Blogs in the Future Classroom.

Hello! :)

The weekend is going by way too fast! I hope you all got a chance to relax. Today, I am bringing this Unit 2 Deliverable to a close. I will be discussing how I think blogs can be used in the classroom. I wish you all the best in your future teaching careers and hope the following ideas could provide you with an idea of how to use blogs in your class.

The Future Classroom

The classroom is ever-changing. This is my first time creating a blog and I actually really like it. To be honest, I was apprehensive at first, but it turned out to be cooler than I thought it would be. I definitely think that this form of technology could be utilized in the classroom. Below is a list of five ways a blog could be used in the classroom.

• The students and teachers can share materials with each other.
• It allows discussions and collaboration among all individuals.
• Students can work together on a project and respond and/or edit easily, as well as sharing their own work.
• The teacher can be in contact with the parents about what is happening in the classroom.
• Blogs also help teachers by allowing them to easily post videos and other media that students can access.

Overall, blogs provide a variety of options for the classroom. In my future classroom, I see myself using blogs as a way to keep parents updated. Additionally, I would like to use blogs for discussion assignments and group projects when deemed necessary. Moreover, I would like to use blogs as an avenue for providing feedback to the students.

Unit 2 Deliverable: Learning Styles

Hi,

The weather sure has been beautiful up here! I am spending the weekend at my family's cottage. This morning I went water skiing and it was AMAZING! Hope you all are enjoying your weekend!

Today, I am going to discuss learning styles. This post is about analyzing what motivates the students and how they process information. It also can discuss content-level appropriateness. For example, you do not want your 6th grade students doing 1st grade work. This post does not discuss learning preferences, which are things like visual vs. kinesthetic learners for example. Instead, it focuses on how the students can best learn in the classroom. The following paragraph explains the learning styles of the 6th grade science classroom students at Avalon Middle School.

Learning Styles:

All classrooms have a wide variety of students. Most of the students in the science classroom at Avalon Middle School prefer to work together on projects. They do not like presenting in front of the classroom.   The students also succeed more when they are given a rubric to help guide them on their assignments. The students are also motivated when they are given timely feedback on assignments, as well as, when the teacher is involved in their daily work. In addition, the students enjoy learning when the teacher takes time to invest in the students’ life and gets to know who each student is. The students also like it when they are given options for assignments because it feels like they are being given responsibility for their education. Overall, the students in the classroom at Avalon Middle School all have different needs and learning styles. The teacher should be aware of this and determine what is best for the class as a whole. Furthermore, due to having a student with a hearing impairment the teacher needs to make accommodations for this student. These accommodations can also benefit the other students as well, such as being aware of classroom acoustics. It is important to keep the volume of noise down so the teacher can be heard easily or have the teacher wear a microphone while talking. There are many more accommodations a teacher can make as well.

Unit 2 Deliverable: Entry Characteristics

Hi Everyone!

Hope you all had a great 4th of July! I had a great day! I spend the day at my family's cottage and then my family and I went to watch the Boyne City fireworks. :)

This blog post will be a continuation of analyzing learners. This entry will discuss entry characteristics, which are the abilities and prior knowledge of the learners. Below discusses the entry characteristics of the students in the 6th grade science classroom at Avalon Middle School.

Entry Characteristics:

The students in the classroom at Avalon Middle School all have iPads. The school has had them for two years now and therefore most students should be familiar with this technology. The school also has two computer labs, which students have access to. In their elementary education, these students should have learned about the harmful and helpful interactions between organisms in relation to food and shelter. Students should have also been introduced to the role organisms play in a food web/chain. In addition, the students should have learned how the environment affects the ability of an organism to survive and reproduce. Furthermore, prior to beginning this unit on ecosystem, students will have been given a pretest to assess their knowledge in this content. 

Unit 2 Deliverable: General Characteristics

Hello!
It has been a crazy week so far at work! I work for my family's landscaping business (Robinson's Landscaping and Nursery). Everyone wants everything done by the 4th of July and sadly it is not possible. If someone wants something done by July 4th then they need to finalize their project plan and make a deposit far in advance (January). My dad started this business after graduating from Michigan State in 1988. It has grown so much over the years and the company does a terrific job! I am so proud of the work we do!

Anyways, today's post is one component of analyzing learners. I will address the general characteristics of the learners. General characteristics are fixed and variable characteristics, which can include age, race, ethnicity, attitudes, interests, etc. As discussed in the previous post the students I will be addressing are from Avalon Middle School in the 6th grade science classroom. The following paragraph will address the general characteristics of these students.

General Characteristics:

There are 20 students in the 6th grade science classroom at Avalon Middle School. They are between the ages of 11-12. There are 12 female students and 8 male students in the classroom. Most students come from a middle class background, but there are two students that are from a lower socio-economic background. The ethnicities of the students are Caucasian (18), African American (1), and Hispanic (1). A majority of the students are from two-parent households The parents of the students are employed and find time to invest in their child’s education. All but two parents have attended parent teacher conferences and one parent fails to return phone calls. In particular, this parent has recently been arrested and the child is now being placed in a foster home. Many of the students have had a good experience in the science classroom so far in their education. Furthermore, one important factor to consider is that one student has a hearing impairment. The student wears a cochlear implant (see picture below). It is important to address the needs of this student and to talk with the parents as well. For more information on hearing impairment visit the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.