Module 6 Assignment 2

What can I say about this module?  In other words what would my essential question be?  How has this module impacted my teaching and learning activities?  Firstly it started off a bit shaky working my way around the Intel presentation, but once I got the hang of it, everything went smoothly.  While it was quite tedious at times it was manageable.  There are many benefits to Project Based Learning because students would no longer be passive but active learners.  They would take part in their own learning.  

At first I did not know what subject area to choose from and then when I decided to choose General Science I could was undecided on the topic.  Anyway after much  decision making assignment two (2) was on the way. It was a lot of work putting the Web Quest together but I enjoyed doing it.  It was hectic because I was busy preparing for test and all the added paperwork that comes with the new dispensation in our education system.  

This Web Quest is an eye opener.  It can be used in all the subject areas with all the topics.  It takes a little planning, but once that is out of the way students should be able to produce work of a very high standard to meet the curriculum standards.  Students would be very active participants in their own learning so that means they retain more because they do their own research.  In today's world that is so open to technology and the students are very technologically advanced and savvy web quests are the way to go to grab and hold their attention.  It also teaches them to be good researchers, critical thinkers and  to decide what material is relevant or irrelevant.  Web Quests are definitely the way to go.

Module 8 Activity 2

As a teacher to actively engage and hold students attention in an ICT enabled  classroom we must engage ourselves in carful and proper planning.  We ought to foresee and ensure that the challenges that may be encountered and be prepared to deal with them.  There are always bad and good to everything, however, whatever side we lean to - bad or good - depends on how we embrace the change.

Module 8 Activity 1

Integrating ICT in the classroom is very engaging to students. When students are engaged there is less classroom misbehaviour, and when there is less students misbehaving, more learning takes place and this makes my life as a teacher a lot less stressful.

I also had to create a wiki account.....this was something new to me.  It was challenging to follow but after a few tries I got it.  It seems to be very useful and interesting and I plan on using it a lot.

Module 5 Activity 6: Using Office Software with Subject Learning

I am elated. I am happy. I am excited.  I welcome this activity so much.  I have never known there are so many things I could use Microsoft Office to do! I will be putting so many of this new information to use.  My favourite is manipulating paint to get my desired image and using equation editor. Usually making a Mathematics worksheet, test or exam has been hard.  Using Symbol has limited the number of the denominator and  I do not like to use the slash method to show fractions.  This is now a lifesaver!  I am really thankful for this activity as I am better prepared to teach and prepare worksheets to meet my students needs. 

Module 5 Activity 5a Software Evaluation

As an educator it is always a welcomed experience to discover new sites that lend themselves to various interactive activities to share with my students.

The sites I browsed provided relevant information that can be used by both students and teachers.  The sites are very user friendly and most were recently updated.

I especially liked the http://interactivesites.weebly.com/  site as is it interactive.  In fact, I spent a lot of time on the site  myself doing some of the activities and I enjoyed doing them so I know my students would enjoy themselves too.  This site makes learning fun.

Some other sites I browsed were:

www.english_online.org.uk

www.biologyjunction.com

www.discoveryeducation.com

https://sites.google.com/site/sailonedu/

Module 5 Activity 3b - Reviewing Educational Software

The new dispensation in learning is using educational software.  While it should not take the place of the teacher it should be a very good help to both students and teacher.  It is therefore very important and critical that we review the software/sites to ensure they meet the necessary criteria before presenting it to students.  We should always  take the time to plan and prepare our lessons and ensure that the sites we use and direct the students to meet most if not all of our criteria. 

Module 5 Activity 2 - Experiencing Educational Software

The various sites my colleagues posted were very informative.  There are a few of the sites I know but there a few I have never seen nor encountered before.  Those that I viewed were very informative and educational and would be very useful and helpful to  me.  I especially loved the sites with the games as my students would be very happy with these sites - they enjoy playing games.  While they are 'having fun' they would be learning at the same time.

