Monday, April 21, 2014
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Final Blog Post
Virtual Schooling 21f
The more I read about Virtual School the more I like about the convenience. It is beneficial to those that will be successful with this type of learning/setting. This is perfect for the student with leukemia or any other serious illness. I think it is perfect for the mature student that decides this is the best route for them and they are self-motivated and able to complete all of the assignments. But the students that don't like their teachers, I don't agree with a request for virtual school. I am 39(not too old) and I was always told that I am not in school to like my teacher, I am their to learn. As time goes on more people are going to request virtual school/online learning for the wrong reasons, they are not going to do well, and they will be back in the traditional setting. The choice for virtual school should be a choice made by several people; parents, teacher, counselor, principal and students.
Some of the schools in my district are probably equipped for virtual school, but others struggle with attendance, homework and parent involvement in the traditional setting. If changes are made it will not be done rapidly. It should be a very slow process because we want our children to be successful and each student that wishes to change from the traditional setting should be well prepared.
The more I read about Virtual School the more I like about the convenience. It is beneficial to those that will be successful with this type of learning/setting. This is perfect for the student with leukemia or any other serious illness. I think it is perfect for the mature student that decides this is the best route for them and they are self-motivated and able to complete all of the assignments. But the students that don't like their teachers, I don't agree with a request for virtual school. I am 39(not too old) and I was always told that I am not in school to like my teacher, I am their to learn. As time goes on more people are going to request virtual school/online learning for the wrong reasons, they are not going to do well, and they will be back in the traditional setting. The choice for virtual school should be a choice made by several people; parents, teacher, counselor, principal and students.
Some of the schools in my district are probably equipped for virtual school, but others struggle with attendance, homework and parent involvement in the traditional setting. If changes are made it will not be done rapidly. It should be a very slow process because we want our children to be successful and each student that wishes to change from the traditional setting should be well prepared.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Virtual School Part 2
What does it look like?
I was very surprised about what I learned when reading/researching virtual schooling. Traditional schools have teachers and students learning in the classroom. Virtual schools use the internet as a classroom. Virtual schools can work in different ways. In some situation virtual schools provide supplemental courses and instructional materials for children that are home schooled.
Cyber school is a mixture between homeschooling and public schooling. Children work from their computer at their own pace. K-12 on-line learning has a partnership with other schools(charter schools). K-12 on-line learning is a virtual school for K-12 students.
How is it done?
Students basically learn from their computers. The lessons are on-line and students may work at their own pace. There is virtual teacher and a virtual classroom. This is the opportunity for teachers to interact with students and receive one-on-one attention and assistance.
Where is it done?
This type of schooling is done on a computer, at home or any place with computer access.
What kind of students take it?
Students that are home schooled use virtual schools.
What courses are offered?
Any course that is offered in the traditional school setting is offered in the virtual schools. I watched a video that gave a detailed explanation of virtual schools. In this video the student stated that most students take a bus to school but his bus was the internet. The lessons on-line gave him all that he needed to be a successful student. In addition to the lessons, he had a virtual classroom and the teacher helped him to become very successful. He also stated that he is now ready for college and very self-motivated.
Virtual schooling is not what I expected. I am pleasantly surprised. From what I read and watched the students seem to be very successful. Most importantly students are able to move at their own pace in some situations, which definitely helps with student achievement.
I was very surprised about what I learned when reading/researching virtual schooling. Traditional schools have teachers and students learning in the classroom. Virtual schools use the internet as a classroom. Virtual schools can work in different ways. In some situation virtual schools provide supplemental courses and instructional materials for children that are home schooled.
Cyber school is a mixture between homeschooling and public schooling. Children work from their computer at their own pace. K-12 on-line learning has a partnership with other schools(charter schools). K-12 on-line learning is a virtual school for K-12 students.
How is it done?
Students basically learn from their computers. The lessons are on-line and students may work at their own pace. There is virtual teacher and a virtual classroom. This is the opportunity for teachers to interact with students and receive one-on-one attention and assistance.
Where is it done?
This type of schooling is done on a computer, at home or any place with computer access.
What kind of students take it?
Students that are home schooled use virtual schools.
What courses are offered?
