MOdule 6 Activity 7

I've learnt that webquest can be a very good way to get students of different cognitive levels. At each part students would be actively engaged. And i like how web quests promote stronger group partnership because for one area to be completed or strength the person before must complete the required pieces.

These six parts of a web quest which should be done step by step. Bear in mind at all the stages of the web quest students are required to be guided ans supervised.

1.         Introduction- which must grab the audience interest
2.        Task- being doable or possible and interesting
3.       Information sources -are embedded in the webquest document  learner not being left to wonder
4.      Process- description of the procedure the learners should go through which is clearly stated as to accomplish the task.
5.  Guidance- as to the compilation of information acquired 
6.   Conclusion:- this brings closure to the

Module 6 Activity 5

On the first time i tried formulating the curriculum framing questions, I did not get it correct when after rereading the information i managed to formulate something substantial. I liked this activity because it linked me to really analyse my curriculum and showed me how I should be able to use my objectives for activities i wish to give my students.

MOdule 6 activity 3

This activity was a bit challenging to me at first because i had not recently taught any project so i had to  examine my classroom topic in order to get something ff the ground.

one project idea that i like was done by ms caine.


This topic to me is not a topic that teachers normally pick up and run with. i like this topic because it actively engages students in a simple but in depth Experiment in other to find out whether or not  mould grows more quickly in warm conditions than in cold.

students process skills are been developed in this project since they are required to apart of whats going on. some Process Skills: planning, hypothesizing, observing, recording, measuring, explaining and evaluating are initiated. 
In this project the students of grade six wanted to test the hypothesis that mould grows more quickly in warm conditions than in cold. They decided to use similar slices of banana for their experiment. They knew that some moulds are dangerous so they placed the banana into closed plastic bags which they could throw away afterwards. 

MOdule 6 activity 1

Though the activity entailed a great deal of reading it was informative in the end. I gained information in relation to project based learning. some reading points that stood out are as follows

 

Benefits of project-based learning:

 Greater control over what and how they(students) learn – Teachers set parameters for each project and the students are free to propose their own ideas, pending their teacher’s approval. A sense of educational ownership – Because they have greater control over what and how they learn, students often feel more invested and responsible for their work.

 Project-based learning also makes it easier for students to learn at a pace that’s comfortable for them. Acquisition of complex, real-world skills – Project-based learning teaches students about teamwork, critical thinking, communication, decision-making, time management, public speaking, organization, social behavior and more. An audience with their teachers – The traditional classroom lecture model is all about listening. The teacher lectures and the students absorb. A key advantage of project-based learning is that each student has more one-on-one time with their instructors to ask questions and share ideas.

module 8 activity 10

this was really interesting..I've heard about having the ability to learn in the comfort of your home. i believe in the initial stages it might seem hectic and over whelming but with practice things would flow quite smoothly. this can be a very good initiative for students who might be physically disabled.

module 8 activity 9

most of the time social networks has been rigged with negative comments but these sites can.be used to enhance teaching and learning. I've realized that social networks can provide an interface for students,teachers and parents to conference. through the use of these sites as medium for  teacher to share homework,assignments and even provide an interface to clarify information.

module 8 activity 7

when I first read the title of the activity..Ithought are there merits to using a tablet as an ict tool. But after engaging in this activity I gained a wealth of knowledge as to how tablets can be used as an educationaltook rather than a membemenace anda barrier of communication.. tablets can be used to create presentations can also be used in conjunction with a projector. the tablet would also give students the advantage of creating documents as well as, using educational apps which are at their disposal. these tools indeed has countless benefits that students,teachersand parentscan use.

module 8 activity 6

one on one learning in this activity has really explored the many options.  I was able to gain insight of the different strategies that can be utilized to promote and enhance one on one learning inthe classroom. I've realized that with this type of ict learning integration the teacher would have to try to maintain a good level of communication amongst the learners. It is critical that teacher provides students with a level of feedback from time to time.

