Working Collaboratively

Team work skills is one of the main aspects a company looks at in a potential employees profile. There is a big demand now-a-days for people to be able to work collaboratively. Most experience working
collaboratively happens in school. Students work collaboratively on power points, presentations, and even peer lessons. So, the question is how can teachers facilitate collaboration? One way this can be accomplished is purely in the way the room is structured. By putting desks in groups instead of rows a teacher’s can encourage students to work together instead of individually. With the desks in groups, students will naturally be inclined to ask questions of their peers. Another way teachers can encourage collaboration is assigning projects that need more than one participant. An example of this is a presentation. Whether using power point or some other software such as prezi, by assigning a group presentation, you require the students work together to make a final product. From the simplest presentation on photosynthesis, to the most complex presentation on Apple’s fourth quarter earnings, assigning a presentation requires students to somehow have contact. Of course, we have all seen presentations where the students didn’t work together. Those usually turn out to be disasters.  The final way  teachers can facilitate collaboration is assigning a multi-step project. For example, if the project is a research paper on crabs there are certain steps students have to follow to produce an acceptable product. For research, you have the students work together in order to speed up the process. By collaborating, the students will only include the most important information. In addition, giving multiple students the opportunity to work on one research paper allows them to focus on one part of the paper and do it really well. Sometimes it is hard for a child to put in consistent effort throughout a very long assignment. For multiple reasons the child gets distracted and more often than not puts out a flawed product. By delegating the work to group members, students can learn from their peers and put the most effort into their specific part of the assignment. Working in collaboration with others is one of the most highly sought after skills by employers. As teachers, it is our job to prepare our students to work in the world. By rearranging the classroom, assigning presentations or multi-step projects, teachers can foster the collaborative skills kids need later in life.

Learning Event 3: The Shape of a Story

The shape of the story defines its flow and its message. The story I decided to look at is Green Eggs and Ham. Everyone is familiar with this classic Dr. Seuss novel. However, some may not be aware of the subtle theme in the story. Green Eggs and Ham is all about trying new things. When you think about food with green stuff on it, it doesn’t necessarily sound appetizing. In fact, most people won’t eat anything with green on it. Dr. Seuss uses green eggs as an example of something people aren’t normally comfortable with. Throughout the story, Dr. Seuss is trying to get his friend Sam to try these green eggs and ham, but he keeps avoiding him. As the story goes on, Dr. Seuss introduces other factors that might distract him from the fact that the food is green. He asks if Sam would eat the food in a box, or next to a fox. Dr. Seuss also offers the options of eating on a boat or with a goat. Still he refuses to eat the food Dr. Seuss has prepared. Finally, after pages of begging, Sam finally gives in and tries the weird looking food. To his surprise, the food actually tastes good and he likes it. Sam goes on to tell Dr. Seuss that he would eat the green eggs and ham with all the suggestions the doctor mentioned previously. If you’ve ever heard the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover” you can somewhat understand the message Dr. Seuss is trying to get across. He is trying to get Sam to try the green eggs and ham before he round-about writes them off as gross. Part of growing up is experiencing new things. Children are naturally curious, and they are going to get into new situations. What they learn out of those situations is what defines their character later on in life. Kids are also going to be naturally apprehensive to situations they aren’t comfortable with. As teachers, it is our duty to facilitate new growth through foreign experiences. An example might be a trip to the local aquarium. Many children will be apprehensive about sticking their hands in the water to touch stingrays or crustaceans. We have to encourage those students who might not want to to try it out. This new experience gives the child a new type of learning and exposure to sea life. Another example is helping students conquer their fear of heights. By taking students on a field trip to the local ropes course, they have the opportunity to overcome their fears. Challenging a student to learn through new experiences allows them to break down some of their pre-existing fears. This facilitates new heights of learning, producing a more well-rounded individual.

Multimodal Tutorial on Kahoot

Step One: Go to getkahoot.com. Then sign up for a free account.  

 

Step two: Get a free account.

