C4T # 1

         My contact is a middle school principle. His name is Mr. Bernia.

I am glad that I was assigned a principle. After reading his blog, I have got a little insight into what it is that he is looking for in a teacher, and I have picked up a few ideals that I hope to carry forward with me.

         The first blog post I replied to was about teachers understanding that they should take most of the blame for their student's failure and figure out ways to solve the problems. He suggest that if students are gaffing off their assignments, it may very well be that the teacher has not done their job.

         The second blog post was one that I found very interesting. He has decided to have the entire student body read the same book and discuss it in class. The experiment is an attempt to build unity between the students and teachers and to see if it helps with absenteeism and grades.

Blog Post # 4

Asking Questions: What questions do we ask? How do we ask?

Our goal is get them thinking, not drive them to drinking. Asking the right questions, the right way is one of the most important things we need to learn. It is too easy to allow the smart kid in class to answer all the questions and tell yourself that you are doing a great job. The fact is, if you are not teaching every student in the class, then you are not teaching. Dr. Strange has listed some great resources to learn how to ask useful questions. Here are the links to a couple of my favorite ones.Three ways to ask a better question and Straegies.

The advice that stuck with me the most was the delayed answer question. This is when the teacher asks the question and lets the class know that he or she will be calling on one of the students to answer it shortly. This type of method makes all the students in the class think about the question because they know they may be called to answer it.

Project # 15

The assignment was to find 8 alternative search engines to google and explain what they do. I'll start with the mandatory WolframAlpha.



1. WolframAlpha.-a search engine that specializes in facts and stats. You can ask questions, and the engine will search trusted sources to find the answer. It is a perfect place to look up definitions. Thanks for the heads up Dr. Strange; used it today for homework. Not forced to wade through advertisements.

2. Bing.-Bing is a trusted search engine as far as search engines go. It is general in nature and offers about the same benefits and short comings as google. Advertisement is not an issue.

3. Duckduckgo.- I was impressed with this search engine. It allows you to put in minimal information and quickly finds what you are looking for. No advertisement, and it claims that the engine does not track you.

4. CC Search.-This engine is good for finding things on social media and other sites. It pulls all the social cites to one place and searches them for you. The down side is, that it is not a true search engine and therefor, you may end up with a lot of unwanted material.

5. Academic Index.-This is a great search engine for college students. The engine was and still is put together by teachers and professors. It does have some advertisement on the site, but knowing that educators are the driving force behind the site, makes it worth it.

6. Base.- Base is an academic search engine developed and ran by Bielefeld University. It is a great place to do research for papers and other school assignments. There is plenty of scholar and peer reviewed information on this site. No advertisement.

7. Yahoo.- Yahoo, in my opinion, is not the best search engine in the world. It is full of advertisements and does not do a good job of filtering out junk sites on searches. If you are looking for your horoscope, than this is your site.

8. InfoMine.- This is another college based search engine. It will do general scholar searches for you and it also contains college level categories to pick from. This site is a must see for student doing research.

Blog Post # 3

      Like the old adage says, you can attract more bees with honey than vinegar. Peer review is an important aspect of education, but nobody wants to feel belittled or disrespected. There are proper ways to assist your peers with their work and there are not so proper ways as demonstrated in Top Ten Peer Review Mistakes. No one wants to feel stupid, so always remember to stay positive and start with a compliment when reviewing a peer's work. Make sure that you are not vague when pointing out what is wrong, and try suggesting alternatives instead of just saying that's wrong.

      I remember a fellow student asking me to take a look at his English paper to see what was wrong with it. When I looked at it, I noticed that the teacher had written in big red letters "NOT TO COLLEGE STANDARDS, WHERE DID YOU GO TO HIGHSCHOOL?". After reading his paper, I agreed with the teacher, but not to her approach. She did not even give a hint of why it was not to standard and insulted him. After telling him that I agreed with his view on the topic, I showed him how to use the spell check on his computer and showed him a web site that walks you through how to cite his material. He got an A on his next paper with the words "I Knew you could do it". I hope she does not think her first comment inspired him.

      Remember to think about how you want others to review your work with you before you open your mouth. Always remember that no one is perfect and you are there to help. Do not simply point out what is wrong, but instead, tell them why and make suggestions on how to improve it. Remember, all of us are here to be teachers. That means that we will have plenty of parents reviewing our work. We might as well get use to reviewing each other.

Blog Assignment # 2

MR. DANCEALOT

      Lack of common sense, lack of planning and poor teaching skills will lead to failure. Mr.Dancealot shows a lack of preparedness and makes no attempt to engage the class in a manner that would allow the students to learn. When he demonstrates the dance moves from behind the desk, it is clear that the students can not see his feet, but he makes no attempt to adjust for his mistake and keeps right on going. His approach or lack therre of to teaching, is disasterouse. To teach, you have to pay attention to the students, be willing to adjust what does not work and know your subject matter.

TEACHING IN THE 21st CENTURY


I. Students are surrounded by plenty of sources of information and knowldge.

a. Laptops
b. cell phones
c. electronic billboards
d. The internet is everywhere

II. Teacher are more important now than ever.

a. Filter unlimited information
b. Help students avoid plagiarism
c. Guid students in the right direction
d. Teach students to evaluate the validity of a source

III. Teachers Must continue to learn

a. Do not think you know everything
b. Technology changes daily; keep up with it
c. Be willing to evolve

      Roberts is dead on; times are changing and teachers have got to keep up. There are far too many sources of information available to students today. Teachers have a duty to make sure that students understand how to use those sources in a resposible way and ensure they do not get caught in the traps along the way.

THE NETWORKED STUDENT

      Technology is great, as long as the student has a good teacher to guid hin or her through the tricks and traps. No matter how much technology comes along, there will always be the need for a good teacher to show us how to use it and ensure we use it wisely.

DIGITAL SMARTS

      Vicki Davis encourages the use of technology in the classroom. She understands that students become bored with paper and pen, and uses technology to enspire her students. She allows the students to learn and teach at the same time and knows that sometimes she can learn from the students. She is a teacher that has taken the time to stay informed and is not stuck in the past.

WHO'S AHEAD IN THE LEARNING RACE?

      People are learning how to use technology at a younger age than ever. First graders are learning to do things that many adults do not know how to do. I never touched a computer until 2005. I am 43 and way behind the curve, but I will do what it takes to catch up.

FLIPPING THE CLASSROOM

      Flipping the classroom is new to me. I think it is a useful tool. If students watch the videos the night before, then we can get more hands on and indepth with the material while in the classroom.

                                   Even this guy knows when it is time to change.