What kids are saying about Edmodo

"I don't like Edmodo, I love it!"

"It's better doing homework on computers than paper. I think if you do more homework on computers you can get more people to turn it in instead of maybe having some scruffy writing on paper."

"Because you can chat to each other and do assignments."

"I like Edmodo because you can comment on people's writing and share things with one another."

Science and Edmodo Prezi

EDMODO in Science on Prezi

Key Assessment: Edmodo

Read my Key Assessment about Edmodo here

Twitter Homework

Find my Twitter Homework here

James Watson Ted Talk

TED Talk Homework

This video offers a first-hand account of the discovery of the structure of DNA - in a very honest approach. After reading about James Watson in high school and teaching about him in my own classroom, it was wonderful to get a sense of his personality. Watson tends to face harsh criticism from some in the scientific community, but I actually find his frankness refreshing. Even at his age, he was able to keep the attention of the crowd and include humor and enthusiasm to make the talk enjoyable. To me he is a humble person, acknowledging that he was not the "brightest in the room".Even though his ideas were dismissed time and time again, he persisted and ultimately succeeded. I hadn't really heard much about him since the Human Genome Project was completed in 1994. I was surprised to find he is currently researching how genes are responsible for major diseases. I admire his passion and am pleased to learn that he is still involved with genetics. I will definitely show part of this video to my kids!

Blog Assignment

Jen Brown

EDU 6050

March 20, 2011

Blog Review Assignment

            I chose to read and review the posts on the blog Teaching Successes with ELLs at http://teachingsuccesseswithells.blogspot.com/.  Denise Stewart is a teacher and educational consultant in California.  She has been working with ELLs for close to 30 years.  She created this blog to help ELL and Bilingual teachers share successes, failures, hopes, frustrations, etc.  I have an interest in these posts because I have an ELL endorsement and over the last two years have had many ELLs in my Biology classes.  I am always looking to stay current and find new ways to better help these students.  Out of the posts I read, there were three that were the most interesting and relevant to my area of teaching.        

            The first post, "Cooperative Learning Strategies Level the Playing Field for ELLs" was very useful because I teach a biology class that is a combination of regular ed., special ed., and ELLs.  Even with the training I received to get my ELL endorsement, it is still tricky to accommodate every student.  Group work is often complicated because my ELLs tend become very quiet when partnered up with native speakers.  The link in this post gave me practical ideas to set up a risk-free classroom.  The benefits of cooperative learning for ELLs seem endless:  it increases retention, is rewarding, reinforces social skills, and enhances self-esteem.  The link also includes many cooperative learning strategies including:  think-pair-share, numbered heads together (expert groups),  and jigsaw  - all very useful for accountability.      

            The second post, "Sci-Fi Science--A Real Tool to Excite Students About Science!" had suggestions to spark curiosity about science with topics the students are interested in.  This post focused on the importance of "what if" questions, that encourage kids to think outside the box.  Possible suggestions from the post that I could use in my biology class include:  What will happen when Earth runs out of natural resources?  What will happen if Earth's axis tilts?  What dangers will humans face in colonizing the moon?  How will Earth deal with food shortages as the planet's population exceeds Earth's present ability to feed them all?    There  is also a link to a TV show Sci-fi Science: Physics of the Impossible, that has short video clips that can be used in class.  A few fun episodes relate to the human body - "Becoming a Superhero" and "Finding Super-strength." There is also a link to short quizzes that can be given after the video clip to evaluate how well the students understood the material.    

            The last post that was of interest to me was "Where Does Technology Come In To Support Our ELLs?"  This focused on the benefits of document cameras, and provided a link to "50 ideas for using document cameras," that gives many ways to use the camera at all grade levels.  Visuals are so important for students, especially ELLs, so these ideas are wonderful.  This is exciting because I can see how using these document cameras can support all areas of  language acquisition: listening, reading, writing, and speaking.  Unfortunately my building only has one ELMO, but hopefully with grant money we can equip each science classroom with one over the next year.  I also hope that with the new technology comes the proper training.  The use of document cameras is an important step in getting our lab classrooms up to date with  current technology. 

            I found this blog to be very encouraging and helpful.  The author obviously has a great deal of familiarity with teaching ELLs, which allows her to successfully impact other teachers.  The links provided in this blog are practical and useful, and I will easily be able to pass on this information to other ELL teachers in my building.  I have come to learn that blogs are an extremely beneficial resource for educators, and I will continue to follow this blog and seek out other educational blogs as well.  I strongly believe that it is essential for teachers to use a wide range of approaches because ELLs deserve an equitable learning experience.       