 

Step three: Once you have created an account, your screen will look like this. To start a new Kahoot! click on the New K! tab in the top left hand corner. 

 

Step four:Make your questions.

 

Step five: Adjust the settings.

 

Step six: Add some Multi-media 

 

Step seven: Play your Kahoot!

Step eight: To play your Kahoot! your students have to go to Kahoot.it and enter the game-specific pin. 

Technology Use in the Classroom

Now more than ever, teacher’s are encouraged to use technology and media as a part of their lesson plans and overall classroom flow. Throughout the early 21st century we’ve seen smart boards and the like replace traditional methods of teaching. As much as I may not see the light, I must play the devil here and advocate for the decrease of technology in the classroom. I believe there are more down sides to using technology than their are upsides. However, this does not mean the internet is all bad and cannot be minimally used. One way technology can help me in the classroom is through the use of a website called Kahoot. Kahoot is a website that allows you to create fun learning games that get kids excited while assessing their progress. Kahoot also lets you share individual or group results in a community. Kahoot replaces paper and pencil assessments that can be time consuming when it comes to results. In addition, by sharing results in the community, I can spark competition between the students to see who can get the highest scores. If students have a visual representation of how they match up with another student it can influence positive learning and a hunger for more knowledge. However, for me, Kahoot will never replace what the same activity on white board can do. With Kahoot, the text is just on the screen, allowing kids to just chose an answer instead of synthesizing the information for themselves. However, with the white board, the student has to write the question down and examine all the components. This practice will allow me to see students work step by step, which when it comes to math, is imperative.

https://getkahoot.com/how-it-works

Another way I can use technology as a text in the classroom is through a site called iCivics. iCivics is an interactive website that allows students to see what it would be like to hold certain social positions. The site boasts plenty of games such as running for the presidency, making laws, and what is covered under the Bill of Rights. iCivics gives me an online tool to teach civic duty while mixing in how our government got started in the first place. iCivics also allows me to teach morals along with knowledge. It gives me a platform to explain what a good law is and what a bad law is, why we have laws, and how important it is to follow them. iCivics gives me the opportunity to diversify the way I teach civic responsibility.

https://www.icivics.org/games

These are just two ways I can use technology as a text in the classroom. I believe the most important way I can use technology in the classroom is expediting information. Answering a students off the wall question is easier with a google search than a library search.

 

Where I’ve Been…

I first learned the definition of culture from my government and econ teacher. Mr. Ingles explained to us that culture was learned behavior. Writing about the behaviors I’ve learned over the years is difficult because summing up that many events in three hundred words is impossible. However, the best place to start is probably where I am from. I am from Greenville, SC. Its one of the bigger cities in South Carolina and is located in the upstate near the Blue Ridge Mountains. I mention the Blue Ridge Mountains because most Greenvillians know all the secret spots across the beautifal mountain range. We even have a place that is literally titled “Pretty Place.” From secret waterfalls, to a rock the Indians beleived the gods ate off of, one thing Greenville has is natural beauty.

Another thing Greenville is known for is being part of the imfamous “Bible Belt.” I think it’s only appropraite to describe it as my old baptist preacher said, “There is a church on every corner. No, there is a church in between the  churches on every corner.” As unbelievealbe as it seems, this is actually pretty accurate, and defines the way people in Greenville go about their lives. I was raised in both the Southern Baptist church and the Episcopal church. Both places provided me with tremendous opportunities including a church basketball championship, lifelong friends, and even a job. Church gave me a tight knit community that I could go to when I was in need of advice or help. In addition, it allowed me to be active in my community and help those in need. I remember many a Sunday in service at the local Soup Kitchen. The most important thing church gave me was a family. Even though we aren’t related, we all share a common bond. Sometimes, this bond was stronger than my traditional family. Church is just one of the many places ive been that has impacted my culture.

Even though church had such a big impact on my life, I no longer go because of other priorities and experiences. However, I look forward to rejoining my old church in the future.