Week 5 Reflection

Coding

     Coding is becoming a topic that is discussed around schools lately because technology has become such a big aspect in our lives. Kids are learning to use technology at a much younger age than they before so some people believe that students should learn coding to see what goes into the technology they use. There is a lot of support to back up bringing coding into the schools than just teaching students about technology. One article brought up the fact that it could teach logical reasoning, creativity, problem solving, interdisciplinary learning, and instantly applicable learning. 

    This is not a topic I would be normally interested in because I would not say that I am great with technology and this always seemed like a really complicated task. Now that I read more about it I think that it would be beneficial to students because it does incorporate so many lessons and technology is such a big part of their lives. 

    I don’t think that I would personally teach it to the level that I would like to teach, lower elementary. I think that the students might become frustrated with it and need a lot of help with it. They still need help problem solving and might not have some of the logical reasoning that is needed.  I think that middle school or even upper elementary might benefit from the early instruction and teaching introductions to it. I think that students would benefit from learning coding and it would be exciting for the students to learn and get them engaged.

Cyberbullying

    Cyberbullying is a new issue that is bullying that takes place using electronic devices. Bullying is defined as, unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Some examples of cyberbullying would be sending mean texts or emails, posting rumors on social media, embarrassing photos, a fake profile, and many other ways.

    This is different from other forms of bullying because the students cannot escape it, there is always an opportunity for someone to do something hurtful electronically. These things that are posted are often anonymous and therefore it may be difficult to track down. Once it is posted it is really hard for it to be taken down. This can alter a child’s life because they are more likely to use alcohol and drugs, skip school, receive low grades, have lower self-esteem, and more. 

    Stopbullying.gov found these statistics on cyberbullying:

·         The 2013-2014 School Crime Supplement (National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice Statistics) indicates that 7% of students in grades 6–12 experienced cyberbullying.

·         The 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey finds that 15% of high school students (grades 9-12) were electronically bullied in the past year.

http://cyberbullying.org/resources/educators
    This site has books and activities that you can use to teach kids about cyberbullying and resources for a teacher on how to help stop or prevent it in your classroom. This is becoming a real problem in schools because of the increase in technology and it is important for teachers to have resources to prevent it.

Week 3 Reflection

For my final project students will be looking at early Michigan history. They will be using technology to find important events in Michigan history.

Resource: Teachers Pay Teachers
URL: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Michigan-History-A-Year-Long-Interactive-Social-Studies-Curriculum-2078228
Found It: I use Teachers Pay Teachers to find useful materials in the classroom and I searched for grade level and subject.
Use It: This particular source has many different lessons for the Michigan history unit and some ideas on how to teach it.
Standards:
3 – H3.0.1 Identify questions historians ask in examining the past in Michigan (e.g., What happened? When did it happen?  Who was involved?  How and why did it happen?)
3 – H3.0.2  Explain how historians use primary and secondary sources to answer questions about the past.
3 – H3.0.3  Describe the causal relationships between three events in Michigan’s past (e.g., Erie Canal, more people came, statehood).
3 – H3.0.4  Draw upon traditional stories of American Indians (e.g., Anishinaabeg - Ojibway (Chippewa), Odawa (Ottawa), Potawatomi; Menominee; Huron Indians) who lived in Michigan in order to make generalizations about their beliefs.
3 – H3.0.5  Use informational text and visual data to compare how American Indians and settlers in the early history of Michigan adapted to, used, and modified their environment.
3 – H3.0.6  Use a variety of sources to describe interactions that occurred between American Indians and the first European explorers and settlers in Michigan.
3 – H3.0.7  Use a variety of primary and secondary sources to construct a historical narrative about daily life in the early settlements of Michigan (pre-statehood).
 3 – H3.0.8  Use case studies or stories to describe how the ideas or actions of individuals affected the history of Michigan.
 3 – H3.0.9 Describe how Michigan attained statehood.
 3 – H3.0.10 Create a timeline to sequence early Michigan history (American Indians, exploration, settlement, statehood).