Any course that is offered in the traditional school setting is offered in the virtual schools. I watched a video that gave a detailed explanation of virtual schools. In this video the student stated that most students take a bus to school but his bus was the internet. The lessons on-line gave him all that he needed to be a successful student. In addition to the lessons, he had a virtual classroom and the teacher helped him to become very successful. He also stated that he is now ready for college and very self-motivated.
Virtual schooling is not what I expected. I am pleasantly surprised. From what I read and watched the students seem to be very successful. Most importantly students are able to move at their own pace in some situations, which definitely helps with student achievement.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Virtual Schooling
Virtual Schooling has always seemed to be very interesting. When I think of virtual schooling I think of students learning outside of the typical school setting. Students receiving assignments on-line and completing at their own pace.
At one point I thought Virtual Schooling was designed for students with serious behavior issues. These students would complete their assignments off site, with the intentions that they would still be able to learn by completing their assignments online.
I think that K12 on-line learning is a program designed for students that are home schooled. I believe there are teachers available to assist you with the assignments provided.
Virtual Schooling, Cyber Schooling and K12 on-line learning are all fairly new concepts. My concern is socialization skills. If students are sitting behind a computer throughout the day, how are they going to learn proper socialization skills.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Week 7-Part 3
Twitter Update
1. Nicholas Provenzano
2. Ronnie Gonzalez
3. Emily Workman
4. Steve Anderson
5. Greg Nussbaum
I am a 4th grade teacher with the Detroit Public School District. We are a district that is data driven. We give many tests throughout the school year such as: MEAP, MAP, Dibels, Star Reading and District Benchmark tests. We are expected to look at the data in our PLC meetings and come up with strategies that will improve our tests scores.
1. I added Nicholas Provenzano to my twitter account because he was the 2013 MACUL teacher of the year. He has a lot of creative ideas to be used in the classroom, like tweeting. In order for our lessons to be creative and engaging we need to be willing to do the work and add technology and social media to our classroom routine.
2. I added Ronnie Gonzalez to my twitter account because he has some interesting ideas for meaningful lessons in the classroom. My school district is data driven. When analyzing the data, many students are reading below grade level, so we need to create meaningful lessons, even if it means stepping outside of the teacher's manual.
3. I added Emily Workman to my twitter account because she conducted a lot of research related to Common Core. Many districts have adopted the common core standards. The common core standards are centered around creating, analyzing and collaborating. I can follow this person to help understand the common core initiative.
4. I added Steve Anderson to my twitter account because of his experience with education and the Web 20 classroom. Steve Anderson has a lot of experience in education and using new and innovative ideas.
5. I added Greg Nussbaum to my twitter account because he has authored many products on Teachers Pay Teachers. This is a huge website where teachers can purchase items from others teachers. Mr. Nussbaum is great at creating meaningful and creative resources for his students. I have used many of his resources in my classroom.
1. Nicholas Provenzano
2. Ronnie Gonzalez
3. Emily Workman
4. Steve Anderson
5. Greg Nussbaum
I am a 4th grade teacher with the Detroit Public School District. We are a district that is data driven. We give many tests throughout the school year such as: MEAP, MAP, Dibels, Star Reading and District Benchmark tests. We are expected to look at the data in our PLC meetings and come up with strategies that will improve our tests scores.
1. I added Nicholas Provenzano to my twitter account because he was the 2013 MACUL teacher of the year. He has a lot of creative ideas to be used in the classroom, like tweeting. In order for our lessons to be creative and engaging we need to be willing to do the work and add technology and social media to our classroom routine.
2. I added Ronnie Gonzalez to my twitter account because he has some interesting ideas for meaningful lessons in the classroom. My school district is data driven. When analyzing the data, many students are reading below grade level, so we need to create meaningful lessons, even if it means stepping outside of the teacher's manual.
3. I added Emily Workman to my twitter account because she conducted a lot of research related to Common Core. Many districts have adopted the common core standards. The common core standards are centered around creating, analyzing and collaborating. I can follow this person to help understand the common core initiative.
4. I added Steve Anderson to my twitter account because of his experience with education and the Web 20 classroom. Steve Anderson has a lot of experience in education and using new and innovative ideas.
5. I added Greg Nussbaum to my twitter account because he has authored many products on Teachers Pay Teachers. This is a huge website where teachers can purchase items from others teachers. Mr. Nussbaum is great at creating meaningful and creative resources for his students. I have used many of his resources in my classroom.
