A. I wanted to try something new this year...Let me restart...It all started last year when I was told I was going to move classrooms. I packed up everything and was ready to move. I then got the phone call minutes before I started moving stuff that I was going to be staying in my class. I was relieved because moving stuff was going to be time consuming but my new classroom would be bigger!! I was looking forward to that so much!!! I have thought of many different ways to consolidate space in my class. What I have come up with is to get rid of the desks and put in tables for two. The kids could collaborate and have active learning! My principal told me to hold on she will see what she can do but I'm not holding my breathe. I have looked up plans to make my own tables. The video I chose today is about seating and for a 21st century classroom we need to accommodate for the movement that we expect our kids to make. If you look at all the big tech companies or even think about the 4c's. One has to consider the setup of the room. Students have to have the freedom to move around and to think and process. Also, collaboration, it is crucial to have the room set up to collaborate. B. In the video (the link is at the bottom) the teacher shares how he read a post from someone about how students should not use flexible seating and should "stick to desk and chair" teaching. He then precedes to show us his extremely large classroom (jealous) with all of the multiple types of seating arrangements. He then told and showed us his newest type of seating he acquired some sleds that he let the kids sit on. Where he did not share a lesson this video was a good example of the concept of flexible seating in a classroom. C. I learned that first off the concept of flexible seating comes from the thought of turning ones class into a 21st century classroom. I also, had confirmed my own thoughts that wanting to streamline my classroom the way I did is not far off from successful teaching practices. I saw interesting ways to use space in the classroom. D. Could I use this lesson? Absolutely! In fact I do in certain ways. I don't have the space that he does but my class is set up in groups where that does allow for talking this is the reason I set it up that way. You always have your team to support you. I also don't have a seating chart so there is flexibility for kids to move around the room. It is funny though that kids generally sit in the same seats though. I wonder if that is leftover residue from always having assigned seats or kids desire the consistency. I give this video a 5.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3p-_cm77SM
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So I think I was confused about what I was suppose to post so this is my attempt to rectify the situation. So I was very touched by what Sir Ken Robinson said in his Ted talk. This really hit home for me.
"There are two models of quality assurance in catering. One is fast food, where everything is standardized. The other is...where everything is not standardized, they're customized to local circumstances. And we have sold ourselves into a fast-food model of education, and it's impoverishing our spirit and our energies as much as fast food is depleting our physical bodies." How true this is! We need to customize to our local circumstances. What my kids in downtown Vallejo may be totally different from what someone from Marin needs. So what I am going to do is customize as much as I can. I also feel that technology can close that gap. I am going to teach and prepare my students for the future by using mainstream methods such as classroom. I am fortunate to have enough computers in my class because of my ELD classes. Another point I feel I should make is in my school the kids have all brand new computers and chromebooks. But, us teachers are working with mismatched outdated computers. So this year our principal (with our school site council) has approved new computers for the teachers. We need the things to be able to use all the new technologies we want our students to use. Another thing I would like in my classroom would be tables and chairs. It saves on space and they are easier to work with. Ok I just recieved an email saying I was good for tomorrow so I will end this rant. And use this as a buffer. "Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths, Enwrought with gold and silver light, The blue and the dim and the dark cloths Of night and light and the half-light, I would spread the cloths under your feet: But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams." And every day, everywhere, our children spread their dreams beneath our feet. And we should tread softly. -Sir Ken Robinson quoting W. B. Yeats This speaks volumes to me. "So when we look at reforming education and transforming it, it isn't like cloning a system....It's about customizing to your circumstances and personalizing education to the people you're actually teaching. And doing that, I think, is the answer to the future because it's not about scaling a new solution; it's about creating a movement in education in which people develop their own solutions, but with external support based on a personalized curriculum. In this room, there are people who represent extraordinary resources in business, in multimedia, in the Internet. These technologies, combined with the extraordinary talents of teachers, provide an opportunity to revolutionize education." -Sir Ken Robinson These quotes help me to want to further my education so I will be able to better serve my students. I feel with the help of the following technological advances it will help my overall arsenal of teaching fleshes. 