Module 5 Activity 1 - Reflection on the value of Social Bookmarking

OK module 5 has started and I have no idea if I have bookmarked or added the sites correctly to the diigo page.  I am just winging it for now.  I have bookmarked pages (crochet patterns and other educational sites) on my computer before  never had I had them on a 'site'.  I am hoping I did the correct thing and when I get the hang of this I will be bookmarking everything and categorizing them.  It amazes me that everytime I think I have made a headway in using technology something comes along and stumps me out.  Anyway this is a learning process and I am glad I have this opportunity to learn.    

There are lots of advantages to be derived from bookmarking sites.  As teachers we can visit each other's sites to use them as teaching tools.  It would also be very handy to have and store these sites to come back to them when we need them.  The links can be placed into lists and this makes for easy retrieval at anytime. I am looking forward to the other activities!

Assignment 3

This assignment had me thinking for days how to approach section D and E.  Finally it dawned on me – I hope!  It was hard for me because at the same time I was busy with end of term activities – preparing CPEA report cards (sent from the Ministry) along with the school’s report books.  This took a lot from me.  I am still not finished with the module though I am yet to complete two activities and complete my blog.

While there was a lot of reading in this module that sometimes seem would never end (and most times I had to read the same thing more than once) the information was very useful.  I found dome new activities that my students enjoyed such as comparing and contrasting and the class discussion with the speaker holding the flashlight.  I would be incorporating them in my teaching more often.  There were also some suggestions on our group page that would be put into practice daily such as praising positive behaviours, conditioning negative behaviours and building students self esteem.  I would also try to show more interest in their personal lives.

Module 1 Activity 12 – Problem Solving Skills

Students should not be taken for granted when it comes to solving problems.  They become very stimulated and involved in the lesson and were very confident with their answers.  They felt good when they shared.  They added to each other’s ideas and it was an opportunity for me to see their thought patterns.  The final product of their work was very well done.  The posters, rhymes and jingles presented showed time, effort and careful thinking went into each group’s work.  These posters, jingles and rhymes can be proudly used by any marine conservation organization.

Module 1 Activity 11 - Encouraging Learners to ask Questions

This is the most enjoyable activity I have done for this module so far.  It was shocking to see the students' responses.  This lesson evoked a lot of feelings within the students.  They could not believe that our capital once looked like it did in picture A.  This prompted them to ask questions and participate actively in the lesson.  It was really a lesson where students showed enthusiasm and eagerness to participate.

This was the best lesson for the week so far and I could go as far as to say for the term.  I would be comparing and contrasting as long the the topic lends itself to it.  I want to see this kind of reaction  and the level of discussion from my students again. It was refreshing!

Module 1  Activity 10 - Promoting Discussion

For this activity I did a class discussion.   We discussed the Jackal and the Camel.  The story was an enjoyable one but more-so was the discussion.  The students said the jackal should not have howled after he finished eating but the camel was even more despicable because he should have left him on the island and maybe the villagers would have killed him.  To treat him that way was low-down and dirty.  The students developed respect for each others ideas and their listening skills were being developed as they listened to each other. They  also became problem solvers.    

Module 1 Activity 9 - What Questions do I ask and Why

When asking questions in our classes we should always be prepared to ask all different types of questions to stimulate the children, to test their memory, to test their understanding, to encourage them to share their feelings and ideas or to encourage them to think.  As a teacher we should always be prepare to rephrase the questions to allow students to answer.  We might not always get the answer we are looking for so the onus is on us to phrase our questions in such a way  to encourage whole class participation as some students do shy away from answering questions.  We must not only ask closed questions but we should also ask open ended questions and be wary not to criticize students' responses.

Module 1 Activity 8 - Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development

Reading Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development took me back to the beginning of Teachers' College. This was the first theory I learnt in Education Psychology.  It was a very good reminder of how students think and learn.  This theory has a lot of implications for teaching and learning.  It explains how students organize or adapt to new information.   We should always take the students level of development when we plan and deliver our lessons and try to teach with as much real life examples as possible.