module 8 activity 5

This activity was very informative. I have heard about the use of interactive whiteboards but I didn't realize the endless benefits. the interactive whiteboard can provide many classroom activities that would actively engage students as well capture and gain there attention. oneactivity that I've read about which can really assist students in improving there writing skills through the use ofdigital story telling. thesad thing is that due to the cost of an interactive white board only about 5 schools in my country has the exposure to its infinite wonders.

module8 activity 4

after reading about the one laptop per classroom,I find it to be viable our Caribbean classroom. at first I thought that it would be some what impossible to conduct but now I realize that there are benefitswhichcan be derived..No form of ict integration comes with mainly benefits,in reality there are always some hiccups which may occur from time to time so it's important that the creation of a schedule to help monitor the use of the computer by individual students.

module 8 activity 3

Though some may advocate for the use of one computer for a classroom...I really enjoyed the information put forward for having a computer lab instead. One reason believe that i gravitated to this topic was because of my exposure to being taught in a computer lab. The main thing i like about teaching students is that each child is given equal opportunity to access information. students would be be able work on an activity without fear of being picked on by peers. With the work down in a lab it is somewhat easier to track what students are doing. this can be done remotely or by manual monitoring.

Module 8 activity 2ICT-Enabled Classroom

This activity made it quite clear as to the importance of integrating technology with in the classroom. Yes we have to consider the traditional methods of teaching but we now exist in a technology so it is wise to provide our students with resources to enhance their learning. indeed there is an open gateway to resources but to ensure that learning takes place proper and effective plan is vitally important. If there isn't proper planning then that could lead to misbehaviours in the classroom

Activity 1

The use of technology in the classroom has reaped tremendous benefits though overwhelming at times.From tome to time i have implemented ICT within my written daily plans. However due to the unavailability of the computer lab at times some lessons are either postponed or plan B would be put into action.
Technology integration has really helped me when i comes to my weak readers. Because of the many interactive online games and activities available via the internet.
Despite the fact that the internet can be our doors to a brighter future it can be rather unreliable at times.
For the upcoming school year i would be continuing with my ICT because i know at the end of the school year i would be making a difference in one child life.

Module 5 activity 7

MY school has several pieces of resources available to promote and foster the teaching and learning process. From time to time i try my best to utilize these resources. Yes the planning may be tedious but it pays off in the long run

Activity 6

This activity was a bit time consuming. But at the end i really enjoyed it especially using Microsoft word to create drawing tools. It had been something that I've been doing from time to time when assessing my students.

Activity 5A EXploring educational websites

The use of various software has been integrated in my classroom practices. There are endless sites which are available for the teaching and learning process but as a classroom facilitator and guide it is important for me to give my learners the best of whatever is available to them. After careful perusing of the various software available out there I've found that the following websites do justice to what they promote in the learning arena. I have found them to be very child friendly and their activities mirrors the site's objectives.

www.enchantedlearning.com 

www.Readworks.org
www.starfall.com
 

http://www.readwritethink.org/ 

MOdule 5 AcTiViTy 4

This was one of the more tedious activities thus far but I was able to gather a lot of information from my fellow colleagues. Actually breaking the steps showing how we go about teaching a lesson with the inclusion of technology. This exercise really highlighted that despite the wonderful benefits of using technology, we could fail during the delivery process if we do not plan effectively for possible hick ups. It's good to know that some of the problems I am facing with my students as a young teacher, even the more seasoned teachers encounter similar problems. As we continue this module i know it would be quite a learning experience.

Module 5 activity 2

For this activity it took me a while before deciding which educational software I should share with my colleagues because of the wide range of of sites that I access from time to time. I personally believe that funbrain.com is one of the very best site on the internet which cause a positive change in the learning and understanding of students.

Module 5 activity 3

This was an interesting activity because normally, when I search for a site to use I would mainly check whether it has the content which I am looking for and whether it has catchy graphics which won't easily bored the students. On completing this activity, I realized that more thought is need when selected sites and software in general to suppose teaching and learning in my classroom.

