Blog Post #15

The video iCurio with Anthony Capps really helped me to better understand the use of  iCurio. I did some research on it earlier in the semester but hearing Anthony talk about it seemed to make it more real for me. iCurio is a tool that allows students to research topics on the web safely. It filters out the bad sites and leaves the good ones. Anthony also said that iCurio allows students to save and sort what they have researched into folders. I think that this is a great feature! Anthony also pointed out that iCurio has a search by criteria feature that allows students to type in a vague description of what they are looking for and it finds it automatically. This is great if you are researching a specific person but can't remember anything specific about them. iCurio even has a read aloud feature! This is great for students with certain handicaps. I learned so much about iCurio after watching this video and I can't wait to try it out in my own classroom!

Anthony Capp's video, Discovery Education, made me wish I was making a lesson plan right now! I knew that Discovery Education was a great tool but this video made me love it even more! To actually get to hear how Anthony was incorporating it into his classroom was great! Discovery Education allows you to put visuals to text. It allows you to "bring experts into the classroom." This is great because teachers definitely do not know everything. Discovery Education makes it possible for your students to learn from people who a extremely knowledgeable in the topics you are studying.  Using this tool, children can bring their text to life. It allows them to view the subject in a completely different light. Dr.Strange said, "Kids listen and watch far more than they read and write." The more I thought about this, the more it really resonated with me. This was a great point! Overall I know that my students will be using Discovery Education.

Use Technology Don't Teach it- Hannah

The video Use Technology Don't Teach It was great! Technology is everywhere and a big part of children's daily lives. Allowing children to use technology in the classroom just enhances their learning experience. Anthony Capps introduces technology in stages. They might not get to the core of a certain piece of technology in one day but they will definitely skim the surface. Technology is an amazing way for children to express themselves and it is also green, mostly affordable, and very shareable. Anthony also emphasized that we should not expect perfection. These children are going to make mistakes because everyone makes mistakes. The most important thing is that we learn from these mistakes. It is also a good idea to try out the technology yourself first. This will make it easier to understand the questions that your students ask. Overall I thought that this a great video that helped me better understand the use of technology in the classroom.

Dr. Strange's Tips For Teachers- Amber

In this video Dr. Strange and Anthony Capps discuss tips for being a successful teacher. He begins with by saying, “Teachers should also be learners.” I believe in this as well. If you are not willing to learn how can you expect your students to learn? A teacher must also be flexible and creative. Dr. Strange gives the example of Anthony’s class when they could not use their computers because the servers were down. So the whole was on the floor painting. Anthony had to be creative and come up with a backup lesson for that day. As a teacher you can not be committed to one way of teaching and lesson planning. Things are constantly changing. Anthony brings up the fact about teachers being able to reflect on themselves. I believe this is true and needs to be done. Self evaluation is key as well. This is something we all can never get enough of but if we do it often it’ll make our work and the way we learn so much better. I will definitely use these tips while trying to become a successful teacher.

Additional Thoughts About Lessons- Brittnee

In the video Dr. Strange has a Skype session with Anthony Capps and they talk about how a teacher should plan their year with the standards, projects and other things that need to be done through the year. Anthony tells us the lessons should be at least four layers thick. The first layer is the Lesson. This is how it fits in with your year. Anthony mentions that you should have a plan and make sure that you fit in all of your standards that you have to teach. Most importantly is that you make sure that they each get covered. The second layer is the Unit. You should plan on making sure that you start with a certain aspect and by the end of the unit the students should have complete mastery of the task you have given them. Units are usually 6-8 weeks long. The third layer is the Week. Divide up your week so you make sure that everything is getting done. Make sure that you have your week planned so that you can accomplish your goal that you have set. The last layer is the Daily lesson. It is just as important as the other layers. Find something that can grab a student attention and use it while you are teaching your lesson. At the end of the lesson measure what they have learned that day so you know where to start the next day. These four components make up one lesson and all have to be done to have a successful one.