TEAM OLD SCHOOL

  Will your classroom environment support learning through technology-enhanced project-based learning?  How? The Chula Vista school uses innovative strategies to support the needs of its multilingual student population through the use of technology-enhanced project-based learning.  What are the implications for your classroom? How do computers in the classroom facilitate shifting from a whole-group mentality to an individual-child mentality and change the role of the teacher?  How can you prepare yourself to make the change? I am hoping that in my future classroom I can incorporate technology-enhanced project-based learning. After viewing the video of how Mr. Dieckmann did this in his own classroom I was just so amazed on how much his students got out of this project based learning. I hope to do something similar to his experience because not only did the children learn so much about the insects that they were trying to capture to do more resear...

Before starting a blog, it would be beneficial to research and look at examples of different types of classroom blogs. Mrs. Yollis would be a great example of the positive impact blogging can have. Even finding blogs that did not succeed may help in identifying what didn’t work or what could have been done better. Another step I would take is informing the head teacher from your grade level of the idea and having information that supports peer learning through the blog. Finally, sending home a letter to the parent’s with the specifics and the purpose of the blog. I would also plan on emailing them resources and videos once it is decided which platform will be used. I was thinking of ways to introduce blogging in a first grade classroom. Before moving towards an online blog, I would start off with a few in class examples of blog posts and comments. I would look for or create a handout that provides students with a section for their response and several smaller boxes for commen...

What do you and Ms. Yollis have in common? What are the implications of social learning software for your classroom? Will your classroom environment support learning through a class blog? How? Did Ms. Yollis make the case for why the role of the teacher must change? How can you prepare yourself to facilitate a class blog for your students, parents, or colleagues? What motivates K-6th grade children to learn through a class blog?      I think Ms. Yollis and myself share the desire to make learning fun and exciting, as well as promote the idea that we are always learning, even on summer break! Ms. Yollis made the blog available to her students and they commented and participated in it during their free time, practicing their reading and writing skills without even realizing it. The idea that learning requires you to sit at a desk with your nose in a book is antiquated and can be both daunting and discouraging to early learners. Though this isn't to say that you won't need t...

An idea from Thornburg’s “Evolving Classroom” that was emphasized was the role of the teacher. The classroom is a shared space and too often it can become teacher-centered. In this situation, the teacher is the only one imparting the knowledge and the students are expected to internalize facts and procedures. When students are given the opportunity to seek their own answers and develop additional inquiries the learning process becomes more meaningful. This ties in to Dan Pink’s explanation about motivation in that autonomy can lead to better engagement and self-performance. I’ve observed classrooms where the majority of the lesson is explained and the strategies used are not flexible to include different types of learners. I noticed that students' attention would wander and they did not engage with the lesson. Teachers who have a balanced approach and guide student’s in their learning will create a classroom environment that thrives and values engagement. Another idea that was shar...

David Thornburg's description of the Evolving Classroom and Dan Pink's lecture about motivation are both reminders that students learn best when they are engaged and active participants in their own learning. The Behaviorist model of reward/punishment does not always lead to the best results. I remember this from my own schooling and from watching my children in school. Projects where children have some autonomy, along with guidance from teachers, are always the most memorable experiences. The sense of self-esteem and achievement that a student feels at the end of this kind of assignment is more valuable than any grade or gold star. I have been thinking about this a lot, because I hope to become a kindergarten teacher. Little ones are building so much foundational knowledge, kindergarten teachers have to use more of an information processing model during a lot of their instruction. There is a lot of teacher-led repetition and reinforcement. However, I do think that there are wa...

  Hello! This is Team Old School's Blog for 515 Technology. Our class meets every other week via Zoom, but we will have blog assignments due every week on the Sunday before class. Please write a post on the blog assignments here and remember to comment on other team member's posts every week.  Let's go!