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Blog #6- Inquiry and Mini-Lessons

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    Inquiry learning gives students the opportunity to use critical thinking with real-world, engaging activities in a hands-on environment developing deep understanding of the content they are exploring.  There were a lot of good points made in the article, “Implementing-Inquiry”.  It states that inquiry is for “both teachers and students to collaboratively build, test, and reflect on their learning.”  “Inquiry is not merely ‘having students do projects’ but rather strives to nurture a deep, discipline-based way of thinking and doing with students.”  In my elementary school, I do not think inquiry learning takes place as often as it should.  It would be wonderful to see more learning taking place like Diana Laufenberg described in her video, “How to Learn From Mistakes”.  Students learn more when they play an active role in the classroom. My thoughts for my mini-lessons have gone in a lot of different directions.  I’m thinking about using social studies and focusing on the sta
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Blog #5

    I am on my way to achieving the learning goals that I stated in my first blog.  I have learned more about using Twitter, Blogger, and content curation.  Trying to meet the requirements each week with no prior knowledge of these resources however has been very difficult.  Now that school is out for the summer (Yippee!!), I will have more time to research and learn even more.      After the information on growth mindset this week, I would add to my goals to learn more about how I can help my students develop a growth mindset.  In the article, "Even Geniuses Work Hard", by Carol S. Dweck, it says, "Students with a fixed mindset do not like effort.  They believe that if you have ability, everything should come naturally."  This would describe the large majority of my 3rd graders.  They give up easily, and they don't ask questions.  Why do they think asking questions is a sign of weakness?  In Carol S. Dweck's interview, she tells how they taught students ab
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Letting Go- Blog #4

How do I create a classroom that is more student centered?  A classroom where students have to think for themselves and apply their knowledge? In the article, "Great Teaching Means Letting Go", the author mentions that transfer is the bottom-line goal of all learning, not scripted behavior.  Transfer means that a learner can draw upon and apply from all of what was learned, as the situation warrants, not just do one move at a time in response to a prompt.  I feel that most teachers would see the importance of a learning environment that allows students to think for themselves and be in charge of their own learning.  The problem would be knowing the steps you would need to take and having the resources available to make changes in your classroom.  I have never observed a classroom that focused on student centered learning on a daily basis.  It is hard for me to imagine how I could do that and still be able to meet the demands of state standards and district expectations to f
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Reflective Searching- Blog #3

What did I do before I had access to technology right at my fingertips?  Just this week I’ve quickly used technology to tell me the distance to another town, added appointments to my calendar app, pulled up a video to show my son how magnets are made, and searched for the spelling of words.  I won’t even mention all of the ways I’ve used it as a teacher.  Information is just a simple click away. Based on the year I was born, I am not part of the ‘Google Generation’ born after 1993.  If you look at my search habits, I am part of this generation.  When I have a question, the first place I go is Google, type it in the search box, and look at the results on the first page.  As stated in the article, “Information Behavior of the Researcher of the Future”, I would be part of the 89% of college students that use search engines to begin an information search, and I am satisfied with my experience using a search engine.  If I was gathering information for research, I would be described as a
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Blog #2

The video and articles all show how technology has become such a huge part of our lives.  The "InfoWhelm and Information Fluency" video stated that our digital output increased 10,000% in six years from 2003- 2009.  I can't imagine the increase has taken place since then.  The last two articles, "Creating Classrooms We Need: 8 Ways Into Inquiry Learning" and "The Journey from Digital Literacy to Digital Fluency", include ideas that are related to my learning goals for this course and the other courses within my certification.  More classrooms need to become a place where students can explore, create, and have an active role in their learning.  Technology is a tool that can be used for this type of learning to take place.  Diana Laufenberg said, "If by the end of the year, they still need me, I haven't done my job.  I'm not coming with them to college. They have to be self-driven, independent thinkers."  I look forward to learning wa
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Blog #1

Learning Goals I will soon complete my 16th year of teaching.  Since I began teaching in 2002, the only technology that has been added to my classroom is a Promethean Board.  I still have only one computer in my classroom.  I have always enjoyed technology, but I have learned how far behind my skills are since starting my certification at Georgia Southern.   It has been a great journey, and I look forward to learning so much more! In FRIT 7234, I look forward to learning more about how I can use Twitter and Blogger as a classroom teacher and in the future as a media specialist.  This is the first time I have used these resources. Another goal I have for this course is to learn more about content curation. During each course, I also enjoy learning how other teachers and schools use technology to benefit their students.
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