Final Project

Here is the link to my final project video.
667 Final Project

At the beginning of this course I started using a class blog in my Economics course and it was very successful.  After being observed, my supervisor approached me about sharing my blog experience with the staff and offering some brief training.  Since our staff is working in two different locations it is hard at times to collaborate and share new ideas.  For my final project I decided to create a staff blog that teachers at both sites could use to share ideas about what they are doing in the classroom. 

I asked all ABE staff members that were participating in the blog training to fill out a survey before the meeting and then again 3 weeks later. The data is displayed in the following link. (I'm giving the final survey next week to allow staff members more time to participate in the blog!) Survey Results

Link to ABE Staff Blog:  ABE Staff Blog

One of our school technology support staff filmed my presentation which turned out to be 48 minutes long.  Needless to say, I needed to do some serious editing.  I have focused on the high points of the presentation with the four clips below.  

This video shows one staff member talking about her experience with blogs.  It makes a great point about students sharing ideas and contributing to the blog outside of class. 
Video #1

This clip touches on staff members' troubles trying to log in and make a post on the staff blog.  Also, it highlights the potential benefits of sharing classroom materials across different teaching disciplines. 
Video #2

Having staff members become an author of the blog was very important to me.  This clips shows me explaining the benefits of becoming an author of the staff blog as opposed to just someone who can make comments.  Teachers begin to see this as a useful tool when I show them a screen-cast that was posted on the blog. 
Video #3

This clip shows one example of students enjoying the use of a blog.  A few teachers asked me about how I used blogs in the class and if students actually participated.  Information shown in this clip inspired one teacher to start her own class blog!
Video #4

My colleague and I share the same room and she witnessed the success I was having with my class blog.  After going to my training session she decided to create her own class blog.  She hopes to build this blog into her World Literature class curriculum.  Here is the link to her blog: World Literature

Pinterest Review

Outside the box:  
For this assignment I signed up for a Pinterest account.  My only exposure to Pinterest before this assignment was when my girlfriend would have her friends over and they would talk about using it for receipes and wedding pictures.  So I decided to explore this social media site to find out what it was all about for myself.  Pinterest is a social media site that encourages sharing of ideas through pictures, websites and videos.  There are no copyright laws when using Pinterest which allows a person to use any image from any board they find.  Setting up an account was very easy all you need is a working email account and your set.  Once logged in I immediately realized that there are a lot of educators already using this site.  It didn't take long for me to start finding resources in Economics and U.S. History.  I created a board called, "Projects to Try" and started pinning!  

Professional Uses:  
I work at a small alternative learning center where I am the the only social studies teacher.  Pinterest is a useful tool because it allows me to quickly sift through unlimited information and find ideas that will work for classes I am teaching.  At the same time this puts me in contact with other social studies/ESL teachers around the world.  If I really like what one specific teacher is doing I can follow their board and never miss any new ideas that he/she pins up! Having four preps makes me forgetful from time to time causing me to lose track of use links, pictures, lesson plans, etc.  Using Pinterest would help me stay more organized.  Reviewing new materials and websites helps my classes from becoming stagnant.  With Pinterest any idea or resource I may want to use in the future can be found in one place making me a more efficient teacher. 

Audio teaching tool

This Podcast was created to allow students to practice using vocabulary words at home.  What you will hear is a simple dictation exercise that is used in class twice a week.

Experimenting with podcast

Is podcasting a valuable tool? Well so far yes it is.  The podcast I created for this assignment will be put into service for my Economics class on Monday.  I have been using a class blog for my economics course and I plan to my next assignment via podcast.  This podcast reflects on the "Wealth Game" which students will be participating in on Monday.  After the activity students will have to post on which determinant of wealth is most important to them for future success.  Students will demonstrate knowledge by posting their response on the blog via written text.  In the future I hope this will change because creating a podcast is a different type of challenge that I would like my students to experience.  When completing this assignment I had to do many takes before I got it right (and there was still room for improvement!).  Using a podcast saved me time because I would have had to write a novel to explain everything I said in the podcast, plus its something different which keeps students engaged.