Resource 2: Pinterest
URL: https://www.pinterest.com/kellee3546/3rd-grade-social-studies-michigan/
Found It: I did a google search of Michigan third grade history lessons
Use It: This board on Pinterest has a lot of ideas of stories or worksheets to incorporate into a lesson or unit.
Standards:
3 – H3.0.5  Use informational text and visual data to compare how American Indians and settlers in the early history of Michigan adapted to, used, and modified their environment.
3 – H3.0.6  Use a variety of sources to describe interactions that occurred between American Indians and the first European explorers and settlers in Michigan.

Resource 3:Read Write Think
URL: http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/timeline_2/
Found It: A previous class introduced me to this timeline feature.
Use It: I think that this is a good source to have students incorporate technology into the lesson and students can view their timelines easily.
Standards
 3 – H3.0.10 Create a timeline to sequence early Michigan history (American Indians, exploration, settlement, statehood).

Week 2 Reflection

Of the educational myths that were listed, I think I have heard them all used as though they were true at some point in my life. The one that I found most surprising was the percentage that you will remember things at a certain level because people say this all the time. I have probably heard a school teacher say this at some point growing up as a reason for why we are doing something. I never knew that the information behind those numbers was something that was completely made up, I was surprised. I feel like in college learning styles were focused on and I was always asked what my learning style was, but I never felt that every child was a specific learning style. I think there are some ways in which they can understand better or they enjoy.

I have seen some of the engagement myths in my teacher assisting classroom. There were times when some of my students would look completely engaged, but then I would ask them a question about what they were doing and they were unable to answer. They were good at pretending they were doing the work, but they were really just seeing how fast they could get through something and not learning anything as a result.

                If there was a move to implement some of these myths into the classroom, I think you could show some research that shows the opposite of what is being stated. Or show some examples of classrooms where the opposite is being used and how that is successful.

Blogs in the Classroom

I think that a blog would be good to use in the classroom in many different aspects. It would be a good way to give students an outline for the week, the teacher could post what is due for the week so students will know what is expected. Or students can just have an idea what they are going to cover that week. Since a blog is public it could be a good way for parents to be connected in the classroom and see what is going on. It is a fun way for students to have their own page and post about what they are learning. They could post once a day or less about what they are doing in class. Now that I know how to use a blog, I think it would be a useful tool in the classroom.

Learner Analysis

I did my learner analysis on Doug Funnie from the show Doug!

Doug is a pretty average student and 11 year old, he doesn't do exceptionally well and he isn't at the bottom of the class. In the video attached Doug's friend Skeeter does very well on a test, Doug also does above average, but he gets down about his test score because his friend does not try in school and Doug does. Doug is a dreamer and tends to have a wild imagination, so that could create a distraction in the classroom, not to others though.  His imagination makes him into "Quail-man" who is a superhero which helps him figure out his issues in life. He focuses on his friendships since he has just moved to the new town. As a result of being new, Doug is a bit shy and insecure. His family seems to be middle class as his dad was given a new job and that is why their family is new to the town. I think that this student would be ready for college, he is a good student who does what is asked of him and does pretty well in school. 

As Doug tends to be a dreamer, I think he would need a technology that would keep him focused in school or allows him to use his creativity in the classroom. Maybe a form of blog would be useful for him because he could be creative and use his imagination. 

About Me

Hi! My name is Matraca Tolan. I am going into Elementary Education with a major in Group Social Studies and emphasis in history.

Fun Fact: I was named after a country music singer! Matraca Berg

When I am not at work or school I love to read. I love to be outside, in the winter I enjoy snowboarding.

In my teacher assisting classroom technology was limited, we had 5 ipads and 5 computers in the classroom. As a result I have not had much experience with using technology in the classroom. We used the website Getepic.com to read books that went with our lessons.

I am also a huge animal lover, this is a video of my dog, Tilly, we like to go for runs and then go get ice cream. :)