom-whitby What is it? Splat is a fantastic website that is easy to use and has endless possibilities when it comes to classroom applications. It is especially great to use in conjunction with a Promethean Board or if your school has a one to one ratio of tablets to children it can be great that way too. Basically, Splat is a square shaped grid that is numbered from one to one hundred. The grid starts out white but there are different splats of color on the right side of the screen. Once a color is chosen you click on a square and then with a loud "splat" noise the number is suddenly covered in paint. There is also a clear button on the right side of the grid so that a class can easily restart. How can it be used in the classroom? There are a lot of possibilities when it comes to Splat. The potential it has for interactive learning in a math classroom is terrific. Using the colors to differentiate between different numbers can be very helpful. You can use it to teach students the difference between even and odd numbers like I did in the picture below. Splat can also be used to show children how to count by twos, by fives, etc. If they are struggling with the concept you can use different colors to count the ones in between like I did using red and yellow below. A fun classroom application would be to use Splat to count to the one hundredth day of school, allowing a new student to take a turn every morning. It can also be used to help with addition and subtraction. For example, if students are given a problem that reads 24+3= ___ they can use Splat to help solve it. Red could be used for the number they are starting with (24) and they could use pink to count up three times. Then they can splat what they think is the right answer in green. You can even use Splat for a quick classroom game, suggest that the first child to find and color in 1 more than the number 3 gets a gold star sticker. To summarize, Splat can be used to help teach students about prime numbers, skip counting, ordinal counting, and so much more. Splat is a great tool to use because the whole class can interact with the grid on the white board. It can also be used individually on tablets which is great because individual work is important too. All a teacher needs to do is call out what rule or operation that they want the students to follow or complete and then can take turns at the board or work individually on the tablets. As a bonus there is also a print button to the right of the grid which means that the teacher can print out the grid and have students take it home for homework. The instructions could apply to whatever the class is working on whether they are told to color in all the even numbers in crayon and bring it to class or color every number when counting by tens. My thoughts: I am very happy that I was told about Splat because I cannot wait to use it in my future classroom! Everyday I find myself shocked by the resources at our disposal when it comes to technology in the classroom. Splat is a fantastic way to get kids involved in hands-on learning and even using some fine motor skills. With the colorful design and exciting audio sounds Splat not only gets students thinking about math but it also gets them excited about the creativity they can show while solving problems. Go use it! http://www.primarygames.co.uk/pg2/splat/splatsq100.html Sources:
splatsq100. (2017). Primarygames.co.uk. Retrieved 4 October 2017, from http://www.primarygames.co.uk/pg2/splat/splatsq100.html What is it? The SAMR model is all about integration of technology. It can be used as a tool to help teachers reflect on their technology use in the classroom and to transition to new levels in design and implementation. SAMR stands for the different levels that technology integration moves through. 1.) The first level is Substitution. In the substitution level a teacher has the students use computer technology to perform the same tasks that were done before computers existed. For example, rather than writing out a essay the students would type the essay in a word document. 2.) The next level is Augmentation. Augmentation is when the students use technology as a tool to perform basic tasks effectively. An example of this would be taking a quiz online rather than with a paper and pencil. 3.) The third level is Modification which is when the classroom crosses over from enhancing normal tasks to transforming them. Examples include using note taking apps for all classroom notes and making audio recordings. 4.) The final level is Redefinition, where the classroom is now able to complete brand new tasks using technology like never before. I have read about classes who have made documentary videos in this stage. Does it make a difference? It absolutely makes a difference. The SAMR model is exponentially important because it covers the entire spectrum of technology integration. This model allows us, as educators, to redefine learning and constantly be challenged. In order to provide the best learning experience for our students it is important that we continually challenge them as well as ourselves. Sources:
Oxnevad, S. (2013). Using SAMR to Teach Above the Line - Getting Smart by Susan Oxnevad - 1:1 programs, EdTech, technology. Getting Smart. Retrieved 19 September 2017, from http://www.gettingsmart.com/2013/07/using-samr-to-teach-above-the-line/ SAMR Model - Technology Is Learning. (2017). Sites.google.com. Retrieved 19 September 2017, from https://sites.google.com/a/msad60.org/technology-is-learning/samr-model *all images are under created common use What are they? 1.) Communication- Successfully being able to effectively put together ideas and thoughts and then getting them across both in written and in verbal forms as well as being an effective listener. 2.) Collaboration-Successfully demonstrating the ability to work well with others, both in a respectful and a symbiotic way. Understanding the benefits of compromise as well as the importance of a fair workload among group members. 3.) Critical Thinking- Having confidence in using different types of reasoning, such as deductive and inductive in the right situations. The ability to look at a problem, study it, and then make decisions that will work towards a solution to the problem in both innovative and traditional ways. 4.) Creativity-Understanding the importance of brainstorming and coming up with new ideas. Not letting fear stop the implementation of these new ideas. My thoughts: Education is an ever changing forum where tools and techniques come and go but that should not stop us, as educators, from continually trying to find effective ways in which our teaching can make a difference. I believe that by teaching the 4 C's at an early age, we are better preparing our students for high school, college, and the work force. Communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity are skills that students will use for the rest of their lives. If we ourselves develop a mindset for positive growth then we can instill that mindset on our pupils and implementing the 4 C's is a great first step to growing in a truly beneficial way. Sources:
Saxena, S. (2017). How 4Cs Can Transform Learning?. EdTechReview. Retrieved 12 September 2017, from http://edtechreview.in/trends-insights/insights/747-how-4cs-can-transform-learning The 4 C's of Teaching & Learning. (2014). Smore. Retrieved 12 September 2017, from https://www.smore.com/5pkm4-the-4-c-s-of-teaching-learning *all images are under created common use |
This blog was started as a means of sharing important information as well as my thoughts on all things education.
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