Games in Education

Games and Simulations in Education

For half of my day I teach a 3-hour adult ESL class.  Students’ goal in this class is to pass the Casas reading test and increase their overall English skills so they can start taking GED courses.  For the first 30 minutes of class students study grammar skills using a computer program called Skills Tutor.  Skills Tutor is very educational but can be boring after some time.  Currently the students are learning about the differences between antonyms, synonyms and homonyms.  On 2/27/14 students played the game Word Frog for a warm-up activity instead of using Skills Tutor and it was a huge success.  Students voiced their excitement about how fun the game was and that they learned new words.  In the process they also demonstrated the difference between antonyms, synonyms and homonyms by completing all the levels in the game.  I found this game when I was reviewing Joseph Wollenburg’s blog (Thanks Joe).  

Link to Game:   http://www.abcya.com/antonyms_synonyms_homonyms.htm

Mini Lesson Plan

Purpose:

To be able to identify the difference between antonyms, synonyms and homonyms and introduce new vocabulary words. 

Assess learner outcomes:

All students start out with identifying synonyms.  Once students have earned their certificate for completing all six synonym they show the teacher they have completed a section.  Once this is done students can move on to the antonyms section.  The process is then repeated again when students move to homonyms. 

Change in Lesson Plan:

The original lesson included students using a vocabulary computer program called skills tutor.  In skills tutor there are no games, students are challenged through reading passages and then answering questions. Instead of using Skills Tutor for a warm-up activity I used Word Frog.  The smartboard was used to demonstrate how to play the game.  This was helpful because many students came late to class so I ended up repeating myself.  Eventually I just stood up by the smartboard and when a student walked into class we would play level one together before they worked individually.  Students could only use laptops to play this game because Ipad devices do not support Adobe Flash Player.   

Assure Model

Assure Model

Analyze Learners: 

-General Characteristics:

·      Students most students are below average readers and writers required for high school academia

·      Around 25% of the class English is a secondary language. 

·      Mix of students have learning disabilities, teen parents or are not living at home with their parents

·      Students have trouble meeting deadlines

-Learning Styles:

·      Students dislike having to read for the entire class period or writing assignments by hand.

·      Students like to listen to music when given individual work time

·      Some students participate more when involved in a group assignment

State Standards and Objectives:

·      9.2.3.3.1 Identify the incentives and trade- offs related to a choice made by an individual, household, organization or government; describe the opportunity cost of a choice; and analyze the consequences of a choice (both intended and unintended).

·      TLW explain how unlimited wants and scarce resources influence decision-making.

·      TLW distinguish goods and services, factors of production, and tradeoffs visible in common places and everyday situations.

·      TLW apply an economic way of thinking to their own lives.

Select Strategies: 

·      Show students Notebook guide visual 2.1 that explains fictional scenario typical Friday night for a high school student.

·      Students will pair up and decided how they will allocate their resources if it was a Friday for them

·      A class discussion will be held to help us identify what people valued and why. 

·      The teacher explains that students just experienced the problem of scarcity.  Scarcity forces people to make decisions like those made during the activity.

·      Students are assigned sections 1 -2 two readings from chapter 2.  Students are responsible submitting answers about the readings via Nakiu. 

Utilize Technology, Media and Materials:

·      In this the teacher will need a computer hooked up to a projector/smartboard.  Visual 2.1 will be shown to the class and introduce the lesson.  Students will have the last 20 minutes to begin their homework.  During this time students can submit answers to Naiku using a personal device, school Ipad or School laptop. 

Required learner participation:

·      Students must work with a partner to discover what is most important way to spend their time on a Friday night.

·      Students must complete readings and questions via Naiku. 

Evaluate and Revise:

·      The lesson was a success.  Students identified what was a most important to them on a Friday night and the opportunity cost of their decisions.  Next time I would like to share document 2.1 as a PDF through Google Docs, Dropbox or email.  Allowing students to have the laptops up and running before they are given work time will allow for a more seamless transition between activities.  Also it will save time, which allows students get more homework done in class.