Sunday, September 28, 2014
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Blog Post #6: Response to the Anthony Capps Videos
Blog Post #6: Response to the Anthony Capps Videos
By: Noah Armstrong
The interviews that Dr. Strange did with Anthony Capps were great. Having someone that is a teacher tell us about how the real world of teaching is like would have been great, but Mr. Capps is not only a teacher but one that came from USA and went through this EDM 310 class. It's nice to know that it is possible to make it through and succeed when in the middle of all the workload it can seem like an impossible task.
As far as some of the specific of the interviews I found Mr. Capps explanation of PBL (Project Based Learning) to be enlightening. He explained that rather than using PBL as a way to test to see if a student understands a concept, it should be used to actually teach and let them discover concepts and come up with solutions to problems.
Friday, September 26, 2014
C4K September Summery
C4K September Summery
By: Noah Armstrong
source: http://strategicplanning.mansd.org/
#1 Post:A young boy had made a presentation on how to create an account for an online game he liked.
Comment: I explained to him that I also liked fantasy games like the one he was presenting on. I then advised him on some spelling and capitalization errors as well as some better word choice.
#2 Post: A young girl was asked why reading and math were important. She responded by explaining that we need math for instances like buying food, and that we all need to be able to read.
Comment: I told her that I enjoyed her comment on food and that being a football player I related to doing math to make sure i could pay for my food. I also pointed out that while I agreed that we all need to be able to read that she could give a strong example like she did with math.
#3 Post: A young girl named Cayla wrote her first blog post and told about her favorite activities, music, and color.
Comment: I told her that I have a sister her age (9) and that i find it wonderful that they already know how to do so much with computers. I found no spelling or grammar mistakes in her writing and congratulated her on that. I also liked the fact that she used a purple font when she explains that that is her favorite color.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Project #7 First Two Videos- " My Passion" and "My Sentence"
Project #7 First Two Videos- " My Passion" and "My Sentence"
By: Noah Armstrong
"My Sentence"
"My Passion"
Friday, September 19, 2014
"Blog Post 5 - PLNs What Are They? 1"
"Blog Post 5 - PLNs What Are They? 1"
By: Noah Armstrong
You may ask what these 2 pictures have to do with each other. The truth is in the context of PLN's they are essentially the same. To use the words from Dr. Strange's 2009 version of Project 6, they are both dipping into a PLN stream. They just happen to be on other ends of the planet from each other.
When I first looked at this blog assignment I was slightly worried. This being my first real education coarse, I haven't really ever thought about a PLN. I have a few teachers from various high schools in my home town that really did well teaching me in their specific fields, as well as college Professors like Dr. Strange who has plenty of experience and could probably opperate a Mac better than some people in an Apple Store. Dr. Brazy has become one of my prime candidates for future help teaching history. I have had her twice already and she does a amazing job with thought provoking questions and discussion that makes you look at history through a whole new lens. The people in my current and future EDM classes will surely hear from me in the future as i am sure that they will develop their own PLN's that i can dip into through them.
Back to the picture conundrum. How are a coach and a teacher both using a Learning network? While looking at my currently small teachers learning network I realized that I already have a massive network of coaches from high school, college, as well as all their friends, and conferences/clinics that I can use to learn new techniques and material from just like I would as a teacher. It turns out I'm not bad at developing a PLN, I have just been Developing one great one without noticing it.
Friday, September 12, 2014
Blog Post #4: What to Know to Ask Effective Questions as a Teacher
What to Know to Ask Effective Questions as a Teacher
By: Noah Armstrong
As a student in high school I was one to ask questions and even argue with teachers until I thoroughly understood the subject being taught. Unfortunately students like this are a rarity. We all remember the Students who knew they wouldn't get the question right and didn't even bother to try, or those that just didn't care about class.
According to Ben Johnson's "The Right Way To Ask Questions In The Classroom" Questions need to be provocative and encourage answers. and to do that you have to understand the mentality of your students. The "not smart" kids are happy to let the "smart" kids answer questions and are so relieved if they are not the ones called on in a call out situation that they really don't pay attention to the question or answer. Needless to say the "I don't care" students just don't care if you call on them or not and really couldn't care less if the smart kid gets it right.