Sample Survey Form

Check out my survey here

Technology Standards Homework

The technology standards of the past show very different learning environments from our classrooms today.  The learning environments of the past:

·         were teacher- centered and based on delivering the information to the students.

·         lacked multisensory stimulation.

·         required isolated work and passive learning.

·         only expected factual and literal thinking.

·         covered curriculum that was not applicable to the students.   

More modern learning environments:

·         are student-centered.

·         offer multi-sensory & multimedia stimulation.

·         require collaborative work and active learning.

·         expect investigative and inquiry based thinking.

·         cover curriculum that has real-world applications.

The technology standards from the past deal with general topics that can still be found in the more current standards:  Basic computer operation skills, use of technology for research and communication, legal and ethical issues, and the ability to use technology to support student learning.  Over the years, the role of the teacher seems to have changed to more of a guide or facilitator.  The classroom focus has shifted to more active learning, where students are expected to solve problems, troubleshoot, collaborate, and communicate. Today's learning environments have changed to incorporate strategies that will help prepare students for the future workforce.


In the future the standards will have to continually be updated to stay current with the times.  It is a difficult process because it is near impossible to predict what skills the students will need to acquire.  For sure they will need to know about blogs,cloud computing and google docs-only time will tell what other skills will be needed in the future workplace.

Storybird

Sample - Daniel to the Rescue
Daniel To the Rescue by jendelucabrown on Storybird

embedding video practice

embed a video

Google Docs Reflection

Google docs is absolutely amazing for both students and teachers!!!   The benefits of using Google docs seem endless while I can only think of one drawback.  You have to be connected in order to use it, and some of my students still do not have a computer, Iphone, etc.  I really don't see this at too problematic because these kids have to make other arrangements to complete assignments anyway.  When they have a project or paper they already must use the library or a friend's computer.  Now they don't have to even buy a flash drive to save their work, it's done automatically for them...I guess this drawback also has some benefits too. 

As I think about the benefits of Google docs, my list keeps going on and on.  Benefits for students include:

• access files anywhere with the Internet
• no software to download
• work is saved automatically
• makes group work and peer editing easy
• helps students stay organized
• group work can be done even if the kids cannot meet together
• students can work at their own pace on their own time
• no problem with different software at home than at school

There are also many benefits for teachers including:

• collaboration on lesson plans, tests, etc.
• share files with fellow teachers
• publish announcements and assignments
• monitor students work before they are finished, offer suggestions for improvement
• you can easily see who contributed to group work

Anyway, like I said before - Google docs is AMAZING!!!  I am a huge fan and will be getting my kids to use this:)

DNA Extraction Lesson Plan (Google Docs)

Check out my lesson plan on Google docs here

Google Doc Lesson Plan

Here is our lesson.

Test Hyperlink

Check out my test Google doc here.

20 Things Homework

I have frequently heard the words malware and phishing, but up to this point I honestly had no idea what they meant.   I now know that a malware attack happens when corrupt software takes over a computer in order to spread the virus.  A computer can actually then be controlled by the "bad guy" and then used to spread the virus.  A phishing attack would steal your login and password, allowing the "bad guy" to control email and other accounts.  I am sure most people are like me and use the same password for almost everything...time to set new passwords:) 

The information on cloud computing was the most interesting part of the reading.  I think that this would be a huge asset to my teaching, but I am afraid that our district will continue to lag behind the times when it comes to technology.  Our science classrooms only have 6 computers for 24-30 kids.  I have not used them as much as I'd like to because it is difficult for 5 teenagers to crowd around the screen.  Also, they are a few years old and many of the current interactive biology programs will not run properly. 

My district made it's last technology plan in April of 2009 (it will be up for review in spring of 2012.)   In the past a technology plan like this made a lot of sense because updating technology was usually very costly.   Now much of the current software can be run through "the cloud" or is inexpensive/free.  I think schools should stop continually replacing old computers and start to use the cloud.  This would give us more flexibility to use a desktop compter, a laptop, and iPad, or even an iphone-which many students already own.  The district would also save money by reducing the amount of technical support staff needed.  Hopefully this will catch on in the education world sooner rather than later!     

  

first day of class