Blog Post 19: Using Video For Teaching and Learning

I Just Sued The School System!

My lesson, titled I Just Sued the School System displays a video with the same title in which the author makes his case as to how the American school system is outdated and needs to be updated. In the lesson I attempt to make a connection from this issue presented to math, expressing that some of the same issues are presents in math classrooms and that is why social justice math is important. I created a few multiple choice questions as well as a discussion question. Lastly, I chose to provide my own personal thoughts of the video and its importance in the ‘…And Finally’ section.

YouTube can be a great tool to utilize in any classroom. One of the best method I have seen can be done in the literature classroom for 9^th – 12^th graders. During a poetry unit, instead of just having students read poems, the teacher can utilize YouTube to show students the author performing their own work. This adds excitement and context so students can gain an appreciation for the art and its differences.

Teachers can also use YouTube as what was expressed as a ‘video watch’ homework assignment. This can be really helpful when teachers know the topic that will be discussed and covered in the upcoming days is particularly difficult for students. Assigning a video that can help simplify things for them allows them to also come in to the classroom with prior knowledge. This adds to classroom discussions significantly. Teachers in any subject can use this method and I would suggest with students 6^th grade or higher.

Khan academy is a tremendous website that provides step by step video instructions. Teachers in STEAM across all grade levels could benefit from this website. I can personally attest to how easy Khan Academy is. I discovered Khan Academy in 2015 when a school advisor provided me with a list of websites to help me reteach myself math. Khan was the 3^rd website I tried and I absolutely loved it and still use it. The last math class I had was during my undergrad back in 2006 and math is definitely a perishable skill. I was able to reteach myself important concepts with very little stress and I owe it all to Khan Academy. With that being said, teachers can use Khan Academy to provide students with extra resources with topics they may be struggling with in class.

Blog Post 18: Using Google Photos for teaching and learning

Use google photo to make a movie for the kids. The teacher can help the students not violate copyright laws of photos by using creative commons images or images the students take themselves. This assignment can be done from 2^nd grade and above across the curriculum. An example would be a math teacher conducting a lesson on the different ways that math is displayed in everyday life. The teacher can have the students take their own pictures of the math they see in the real world and provide a brief description and from there, use Google Photos to transform those images into a movie and present it to the class. This is an interesting an authentic way to get students involved in their own learning while creating a positive, fun classroom environment during the presentations.

Another way to utilize Google Photos in the classroom is to have a beginning of the year introduction assignment. It seems year after year students go through the same rote, mundane introduction of themselves and their teacher. Instead, a teacher can have students utilize Google Photos to create an album of pictures that describes them, their interests, and their personalities. This would help break the ice between a lot of students because they are instantly able to see how much they truly have in common with other students in the classroom they may not already know. An assignment such as this would be best for students in high school, due to the fact they know more about themselves and usually have the hardest time making new friends.

We have learned throughout the year the importance of creating and managing an online blog for our classrooms. The blogs allow for students to take pride in their work since the material is available to parents, family members and the community. Google Photos can also be used to help with this. Teachers can use Google Photos to house all the images they capture in one safe and easy to access location. Some teachers may only store their images on their work computer and then lose their saved images when they move classrooms and their computer remains in their old classroom. It can all easily be avoided with Google Photos. Teachers can even neatly organize their photos based on school year, subject, period and date. This method of usage can be done by any teacher at any level and in any school subject.

Blog Post 17: Google Photos Assignment

Salute to Our Troops Album

Soldiers are truly the backbone of our great nation! This album takes you through a few stages in an averages Soldiers career. From day 1 in the Army being yelled at, to sleeping anywhere and everywhere possible for a few minutes of sleep, to missing almost every important moment in your life due to putting the mission of keeping our country safe first. This holiday season, take the time to remember our troops who are deployed and not able to be with their families. Soldiers truly do need our support!

Blog Post 16 - Feedly Articles

For this week’s readings I chose to read two really informative and innovative ways for educators to utilize technology in the classroom. The first article I read was called ‘Twitter Bingo – A fun way to introduce twitter to Teacher.’ This was interesting because we covered Twitter this semester and although I am already familiar with Twitter and its platform, I was unaware of how great of a tool it is for educators. The problem that I have seen is that many people hate change and keeping up with the Joneses as far as incorporating technology into the classroom. This article provides a great Staff Development training that is fun for staff and informational. The article provides a link to the google form in which the Twitter Bingo sheet is provided. Teachers are required to perform multiple task using Twitter in order to win. Examples being: ‘tween a motivational quote’, ‘participate in a Thursday EdChat’, and ‘Tweet about a proud moment with a student this year’. Twitter Bingo breaks up the monotony of Professional development trainings by giving the teachers an educational Web 2.0 tool they can really utilize.

Twitter Bingo

The second article I read was titled 'Try Quizalize to Run a "Quiz Night"'. This article introduced an innovative way to quiz students and even have them play against parents and other family members. It can be used in the classroom or at home. If in the classroom, a teacher can assign a quiz as the warm up for the day. This article provided several other uses for Quizalize also. The way it works is the teacher goes through, logs in, and creates a quiz. The teacher can choose to create a quiz just for an individual or assign it for a whole class or period. Students can then log in with the provided Quizialize number and take the quiz. The great thing about this is that the students are provided instant feedback with Quizalize letting them know the correct answer choice immediately after answering the question. Each question is on a timer that the teacher sets and counts down for the students. Points are deducted for each second the student takes the answer the question, so it really is a race against time for the students. This brings in the competitive aspect and displays how students can play against family members. All in all, Quizalize is a great, creative tool that teachers can utilize to assess their students in a fun way.

Quizalize