The solution is to change how we ask questions. Instead of asking close ended questions that require a simple yes or no or simple prefabricated statement we need to start asking open ended questions that lead to discussion.
To solve the attention problem of the two thirds of the class that are not "smart" teachers sould ask the question, wait for a few seconds, and then randomly choose a student. This makes them all think because they don't know if they will be the ones to be called on or not. You have to keep it random so that the student doesnt think "Oh, I have answered my question today" and zone out for the rest of the class. (A "Wheel of Jeopardy" spinner would come in handy)
The questions that we ask are what guides the critical thinking of the students. We can present the facts and lessons of our subject and we are really nothing more than a overpaid Google search. The understanding and debate and discussion that our questions spark is what makes us a teacher.
Project #15: Search Engines
Wolfram Alpha -
Wolfram Alpha is a search engine for those that need help in the math department. It can search subjects as broad a subject as you wish or you can narrow it down to a specific formula or problem. When you get it down that far it will show you a break down of the problem as well as graphs and alternate forms.
This search engine is best used for self tutoring in any math as well as checking homework (not cheating).
Evaluation- Wolfram Alpha works pretty seamlessly and has personally helped me pass Calculus. I think that the fact that is shows you the answer but doesn't show you the steps helps to discourage cheating as well.
iSEEK -
iSEEK is a search engine that brings you academic web results and allows you to filter them based on grade level, subject, people, places, etc. It also has a rating system that allows you to find quality articles without reading them all yourself.
This search engine can best be used for any search that needs factual information. It is ideal for papers.
Evaluation- iSEEK is easy to use and provides specific factual information. I can see it being a useful discovery.
Bing -
Bing is a typical meta-search engine. You can search any keyword and have Bing go through the vast internet looking for sites, images, videos, and ads that have the same keywords or subjects.
Just like Google, Bing is a fast port to information on any subject if you are willing to look through the first couple sites to find what you want.
Evaluation- Bing is a solid search engine. However, I can see how it stays behind Google in popularity. Bing is more awkward to use on a traditional computer, although on the mobile version I find Bing to be much more helpful.
Blinkx -
Blinkx is a search engine purely for video content. You can simply put what you are searching for into the search bar and sort through a string of video from sites like YouTube and DailyView.
This can be a portal for finding video content on anything that you could hope to research or wish to watch for entertainment.
Evaluation- The navigation of this site is great in a minimalist way. It is just a string of video one after the other, no nonsense. The great thing about this site is that unlike Google or Bing it doesn't give you a link to a video but rather the video is played right there within Blinkx. In addition it brings you videos from all the big sites and smaller ones. So, unlike YouTube you are not limited to what is uploaded to their site.
Radio Locator-
Radio Locator is a site where you can find any information you wish to know about any radio station. You can search by the radio stations letter name, or by its station number, or even the area that it services.
This site could be used to find a radio station as you travel that will play the type of music you like, or allow you to find a site to listen to your favorite station from back home.
Evaluation- For what it is it is a very effective search engine. The only problem I can see is that it only applies to a specific crowd or circumstance.
Retrievr-
Retrievr allows you to search for images from Flickr that match images you either sketch or upload to their sight.
This can be used to find a more specific image than can be described by words in a traditional search engine. If you have an image that you need similar copies of or even just an idea for one you can find one from Flickr.
Evaluation- The fact that you can look up images using images can come in very handy. This way you don't have to look through things that don't apply to you. The problem is that it only gets them from Flickr.
Archives.gov -
Archives.gov allows you to search for a digital copy of documents found in vast and respected libraries such as the national archives and the presidents library.
This can be used as a way to find very reliable and strong references for papers and research.
Evaluation- This is a great site for finding great reference documents. You can also choose what library to look trough. The problem is that some of the sites it links you to are not completely free.
Refseek -
Refseek gives your reliable .gov and .org websites as search results kind of like Google Scholar. This can be another good way to find good research references.
