#22- Discuss the Flipped Classroom

This is a topic that I had to do some research on before writing about.  I'd heard about Kahn Academy and other programs like it, and I'd herd the term the flipped classroom, but didn't really know what it was.

So I decided to watch a few videos to learn more. 

Little did I know that the flipped classroom has a video component to it.  The flipped classroom is a model that some teachers use to differentiate and deliver instruction.  The instructors film a video with the daily lesson.  Students can watch the lecture where ever and whenever.  Students come in to class with questions to help guide instruction the next day.  The flipped classroom allows students to engage and promote their own learning. 

The first video is interesting because it explains what the flipped video isn't.  I was surprised to learn that the Kahn Academy is NOT like the flipped classroom because classroom teachers are the ones who are the creators of the videos. 

The goal of the flipped classroom is for students to come to class with prior knowledge of the content already established.  While in the classroom, the teacher provides meaningful learning opportunities for the students to go further with the content presented in the videos.  It allows the teacher to assist students where needed, to clear up any misconceptions, and it allows the students to play the "learner" instead of playing "school."

#21- Student Choice- Plant Update!



Our classroom must be full of "green thumbs" because our Brassica rapas are already growing!  We planted our seeds on Tuesday, and by Wednesday night when I left school, our plants were sprouting. The picture below shows the seed coat splitting open and the plant sprouting from the seed.

October 17 (evening)

On Thursday morning, the students where surprised to see leaves!  Some of the students said that our plants looked like four leaf clovers.  The class learned that the leaves that they saw are the plant's seed leaves.  They thought it was cool that the leaves that first emerge were actually contained inside tiny seeds!

Today the students noticed that our plants are growing taller and taller!  They also noticed that true leaves are starting to emerge from the stem.  They even noticed that some of the seed coats were still attached to the true leaves.  CJ compared the seed coat spitting open to a caterpillar busting out of its chrysalis to become a butterfly.  The students are all curious as to when we will begin to see buds and yellow petals!

We hope that you will come by and see our Brassica rapas and all of the things we have been learning about plants at Open House tomorrow night!

October 22:

#20- Barriers of Technology in Education

There are several barriers to using technology in education.  Some of these include funding, infrastructure of the schools, and teacher attitudes toward using new technology.

Before technology can be introduced in the school, it must be purchased.  Unfortunately we are in the days of proration, so schools must be creative in acquiring technology.  If the school is Title 1, funds can be allocated to the use of technology.  Schools can hold fundraisers such as 10 for Technology to earn funding.  Our school is currently using the Boosterthon Fun Run fundraiser to earn money for new technology such as additional iPads in our school.  Funding can also acquired through grants and asking local legislatures for money. 

At our school, infrastructure is a problem.  It seems like the wireless in our school is not working every other day.  We also just got wireless access to the portables.  I spent two years in my portable with Ethernet cords spanning the floors. In my classroom, I only have two outlets that are hidden in the back corner of my classroom.  In order to use the technology I have, I had to purchase a 50 foot extension cord and have the janitors run it through the ceiling and drop it down in to the middle of my classroom. It is hard to use the technology when the buildings do not support the technology.

Another barrier that can be faced when using technology in education are the educator's feelings toward the technology.  I feel that with adequate on going and relevant professional development, teachers feelings can be positive.  When teachers are unsure how to use the technology and feel overwhelmed with the burden of teaching themselves to use the technology, their attitudes can be negative.  Also with someone like a technology coach to provide individualized technology assistance and to help troubleshoot problems, resistance by the teacher can be minimal.

#19- Does Technology Help or Harm Literacy?

Does technology help or harm literacy?  The answer is simple, in my experience, technology defiantly helps literacy.  Does technology replace reading instruction?  NO, but technology can enhance reading and language instruction through the use of apps, computer programs, and Web 2.0 tools.

For starters, not all students learn the same way.  Some students thrive on lecture based instruction, but the majority need hands on experience to truly gain the knowledge needed to succeed.  Technology gives students hands on practice in a fun, motivational way.  There are many apps available to practice basic literacy skills.  My students have used apps such as My Story and Storyrobe to create their own stories and present them in a digital storytelling format.

Computer programs such as Earobics allow students who need additional phonemic awareness experience to practice hearing and identifying sounds.  This can be very helpful to students with IEPs as this program is tailored to their instructional needs and increases and decreases the difficultly level based on the students responses to the questions. 

The are hundreds of Web 2.0 tools that can be used to increase literacy skills.  Sites such as Wordle, Glogster, and others encourage vocabulary development. 

