Blog Post #5

From Project Based Learning Part 1, I got a great overview of what project based learning really is. I already had a good idea of what is was from my previous assignments, but this gave me a better insight. PBL is not necessarily a means of showing what a child has achieved but also a process of learning. You make the project so that the child will learn all that they need to know throughout the process. PBL is even more appealing to students whenever it interests them. Most importantly, you have to go by standards of the state to make sure the child is learning the content that is needed before doing the project and during the project. Project based learning can cover a variety of different subjects in one project, and is very effective for learning the content. Anthony also gave an example where he used iCurio with his students. It's great to see teachers actually using the resources that we are learning about/using in this class.

After watching, Project Based Learning Part 2, I learned that not all projects will always go as planned. Some parents may not agree with your choice of project. If this happens, you need to respect the parent's wishes and give them an alternative project that will please the parent and still go by course standards. Another great thing, is to let student have their own choices in their projects. They take pride in their creativity and thoughts, and it gives them a great sense of worth. Project based learning is engaging and fun for students, which makes it a lot easier to learn.

iCurio is a search engine that is education friendly. It is filtered so that only child appropriate content will appear whenever a student searches. iCurio also allows students and teachers to store information or anything they find. This will help them stay organized and learn to stay organized at an early age. iCurio has different search engines, directories, a read aloud command, and many other features that are helpful to students.

From my understanding, Discovery Ed is a program that teachers and students can use for research. It has videos that show experts in many different fields of science and social studies. This is great for students, because most students learn more effectively when they can see things visually.

The Anthony - Strange Tips for Teachers Part 1 gives some very interesting and helpful tips for new teachers. To be a teacher, you need to be interested and wanting to learn yourself. Teachers are constantly learning new things. Teaching is hard work, but it is fun if you make it that way. Teaching is also a very rewarding career. There are so many other helpful tips for new teachers, but these stood out to me the most. Teaching is fast-paced, but you have to keep your goals and the end in mind. Teaching is always worth it when your students learn what you set out to teach them.

Technology is still a controversial subject in schools, even though we are immersed in it everyday. In Don't Teach Tech - Use It, Anthony tells everyone that you should not teach technology, but use it as a scaffold to assignments. He lets his students use one technology at a time, so that they learn it by using it, and will know how to use it for future needs. They normally make mistakes, but that gives you time to reflect on what they did wrong, and you can show them how to fix the problems. Never expect your students to be perfect when they are trying something new. :)

Additional Thought About Lessons tells you that you need to plan your lessons ahead of time and go through everything thoroughly. You have to be able to get everything in your lessons done everyday/every week and in an effective time. You need to keep your students hooked and engaged to keep them learning your planned lessons and keep them on track as well as yourself.