Week 7-Part 2
Judging the quality of Wikis and Non-vetted sites
You Tube (Teacher)
I absolutely love You tube. I know that many things are posted to you tube that are inappropriate, but there are many videos on you tube that are very appropriate. When I was at my old school I used you tube because we did not have a curriculum. If I needed a video on main idea, compound words or even rounding I was able to find it on You tube. You tube gives you a variety of videos to choose from and we as educators need to view the video before showing it to our students to make sure it is appropriate.
You Tube (Student)
We need to be careful when letting students view You tube videos on their own. I am not really sure at what age is appropriate to let students view videos on their own, it really depends on the maturity level of your students. Some of my 4th graders would be able to find a video on you tube and view it for a lesson and others would need to be monitored closely.
Do I think school districts should block you tube? No
Wikis and Non-Vetted Sites
I am not really familiar with Wikis. I did create my own classroom wiki and it was a lot of fun. I look at Wikis as a clean canvas ready for you to paint it with your own content, and for me that works. You can have students create their own wikis and they would definitely enjoy doing it while learning. As teachers we always need to monitor our students. If we set firm guidelines and rules most students will follow and begin to view education differently.
You Tube (Teacher)
I absolutely love You tube. I know that many things are posted to you tube that are inappropriate, but there are many videos on you tube that are very appropriate. When I was at my old school I used you tube because we did not have a curriculum. If I needed a video on main idea, compound words or even rounding I was able to find it on You tube. You tube gives you a variety of videos to choose from and we as educators need to view the video before showing it to our students to make sure it is appropriate.
You Tube (Student)
We need to be careful when letting students view You tube videos on their own. I am not really sure at what age is appropriate to let students view videos on their own, it really depends on the maturity level of your students. Some of my 4th graders would be able to find a video on you tube and view it for a lesson and others would need to be monitored closely.
Do I think school districts should block you tube? No
Wikis and Non-Vetted Sites
I am not really familiar with Wikis. I did create my own classroom wiki and it was a lot of fun. I look at Wikis as a clean canvas ready for you to paint it with your own content, and for me that works. You can have students create their own wikis and they would definitely enjoy doing it while learning. As teachers we always need to monitor our students. If we set firm guidelines and rules most students will follow and begin to view education differently.
Week 7-Part 1
Building and Refining
I added 5 additional blogs to my RSS reader/Twitter:
1. 4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com
2. www.freep.com
3. lessonplandiva.com
4. @K12learn
5. dictionay.com
1. 4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com-This was site was added because I am currently teaching 4th grade and this is a great site for resources. We all always encouraged to teach with rigor, so you often need to step outside of the textbook and create meaningful lessons.
2. www.freep.com-I added this site because it is a quick reference for current events going on in our city. Many students are unaware of the events that take place in the city of Detroit (Good and Bad).
3. lessonplandiva.com-This site gives suggestions on how to make your lesson plans more creative. If I am
teaching a lesson about the 5 regions of the United States I could go to this site for a quick reference.
4. @k12learn-Is a huge site for teachers and parents. I would definitely use this site to when helping to create lessons and also as a guide for parents of struggling students.
5. dictionary.com-I love this site because it teaches students how to find definitions on the internet. It also gives out words of the day along with an archive of all past words of the day.
I added 5 additional blogs to my RSS reader/Twitter:
1. 4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com
2. www.freep.com
3. lessonplandiva.com
4. @K12learn
5. dictionay.com
1. 4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com-This was site was added because I am currently teaching 4th grade and this is a great site for resources. We all always encouraged to teach with rigor, so you often need to step outside of the textbook and create meaningful lessons.
2. www.freep.com-I added this site because it is a quick reference for current events going on in our city. Many students are unaware of the events that take place in the city of Detroit (Good and Bad).
3. lessonplandiva.com-This site gives suggestions on how to make your lesson plans more creative. If I am
teaching a lesson about the 5 regions of the United States I could go to this site for a quick reference.
4. @k12learn-Is a huge site for teachers and parents. I would definitely use this site to when helping to create lessons and also as a guide for parents of struggling students.
5. dictionary.com-I love this site because it teaches students how to find definitions on the internet. It also gives out words of the day along with an archive of all past words of the day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)