Promethean Boards

Promethean boards are an essential part of an educator's teaching and a child's learning. Promethean boards allow teachers to create an engaging learning experience for his/her students. They project visuals that allow students to make connections throughout the learning process and interactive activities that show a student's knowledge of a topic or skill. They are engaged and excited to learn the standard being taught.  Teacher training should be a priority for these boards and what they offer.

Chapter 3  
Providing Recognition

Generalizations
1. Rewards do not necessarily have a negative effect on intrinsic motivation.
2. Reward is most effective when it is contingent on the attainment of some standard of performance.
3. Abstract symbolic recognition is more effective than tangible rewards.

Recommendations
1. Personalize recognition
2. Use the Pause, Prompt, and Praise strategy
3. Use concrete symbols of recognition.

(Pitler, H et al. 2007).

Sometimes when I have a class who is not doing what I ask, I pick the one person who is and sing a song of recognition to them.  Buddy you had better believe, those kids started doing what was asked of them.  I also have a series of claps.  Just ask me, I'll show them to you next time!




Chapter 4
Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers

Generalizations
1. Cues, questions and advance organizers should focus on what is important rather than whit is unusual.
2. "Higher-level" questions and advance organizers produce deeper learning than "lower-level" questions and advance organizers.
3. Advance organizers are most useful with information that is not well organized.
4. Different types of advance organizers produce different results.
5. Waiting briefly before accepting responses from students has the effect of increasing the depth of students" answers.
6. Questions are effective learning tools even when asked before a learning sequence.

Recommendations
1. Use expository advance organizers.
2. Use narrative advance organizers.
3. Teach students skimming as a form of advance organizers.
4. Teach students how to use graphic advance organizers.
5. Use explicit cues.
6. Ask questions that elicit inferences.
7. Ask analytic questions.

For two of my lesson plans for Tusculum, I used KWL charts.  It is a great informational organizer!  One area I feel like I could improve on is the student response time.  I am very quick to expect an answer and by giving a the student a little more time they are using deeper/critical thinking.

What I have learned that is useful? What I would still like to learn about technology?

I have learned that a face to face class should be highly appreciated.  I learned how to use grades in excel and how to create my own flip charts.  However, I will now download them.  Whew!  What a project!

I would like to learn how to do the response systems.  Also, ideas on how to manage a technology schedule in a classroom.  Do students only use technology during centers?

Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback

Setting Objectives

Generalizations

1. By setting instructional goals, students are able to focus on what is being taught.
2. Students should personalize learning goals set for them by teachers.  
3. Instructional goals should not be too specific.

Recommendations (for classroom practice)

1. Set learning objectives to be flexible but specific.
2. Allow students flexibility in personalizing the learning objectives or goals.
3. Communicate the learning objectives or goals to students and parents.
4. Contract with students to attain specific learning objectives or goals.

(Pitler, H et al. 2007).

 

RubiStar

Rubistar is an online ready to build rubric system.  These rubrics help teachers assess students' performance of the taught standards.    There are even some already created and saved for certain standards.  Very Cool.

Survey Monkey

This is a website that allows anyone to create a professional survey online.  I have actually had to do some surveys from this site.  They have all been educational but more of a teacher directed assessment.  I think this would work for older kids in school.

Providing Feedback

Generalizations

1. Feedback should be corrective in nature.
2. Feedback should be timely.
3. Feedback should be specific to a criterion.
4. Students can effectively provide some of their own feedback.

Recommendations

1. Use criterion-referenced feedback.
2. Focus feedback on specific types of knowledge.
3. Use student-led feedback.

(Pitler, H, et al., 2007)

I really liked the idea of using clip art as assessment for emerging readers.  I never thought of that before.  Great idea!

The suggested web resource Math Playground, is one I will have to check out.  It is described as being, "Action-packed site for K-6 students, providing engaging games that encourage students to challenge themselves (Pitler, H, et al., 2007).  I think beating their own personal score is a great way to encourage a non formal way of feedback. 

A lot of these resources are more geared towards 3-12.  Since my focus will be K-2, I am interested in seeing how these ideas can help me with feedback.  

EDUC 515 1st Class

Whew!  It was so nice to have a face-to-face discussion!  I really enjoyed learning about Kahoot-it!  I can't wait to share this site with my co-workers.  I would like to learn about more sites like Kahoot-it in future classes.  Also websites, programs, or apps that are geared more toward little people (K-2) are an interest to me.  I really enjoyed tonight's class and look forward to tomorrows.

Jess