Evaluation- This is a great site for research and is comparable to Google Scholar.
Wolfram Alpha is a search engine for those that need help in the math department. It can search subjects as broad a subject as you wish or you can narrow it down to a specific formula or problem. When you get it down that far it will show you a break down of the problem as well as graphs and alternate forms.
This search engine is best used for self tutoring in any math as well as checking homework (not cheating).
Evaluation- Wolfram Alpha works pretty seamlessly and has personally helped me pass Calculus. I think that the fact that is shows you the answer but doesn't show you the steps helps to discourage cheating as well.
iSEEK -
iSEEK is a search engine that brings you academic web results and allows you to filter them based on grade level, subject, people, places, etc. It also has a rating system that allows you to find quality articles without reading them all yourself.
This search engine can best be used for any search that needs factual information. It is ideal for papers.
Evaluation- iSEEK is easy to use and provides specific factual information. I can see it being a useful discovery.
Bing -
Bing is a typical meta-search engine. You can search any keyword and have Bing go through the vast internet looking for sites, images, videos, and ads that have the same keywords or subjects.
Just like Google, Bing is a fast port to information on any subject if you are willing to look through the first couple sites to find what you want.
Evaluation- Bing is a solid search engine. However, I can see how it stays behind Google in popularity. Bing is more awkward to use on a traditional computer, although on the mobile version I find Bing to be much more helpful.
Blinkx -
Blinkx is a search engine purely for video content. You can simply put what you are searching for into the search bar and sort through a string of video from sites like YouTube and DailyView.
This can be a portal for finding video content on anything that you could hope to research or wish to watch for entertainment.
Evaluation- The navigation of this site is great in a minimalist way. It is just a string of video one after the other, no nonsense. The great thing about this site is that unlike Google or Bing it doesn't give you a link to a video but rather the video is played right there within Blinkx. In addition it brings you videos from all the big sites and smaller ones. So, unlike YouTube you are not limited to what is uploaded to their site.
Radio Locator-
Radio Locator is a site where you can find any information you wish to know about any radio station. You can search by the radio stations letter name, or by its station number, or even the area that it services.
This site could be used to find a radio station as you travel that will play the type of music you like, or allow you to find a site to listen to your favorite station from back home.
Evaluation- For what it is it is a very effective search engine. The only problem I can see is that it only applies to a specific crowd or circumstance.
Retrievr-
Retrievr allows you to search for images from Flickr that match images you either sketch or upload to their sight.
This can be used to find a more specific image than can be described by words in a traditional search engine. If you have an image that you need similar copies of or even just an idea for one you can find one from Flickr.
Evaluation- The fact that you can look up images using images can come in very handy. This way you don't have to look through things that don't apply to you. The problem is that it only gets them from Flickr.
Archives.gov -
Archives.gov allows you to search for a digital copy of documents found in vast and respected libraries such as the national archives and the presidents library.
This can be used as a way to find very reliable and strong references for papers and research.
Evaluation- This is a great site for finding great reference documents. You can also choose what library to look trough. The problem is that some of the sites it links you to are not completely free.
Refseek -
Refseek gives your reliable .gov and .org websites as search results kind of like Google Scholar. This can be another good way to find good research references.
Evaluation- This is a great site for research and is comparable to Google Scholar.
Friday, September 5, 2014
Blog Post #3: "How Can You Provide Meaningful Feedback To Your Peers?"
"How Can You Provide Meaningful Feedback To Your Peers?"
By: Noah E Armstrong
We have all gotten back a paper from a teacher and seen a frightening amount of red ink on it. Stressing over a paper and getting a bad grade can be one of the worst feelings a student feels in their academic career, but there is a way to reduce or even eliminate the dreaded red ink. Peer review is simply getting a friend to look over your paper for mistakes you can fix or clarifications you can make. If you use peer review you must also know how to peer review.
The first thing you need to be sure of is that you are positive and supportive, offer complements on strong points you find to give them some encouragement. You wouldn't want someone to be mean when reviewing your paper. Next you need to make suggestions on what they can fix and be specific in your ideas for corrections.
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