Module 1 Activity 7 - Collaborative Learning

Students learn quicker and better when they learn from each other.  Co-operative learning fosters this and when integrated with ICT it works even better because students love to manipulate technology. They become involved in their own learning and this makes for a good classroom environment.  While the teacher becomes a guide on the side the teacher also has to plan for these lesson very carefully.  There should also be constant monitoring of  the groups as some students can easily be distracted and lead astray.  For the most part though, there are more advantages than disadvantages when using collaborative learning and this should be done in all classrooms for all subjects at one point or the other.

Vygotsky's Understanding of Cognitive Development

Module 1 Activity 6  

Vygotsky's Understanding of Cognitive Development

It was very interesting to see the many ideas that my colleagues put forth in the group activity.  While I thought of some of the ideas that were on the page some of them never came to my mind.  These activities will be very  useful in the classroom.  All students  - those who are shy and not good writers would  benefit from these activities.  The reading was a reminder how to group students.

Module 1 Activity 5 Developmental Psychology

I enjoyed doing this activity.  Although it was a lot of reading the views expressed in the group's blog were very enlightening.  The ideas thrown out were all interesting and would definitely be an asset to all stakeholders in education.  In fact, most of these ideas should become practice in all schools.  I especially liked the suggestion of the workshops for parents or guardians.  Every once in a while we all  need a refresher course in what we do day to day to give us new ideas to deal with the same situation or experiences or simply to encourage us to keep going.  There is a saying 'it takes a village to raise a child'.  In today's world we definitely need that village. 

Module 1 Assignment 1

 I do not like to write essays!  It was hard to sit down and concentrate to write these but when I got started I just kept going.  I had so much to say I had to edit my work a few times to get down to the allotted number of words.  

It was especially a lot of fun reminiscing on the most successful moments in my teaching career.  'Kimora' will always be in my heart.  She was special to me.

Even though at first I was turned off, this assignment was not too hard even though I had to reread most of the information.  I learnt a lot.  

Module 1 Activity 4 - Behaviourism

Again these readings are taking me back but I am also being reminded of strategies to deal with my students and how to modify those that I am currently using.  We need to be reminded from time to time how to keep up with today's' energetic and savvy students.  While some concepts were reinforced I also learnt new strategies and ideas to use in my classroom.  I also enjoyed the comments made in the group activity.  It was enlightening and interesting to read.

Module 1 Activity 3 -Social Cognitive Theory

The readings in these activities is taking me back to a place I was some years ago.  Again I have to read about the different ways students learn and we must not take them for granted.  I was also reminded  that we should make our assessment of each  student on a personal level.  I should also show love and personal interest to each student because each one is an individual and has his/her individual needs and interests.  We all need to feel loved and feel special.  To help those who are not getting it in their homes or to build a good rapport with my students I must show interest in their lives.  I would continue to encourage and show them love.  We all need it.

Module 1 Activity 2 - Information Processing Approaches

What have I learned from doing the readings and the activity?   I should always try different ways to get my students to retain information.  The way I deliver my lessons should should be changing all the time.  The students should not be expecting just the old chalk and talk as this would become monotonous and would decrease their will or zest for learning.

 I should also try to connect with the short term memory by tapping into their long term memory to make connections. This therefore means students should be more engaged in the lessons.  I have to try to make students want to learn and retain what they have learnt.

  

  

Module 1 Activity 1 -  What is learning?

After doing the readings and really reflecting on those people who have influenced me, I realize that I am blessed to have had such people in my lives - the teachers who help me along the way and the students who challenge me everyday to make my work interesting everyday. Even though I have been teaching the same concept over and over for many years each class is different and each student in the class is different which makes the challenge even greater. Luckily my students are taught to express themselves and they do! So it is with each student in mind and an attitude that each student has their individual differences that I teach everyday.