Saturday, April 12, 2014

Blog post #8: what did you learn from this video

What I learned from watching this video

Dr. Strange has made available a few videos of conversations with Anthony Capps.  I think it is refreshing to hear and listen to a relatively new teacher relate his experiences in the classroom.  So many times, we are inundated with the opinions of seasoned teachers, some of which are completely burned out, and forget the wonder that teaching can bring to both student and instructor!  

The #1 take home idea for me while watching this was:  TAKE YOUR TIME!  Any new technology is going to take awhile to become familiar with, and you don’t want frustration to enter the classroom atmosphere because you haven’t familiarized yourself with all the functions of the program that you are using.  What did Anthony say?  You can learn it overnight, but it has to be every night.  The ability to model technology, so that it can be used fluidly in the classroom comes from an adept use of the tool.  That way, any questions that arise from the students can be easily answered and dealt with.  Will we know all of the answers?  Of course not.  We will have to be elastic in our learning as well; understand that we as teachers do not always know how to accomplish something and allow for that community learning opportunity from the students.  

Another point that stuck with me:  GIVE OPTIONS.  Students will naturally gravitate toward their own interests and talents.  The ability to use them will encourage learning in a more natural way.  Music, multi-media, graphics, art, essays, power points, dance; all of these can be used to access learning in a creative way.  

I can see why the assessment process of project-based learning can be somewhat of a transition for parents.  We have been conditioned to wait for the progress reports and end of quarter grades in order to see where our kids are excelling and where they may need a little help.  We also depend on structured grading for any way to argue on behalf of our children...


Of course, this isn’t the way all parents react to project-based learning or grades in general, although it is wise to keep in mind that this is a very different way of learning for older students and parents to understand.  If we can make PBL a norm in the classroom, we will ensure that innovation, hard work, and discipline make it into the next generation’s tool box for life.  



5 comments:

  1. Hi Leslie! Good job on your post. I especially like the cartoon comparing 1969 to today. I agree with the idea of giving options to students. They don't all learn the same way so why should we expect them to create in the same way. I know I would have liked to have had more options, particularly anything other than writing a paper.

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  2. Great post! I especially like the point about giving options. Playing on the students interests does help them remain engaged in learning. Great points pulled from the video.

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  3. Hi Leslie

    Well, I had a nice comment all typed up but it somehow disappeared when I tried to publish it. I was telling you that you were right when you stated "Students will naturally gravitate toward their own interests and talents." This is so true and they will like learning even more because they have the option to be themselves. Great Post!

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  4. Thank you everyone! I had a great time writing it :) Have a great Easter weekend!

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