Week 5

Week 5

I am somewhat optimistic about the use of  technology in my classroom. While navigating the Prezi website I am feeling excited  to learn a new form of presenting information. I don’t think I will be creating a Prezi as elaborate as some I explored, but it has been fun playing around with this technology.  I am  not sure I would consider implementing this into my classroom this year but I could see tackling Glogster with my students.   

The chapter on inquiry reminded me of our class in literacy, the teacher talked about using visuals to start discussions  and get the students to ask questions or recognize the dilemmas inherent in the picture.  An inquiry allows students to develop those higher order thinking questions that will nurture their interest in the subjects and lead to a deeper understanding of the subject matter.  I have not used this method in my classroom as much as I would like to but I hope to in the future.

Week 4

A reflective lesson plan is structured without closing avenues to possible alterations in the plan, Lee, p.43 (2008). This is something I strive for in my lessons; yes, I start out with my plan but if a question arises that needs to be addressed we take the time as a class to pursue that direction of thought.  I look at these times as teachable moments and hopefully this leads students to a deeper meaning of the subject. Another section of the chapter I related to was the reflection after instruction. I don't write  a paragraph but keep sticky notes of what went really well in the lessons that day and make notes of where I could try to tweak it to make the lesson better.  

Week 3

 

The last class period I had talked about storytelling as having great potential for engaging students. I can also see that deliberation is an approach that can appeal and excite students.  Just today, my students were studying Native Americans and a question came up about the Trail of Tears, several students had the misconception  that other Native American tribes had caused  the Cherokee to leave.  I explained  it was the American Government who forced the tribe on this march.  This started quite the uproar in my classroom. Many students were troubled by this fact and it lead to a lot of discussion of the why and how of European settlement.  I had not thought about using this teaching strategy for third graders, I felt it might not interest them, however after hearing the passion in their voices  towards the injustice done I think it will be a lesson I would incorporate into my unit. 

Week 2 Reflection

The vastness of the web can be overwhelming, Lee, p.371 (2008) I think I can agree with that statement.  The effective use of technology in my classroom is going to take my becoming more comfortable with navigating the internet.  Third grade students are moving from learning to read to reading to learn.  Therefore, as the classroom teacher, I will need to find the resources and have them available on a wiki site or other site so they can look for pre-assigned information.

One area that may be easier to incorporate into classroom learning would be the visual dimension.  I have been on National Geographic’s website for science but not for social studies.  I found under history tab bibliographies of Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. as well as a video on Native Americans.  These could be a nice introduction into a study on these subjects as well as an assessment for students’ background knowledge. 

People and places was another tab that would be useful for comparing and contrasting cultures.  I found links to a China Elementary School and Diwali: Festival of Lights both would make students aware of differing cultures. Homework help has a link to interactive maps that would be very good for learning their geography and I believe they can actually create their own maps.  

The Gutenberg Project while interesting would not be a valuable resource for my grade level.  Most of the books seemed to be at high school level or above.

Voicethread and glogster are both interesting tools that could be incorporated into the third grade classroom but at a minimal level.  I do not have a technology specialist at my school to collaborate with, nor do we have enough devices in our classroom.  It would be something I would integrate slowly.