The bottom line is that students today learn differently than they used to.  They are a generation of digital learners and any time we as teachers can use technology tools to help aid in instruction, the more the students will learn. 

#18- Planting Day!

The temperatures may be falling outside, but it's planting time in Miss Powers' classroom!  Yesterday we began a unit on plants provided by AMSTI.  My students were excited to observe a dry bean seed and a soaked bean seed and compare the two.  They were shocked to find out what the inside of a seed looks like, and that each seed contains an embryo which has all of the plant parts enclosed in it.  They were thrilled to learn that they were going to become botanists and observe their own plants grow over the next few weeks!

The students were divided into pairs to partner read about the plant that we are growing- the Brassica rapa, also called the Wisconsin Fast Plant.  They learned that these seeds were specially developed to grow very quickly, and that they would be able to watch their entire life cycle.  While they were discussing and learning about their plant, two pairs of students visited me at the teacher table to plant their seeds.  The students did a wonderful job following directions while planting. 

The students have already added many wonderful questions to our "Wonder Wall" about their plants.  They are wondering how they will grow without sunlight?  They are wondering how a flower will grow without something to pollinate it, and they are wondering how many days it will take to see their own plant sprout?  I am so excited to watch my little botanists observe their plants as they develop. :)

Here are pictures of our planter quads and watering mats underneath our grow light!

#17- What Do You Do With Old Technology?

What do you do with old technology?  Well, if you are a teacher in Alabama during proration you use it.  The computers in my classroom are as old as dinosaurs.  Today one of my students had to progress monitor using the STAR program.  It literally look 20 minutes for the computer to turn on.  While he was taking the test, the computer froze multiple times and he ran out of time to answer some of the questions and hurt is final score.  The students can't use the computers to research because the Internet is so slow and they get frustrated while trying to complete activities. 

As far as outdated technology such as overhead projectors, they are stored in our library at school or they are picked up by central office staff.  Before you can move any outdated technology out of a classroom, you must fill out a request to move form.  This form keeps track of all of the technology and where it should be located.  It is important as an administrator to have a paper trail for each piece of technology so that you can be aware of the hardware and where it is located at all times.

#15- Student Choice- Emperor Penguins

It is true, that as a teacher, you are a lifelong learner.  This week our reading selection was called Penguin Chick.  I've always loved this selection because it is nonfiction and tells so many interesting things about Emperor Penguins.  My kids really got into the selection this week; they all came back from the library with books about either penguins or Native Americans (our social studies topic) and couldn't wait to show me all that they found.

Here are some interesting things my kids and me learned this week about Emperor Penguins.  There are seventeen different species of penguins.  The Emperor Penguin lives in the cold continent of Antarctica.  The female penguin lays one egg at time.  After she lays the egg, she is starved and must go look for food.  The father stays with the egg because he is fatter and can live longer without nourishment.  The father keeps the egg warm in his brood patch.  For seventy days, the mother journeys to the sea to look for fish, shrimp, and krill that she swallows whole.  The journey is not easy; it is cold and long.  It is winter in Antarctica during this time and the ocean is frozen for miles and miles.  The mother penguin marches until she reaches the water and eats until full, then she begins the journey back to the rookery.  In the meantime, the father keeps the egg in his brood patch, balanced on his feet.  The father penguins huddle together to keep warm.  The eggs eventually hatch.  It takes three days for the baby penguins to emerge.  The father keeps the baby in his brood patch, as the frigid temperatures will kill the baby quickly.  Finally the mother returns.  She feeds the baby by regurgitating her food (my kids thought this was the grossest thing ever).  The very hungry father then leaves to find food.  The mother ate enough to keep her, and the baby alive for weeks.

The baby penguin grows and grows.  Soon, he is big enough to venture from his mother's brood patch.  He and the other baby penguins huddle together in the rookery to keep warm.  They also enjoy tobogganing on their bellies.  At five months old, the baby penguin is old enough to take his own journey to the sea to find food.  At five years old, the penguin will find a mate and have a baby egg to take care of, too. 

Our reading project this week was to use multiple nonfiction texts to collect facts about penguins.  Here is an example of one below:

#14- Helpful Website

I'm always on the lookout for a good website to use with my students or to make my job easier.  One of my favorite ways to find new sites is on Pinterest.  I recently ran across Remind101 on Pinterest and had to check it out.