1 First case is Plickers. If you are unsure of what plickers are they are that little square that is similar to a upc that you scan. I would guess this would not have been used but within the last maybe 3-5 years. Below is a button to a link of the how one can use this technology in a classroom. I actually have a set and I love checking for understanding like maybe real quick at the end class to see who understands what. I can also use it is formative assessment. This can also save time with grading as it takes about 1-2 mins to upload the students answers and you have instant knowledge of who got what correct. You as the teacher have the opportunity to show the kids names or not. Could I use this in my lessons? Abosulutly, I made mine last week and I have plans to use them next week. (note print out on cardstock) https://plickers.com/ 2 So in my district we have not fully become a google district. In fact I just received a set of classroom computers. I have spent the last week going over classroom procedures and computer etiquette. So, my second case is google classroom. Well more specifically daily journals set up through google classroom. In my english classes I have struggled with keeping tabs of my students writing journals. It is a mess of papers and a constant fight for them to find them/keep tabs on them. So, through google classroom I have found a way to go paperless with their journals. So, this can be used as a "Do Now", you could have various journal set up for them. Anything you wanted them to with paper can be done with this. How will I know that my students are learning? I can check it instantly or at my leisure to see if they have completed their posts and/or make comments to have them redo parts or whatever I feel the papers need. The only real video I could find about these journals does not really apply to English exactly but the concept he talks about can work great. What element does this apply to? I feel it could apply to many from feedback to daily assessment, to practicing a students actual writing/typing ability. My last piece of technology is Class Dojo. I wanted to use it last year but I never got around to setting it up. So I told myself I was going to do it this year. In this case study I have seen how it is used as a great classroom management tool, that positively reinforces the students. If used correctly it will make your students compete with themselves to be on task. The following link is to a blog that speaks to how to be effective with this tool.
Blog post I like to start over fresh with my more "active" students as often as I can. How do I know the students are learning? Well I know that my students look forward and enjoy the management system. They all get quite when they hear the buzzer and perk up when they hear the chimes. I also award extra credit and pizza parties after a certain amount has been met. I feel that this paired with Culturally Responsive Learning can control and shape your classroom environment. I currently use this in my classroom. We have it backwards. I am afraid to say that we have kinda done it to ourselves as well. Linda Darling-Hammond brings up point after point of how our current educational system has for lack of better term flatlined. Why is the world becoming flat? The world has all of these technological advances but we still struggle with education. It reminds me of when I lived in Brazil. We had all of the modern commodities you can think of, internet, indoor plumbing and cell phones. However, just because the technology existed does not mean the people had it. They didn't even have their basic needs met but they had the 50" TV. We have all of these opportunities but we or should I say a select we can take advantage of them. This isn't just a race issue this is a money issue. So in my own little world what would I change? Music, mountains and mammoths are things that I think about on a regular basis. I constantly think about music. When I was younger, I would judge my peers by what they listened to. Mountains are in my thoughts as forms of different challenges that each of us face. We all climb our different mountains, some with help and companionship and some all alone. We may not see the top but we know that it is there. But Mammoths? Really Adam?!... How do mammoths play into your thoughts?
So going back to music thing, I like a lot of underground music that may seem obscure and esoteric to those on the outside. That is the way I like it. It is like a little club that a few people are in and have privy to speak your "language" and know the code. I have always gone to my music as a source of education and confidence. I even ran a blog which was titled "Music for the Working Man". I would tell people that the music I listened to was building my intelligence. As any young person I sometimes struggled with my own self confidence. One day as I was listening to this band named Pelican I heard their song "Mammoth" (which is the video to the right > ) and it really spoke to me. When I listen to this song it makes me feel as though I can overcome anything. I literally see me standing at the top of a mountain looking out over what I have just overcome. I feel so powerful! I can do anything! This feeling, this power, is what I want the kids, no, no My kids to have when they are in my classroom! I want them to be able to face their mountains and become the conqueror that I know they are. I want to prepare myself the best I can and be able to be the sharpest tool to help them to achieve their goals. |
Adam
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