Module 5 activity 1

This is my first time using this website to as a record keeping tool of the sites that I've visited and or used within my classroom. Matter of fact I've never used or heard of Diigo. Normally when find a site which is ideal or relative to my classroom activity I would use the browser's bookmarking feature. I think that this would really help me in organizing my online material in the future.

Activity 11: Encouraging Learners to ask questions

In most classroom setting, the teacher is the one who mainly ask the questions. The only time students are actually given the opportunity to talk or respond, it's when the teacher check for students understanding.This activity students ability to formal questions which they need answered. This also prompts students to think about what they want answered. Before they can ask their questions they must ensure that they are clear and straight to the point.

Activity 12: Problem Solving Strategies

Problem solving skills really need improvement in my class so this activity was useful with giving me an idea as to how promote problem solving skills among students.

Activity 10: Promoting Discussion

At the end of this activity i was taught that through the use of discussion it  is an excellent method which can be used to develop and foster my student's oral communication skills as well as their ability to think out side of the box.

Activity 9: What questions do I ask and why

Questioning indeed helps me to find out students reasoning and comprehension ability. I have always tried to include different types of questions in my lessons to encourage students to critically think about information/questions that are  presented. It is important that as a teacher our questions are pitched at various levels of the blooms taxonomy. I realized that using the taxonomy helps to better focus the questions to be asked and in term it would assist in getting the desired results from the students.

Activity 8: Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development

This activity show me how much we would have already been practicing Piaget's theory without realizing it.

It was a firm reminder that even thought students may be within the same age group they are not developing at the same cognitive speed and the use of differentiation is vitally important to bridge the gap which may exist among students at the same grade level.

Activity 7:Collobarative Learning

Cooperative is something that a promote regularly in my classroom to provide students with the opportunity to interact and learn from their peers

Activity 6: Vygotsky- Understandingof Cognitive Development

Social interaction and learning are like two peas in a pod.They support each other, especially in the classroom. I realized that sometimes we under estimate our students ability to express themselves. This activity help to realize that students it is important for students to be activity disseminator to knowledge throughout the learning process. I have taken into consideration my students during my planning process since learning it a two way street.

Activity 5: Developmental Psychology

This activity reminded me of how much a learner's environment can affect his/ her life as well as performance within the school arena. Whenever children lack emotional, social,psycho-social support these can seriously affect a student academic performance. In addition, when a child is expose to an unhealthy environment  which there is no educational or moral support from there parent ot guardian these can cause students to have difficulty in learning, this can also lead to further behavioural problems which may be difficult to curb since students may feel demotivated and have a very low self esteem.

Activity 4: Behaviourism

Praise, encouragement and positive feedback is vitally important in our classroom. it can make a difference in children learning. As I reflected on my use of  praise, encouragement and positive feedback  my students had a positive reaction to classroom activities. Positive reinforcement indeed boosted some students self confidence and impacted how often they would respond to a question which might be asked; it was seen generally classroom activities.

Module 1 activity 2-self activity

I now realized that learners need to learn how to learn. I realized that if learners are  interested in the material and are working with the material  such as revising the material they are expected to learn it will make it easier for them  to access the material from their long term memory. I understand that learners need to develop strategies for learning and that some strategies can be ineffective for some learners.Teachers therefore need to help students develop a strategy based on their(the students) learning styles that will help them learn the material. Students will be expected to monitor and modify their strategies

Activity 3:Social Cognitive Theory

This activity helped me to be aware of some the behaviours that we are required to model to our students on daily basis.This activity helped become vigilant of the types of positive behaviours I wish for my students to adopt. From simple everyday social graces with are important for students to emulate. Even more importantly the behaviours which i wish to enforce in the classroom such as taking turns while speaking and raising one's hand if they wish to speak.

Module 1 activity 1

This activity was one of deep reflection to analyse how my teaching journey has improved, shaped and molded and grew intellectually over the years. It refreshed my memory that teachers are indeed learners themselves. In order to be effective in the classroom we must be equipped and knowledgeable of the content as well as strategies which can positively impact students learning in the classroom.