Remind101 is a safe and easy way to communicate with parents and students.  As a teacher, you can set up an account for free.  You name your class and print off a sheet that has an access code for parents.  Parents can then text your class code to a number and join the group.  The teacher can send text message reminders to parents about important reminders or upcoming events.  The text message comes from another number, not yours, so the parents will not know your personal number.  You can type the message online, or use the Remind101 iPhone App.  Parents cannot respond to the text message. You will want to let your parents know that standard text message rates apply.  High school teachers could have students join the group and could message them reminders about homework and tests.

So far, I have had eleven parents sign up and have received very positive feedback from them.  I hope that this service continues to be free, as I think it is a wonderful way to communicate with parents and keep them up to date!

 https://www.remind101.com/

Student Choice #13- Itchy, Itchy, Scratchy, Scratchy

About two weeks ago, one of my kids shouted out in the middle of a science experiment that a bug just jumped off of his head.  I immediately sent him to the nurse, and my fears were confirmed- a bad case of head lice.  After lunch the same day, another student said he was very itchy and his sister had lice.  Once again, the nurse confirmed that he had a case of lice, too.  My head itched the entire rest of the day!

The students have seen the nurse several times since their diagnosis, and have been cleared.  I thought our outbreak of lice was over, until I got a report of another child with a case of lice, and my itchy has started all over again!

I never had lice as a child, and I don't remember any of my friends having it either.  Mama said when she was in school, a note would be sent home with every child if a case of lice was spotted.  In my four years teaching, I've never had such an outbreak before!

I decided to do a little research to find out what lice is and how it can be spread.  According to kidshealth.org, lice isn't harmful and is more common in boys than girls.  The louse actually feed on tiny amounts of blood that they suck from the child's head.  When the kids are itchy, it is due to the reaction of the lice's saliva.  Gross.

Louse lay eggs on the child's scalp.  The eggs, called nits, attach to the hair shaft and take around two weeks to hatch.  It is more common to spot the nits as the hair grows longer than it is to see the louse, as they are the size of a sesame seed. 

Lice is very contagious.  Lice cannot jump from head to head, but are spread through close contact in school, slumber parties, or sports.  Sharing personal items like brushes and combs can contribute to their infestation. 

Bottom line is that lice need to be spotted quickly so that treatment can be applied.  Over the counter shampoos or prescription treatments can kill the lice.  As teachers, we can help prevent the spread of lice by discouraging head to head contact and not letting children share personal items such as brushes, scarves, hats, or ponytail holders.  We can also ensure the parents that lice are not a sign of being unclean and we can have the school nurse check their child's scalp regularly until the lice is gone.

And now my head is itching....more than ever.  Guess I need to stop by the school nurse, too!  :)

Information from:  http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/common/head_lice.html#

#12- Resistance to the Use of Technology in the Classroom

Technology is a wonderful thing, if it is actually being utilized.  I know that in the school where I teach, thousands of dollars worth of equipment is collecting dust.  The Smartbord in the classroom I moved in to still have Styrofoam on the outside of it.  If the school is going to make such a big financial investment then the technology should be used to its full potential.

The first step I would take to help curb resistance is to poll the staff to see what is actually needed/wanted.  The technology committee, which I would establish to help create a technology plan for the school would collect and review the results.  Having the staff help choose the new technology may encourage the use of it because the staff will feel that they have a say in what is being purchased.

Before the new equipment arrives, I would schedule on-going professional development for the staff to attend.  The staff needs to become familiar with how the technology works, how to set it up, and also how to troubleshoot problems.  I would bring the professional development to their classrooms as well and be sure that the teachers got their equipment installed and operational.

Next I would have the technology coach (if I am lucky enough to have one) to create lessons integrating the new technology.  The coach would go from classroom to classroom teaching the lesson and showing the teachers how easy it is to use.  After that, the technology coach could help the teachers plan lessons integrating the technology and come and assist while they are teaching it. 

Unfortunately, resistance will always be faced when changes occurs.  Hopefully through polling the staff about new technology, on-going professional development, and helping the teachers plan lessons using the new technology, the resistance from teachers will be limited. 

#11- Student Choice- Football Saturdays

Like the song ESPN plays when heading to a commercial break during College Gameday coverage.... "God Bless Saturdays."  I love nothing more than waking up to College Gameday, watching the predictions, and spending my entire day watching football, eating football food, and working on my forever long school to do list. 

As usual, today was a crazy football day in the SEC.  The Auburn game was painful to watch.  The Gators showed everyone what kind of team LSU really is, and South Carolina dominated Georgia.  I really missed watching AJ, Kenny Bell, Lacy, and my favorite, TJ Yeldon, but thankfully Alabama's bye week is over for the season.  I can't wait to watch them play Missouri next week!