This week in my 21st Century Teaching and Learning course we have been learning all about coding and robotics! This type of curriculum is growing in our schools and it is very important for future educators to learn and know how to incorporate it in their classroom. Coding and robotics is very fun and very educational! To find out how to incorporate coding into the classroom you can go to www.code.org. Coding apps for students to use in the classroom include the following: Kodable, Daisy the Dinosaur, Move the Turtle, Hopscotch, Light Bot, and Tynker.

Today we learned about the robots Dash and Dot from the Wonder Workshop. These robots are great for the classroom! To find out about Dash and Dot and how to use them in the classroom you can go to www.makewonders.com. The apps that are used to control the robots include the following: Go, Path, Blocky, and Xylo.

We also learned about a great you tool to use with the iPad called Osmo. It comes with a stand for the iPad, an attachment to put over the camera, letters, and shapes. It is an interactive app that has many educational opportunities for kids! The apps that go with Osmo include the following: Tangram, Words, Newton, and Master Piece.

Today in my 21st Century Teaching and Learning course we learned about social stories. Social stories can be very helpful for any child, but they are very helpful for children with autism. Some reasons why to use a social story with a child include: to reinforce correct behavior, help with disorganization, reinforce class rules, reinforce class routines, help with those that lack social skills, help with those who fail to complete assignments. It is very important for the teacher to involve parents in the classroom! Social stories can assist any child at school and at home. If the teacher and parents work together in helping the child, there is a greater chance of the child learning this new behavior.

How to write a social story:
-determine the behavior you want to change (make sure to choose one behavior at a time)
-write the social story in first person
-include drawings or photographs that show the social event
-have the child participate in creating the social story
-describe the situation that presents difficulty
-be sure to explain why the behavior is unacceptable by describing the desired behavior
-finish the social story by describing the acceptable or goal behavior

The following apps can be used to create a social story:

-Little Bird Tales
-Kid in Story
-My Story

Picture schedules are also a great tool to use for children who tend to not handle changes in their daily schedule very well.  Move and Match is a great app to use to create picture  schedules for students.

Video modeling is another great tool to use to show appropriate behavior for the classroom. Videolicicios and iMovie are two apps to use to create a model video for students.

This week in my 21st Century Teaching and Learning Part 1 course we learned about STEM lessons for the classroom. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. We did several STEM experiments that required us to think critical and creative with our group. STEM lessons are great for students. It allows them to think for their selves and to see how to learn in different ways. There are all different types of inexpensive materials you can use for STEM experiments. Below are some pictures of a few STEM experiments my group did. I feel that hands on learning is a great way for students to be actively involved in their education.

 

My reflection on the article, “The Use and Abuse of Technology in the Classroom”


This article was also a very good read for all teachers! I believe that the use of technology in the classroom can be a very good thing. I also believe that in order for technology to be beneficial in a classroom, teachers must know how to use technology correctly in the classroom. This article focuses on the correct and incorrect ways to use technology in the classroom. Technology should always enhance the student’s learning. All teachers should be informed of the importance of technology in the classroom and how to use it in an educational way.

http://kathycassidy.com/2013/01/05/the-use-and-abuse-of-technology-in-the-classroom/

 

 

My reflection on the article, “STEM: It’s Elementary!”

I feel that this article is a great read and that all present and future educators need to read this article. It really opened my eyes to see the importance of STEM lessons in the elementary classroom. For those that do not know, STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. A STEM lesson puts these four components together to make one lesson. These types of lessons give students the opportunity to be creative and think for their selves. The article also gave 4 tasks to help teachers incorporate STEM lessons in their classrooms.

1.       Change your lens

2.       Enlist a village of STEM educators

3.       Integrate STEM across the curriculum

4.       Give Kids more than just assess to technology

 

 

http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2015/04/03/stem-it%27s-elementary

 

All About Me Prezi

Link to my "All About Me" Prezi for ECE 309
https://prezi.com/t1kwxx3wa7lf/ece-309-all-about-me-prezi/

This week I visited a Montessori school in Birmingham with my fellow ECE block members. This was a new opportunity for me and I was able to experience a lot of new things in these classrooms. There were many differences that I observed at this Montessori school compared to the public school setting. One major difference I saw is more a independent and small group learning classroom. They did not learn their curriculum in a full group setting. Another difference in the Montessori classroom is that they combine age groups in the classroom. The students are also learning more advanced curriculum for their ages. Despite the differences that I observed, the two types of learning organizations are similar. They both have caring teachers that have a goal to educate their engaged students. I really enjoyed my visit with the Montessori school. Even though the setting was very different from what I grew up in, I feel that I could learn a lot from the experience. This opportunity allowed me to open my eyes to a different way of accomplishing the same goal. I plan to take what I learned this week and use it on my journey of becoming a teacher and having my own classroom.