Week 5 Trends/Issues

Trend: Flipped Classroom

Flipped classroom is where lectures are provided online as homework for students, and typical homework is in turn completed during class time.  I experienced a flipped classroom in high school Pre-Calculus, and found it very beneficial.  Students who have trouble with material can view lectures (5-7 minute videos) as many times as they need to in order to maintain an understanding going into classroom.  Then, once in class, students work on traditional homework and are able to clarify questions with the teacher present.  I find trend more applicable to subjects like Math and Science, where material is more objective than subjective.  As an English major, I have doubts with this trend, but can see the positives and would use it in the classroom--just not as an every night thing.  Additionally, it could be problematic for students without internet access, but accommodations could easily be made like any other lesson.

Issue: Catfishing/Sexting

Catfishing is when a person pretends to be another person online (there is a TV show about this issue as well).

• According to the study 83 million Facebook accounts are faked or duplicate in nature.

Teengagement Practitioner

This website offers information on catfishing, and helps internet users to recognize when a catfish is occurring.  This is a teacher resource that could be used in the classroom to inform students of the issue and inform them how to use internet safety.

Sexting is when sexually explicit text messages, photos, or videos are shared from one phone to another.

• Of the 70% of teen girls who have sexted, 61% have said that they did so because they were pressured

Common Sense Media

This website offers information on the background of sexting, informing people on the harms and pressures sexting offers.  This is a teacher resource that could be used in the classroom to address sexting, and inform and hopefully prevent/minimize the dangers and problems it causes.

Week 3

Resource Portal

• Name/Title of the resource: 
• Hopping the Number Line
• URL: 
• https://illuminations.nctm.org/Lesson.aspx?id=355
• How you found it: 
• Using the NTCM Illuminations link posted on Professor Siko's blog (http://edt370spring16.blogspot.com), I was able to navigate to this lesson.
• How you might use it in your final project:
• I may incorporate this lesson in the final project by including it as a math lesson, then having student fill out engagement levels like they did for Plot Organizers.  This will give me feedback for future lessons on how to enhance learning from math lessons in the classroom.  I like the idea of crossing curriculum in order to grab the attention of more students, and cover more material in a shorter time period. 
• What standards does the resource address:
• CCSS.Math.Content.2.OA.B.2Fluently add and subtract within 20 using mental strategies. By end of Grade 2, know from memory all sums of two one-digit numbers.

PLN 

• Name/Title of the resource:
• Effective Guided Reading
• URL:
• https://twitter.com/bcps_ela
• How you found it:
• I did a Twitter search for "4th Grade Language Arts Lesson" and this link showed up!
• How you might use it in your final project:
• This is an engaging visual for identifying with students what IS and what IS NOT guided reading.  This lesson could be used before the Plot Organizer in order for students to understand what I am looking for in their reading books before they select them.
• What standards does the resource address:
• CCSS.Fluency.4.4.A. Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding. 

Google Search

• Name/Title of the resource:
• Deep Diving for Synonyms and Antonyms
• URL:
• https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Free-Downloads-89191
• How you found it:
• https://www.teacherspayteachers.com is a great website that offers lessons for teachers, made by teachers.  They are effective and I have heard about usage from this website for the last three years.  I have used a lesson from this website in the past as reference for a different lesson used in the classroom.
• How you might use it in your final project:
• I might use this lesson in my final project as topic to keep in mind while reading for the Plot Organizer.  Different questions in the Plot Organizer may include synonym/antonym vocabulary so learners can continue to practice as they work on their Plot Organizers.
• What standards does the resource address:
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.5.C
  Demonstrate understanding of words by relating them to their opposites (antonyms) and to words with similar but not identical meanings (synonyms).

Week 2

The first article on "Learning Styles Debunked" surprised me a lot.  All throughout school, we were told to use different strategies that supported our strengths- in order to enhance our overall knowledge.  Of course, it is nice to be well-rounded, but why disregard learning styles all together?  This is an article I dismissed.  The next article, however, supported "Reframing the Mind" to look at different intelligences.  These intelligences are traits in our minds where we individually succeed more or less than other in.  Linguistic, musical, and naturalistic are all forms of these intelligences.  What I found interesting is how identifying and supporting these intelligences benefits student growth in learning.  I disagree with the first article because I believe there are different types of learning styles because there is a diversity amongst all people.  Not all students learn the same, so it does not make sense to teach them the same and expect unanimous results.  Some students need more assistance than others in certain subject areas, but other times students just need to be taught a lesson in the way that best suits them individually.  If an administrator asked me not to teach to learning styles and teach all students the same I would.  Then, I would teach the students using their learning styles in another lesson.  At the end of each lesson, I would have an assessment.  Based on the results, the administrator would see that students perform higher when taught to their learning styles because students are more engaged in the lesson.  These results will serve as tangible evidence to influence the administrator to see how learning style teaching could be beneficial.  If this did not do justice, I would have a private conversation with the administrator and we would come up with a solution together.

Blogs in the Classroom

The use of Blogs in the classroom can be a creative opportunity for all users of the classroom.  Assignments can be posted in the beginning of the week, and allow students an open time frame as to when to complete assignments.  I like the idea of hyperlinks with inclusions of websites and videos as well!  Blogs provide opportunities for discussion on a topic just like in the classroom, only online.  As teachers post hyperlinks, students can reflect and share opinions from these links.  Although it is not the same process as an in-class learning environment, online and technological skills can translate to other educational internet Blogs.

Bart Simpson

• Bart does not excel in school, more often than not as a result of not paying attention.
• Bart engages in school when it results in his own benefit.  Bart likes to avoid school work, and enjoys distracting others along with being the center of attention.
• Skateboarding, playing with friends, and causing mischief are among the things Bart enjoys to do on his free time.
• If this student was in my class, I would form a positive teacher-student relationship to let him know I care about him.  I would involve Bart's mother as insurance for when Bart is misbehaving.  Bart is a funny character, so I would not discourage his humor.  However, I would establish a fine line between when to and to not use his humor in the classroom.  Bart is a student who craves attention, so I would provide a healthy outlet for him to receive this attention.  I would respect Bart, but hold high standards and ask for his respect to me in return. Bart does not seem like a bad kid, rather misunderstood by adults.

Bart for classroom president! (video)

More information on Bart Simpson!  (website)

About Me

• Hello class!  My name is Nate Cole and I am from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.  Through Grand Valley State University, I am Majoring in Education and English (Language Arts) along with Minoring in Elementary Certification (Grades K-8) and Spanish.  Hobbies of mine include playing the guitar, dancing, playing sports, being active, enjoying time by the water and with nature.  A fun-fact about myself is that I play football for the Grand Valley State Lakers.
• I have a moderate level of knowledge when it comes to technology in the classroom.  Throughout the semester of Teacher Assisting at Burton Elementary (GRPS), the use of technology became more frequent as the semester progressed.  Burton received an Apple Grant, and as a result, teachers were given iPad minis and Air Books.  Teachers were encouraged to incorporate these resources in lessons as often as applicable.  I was able to Air Drop a Jeopardy math game using this technology.  However, Burton was not a school system where ClassDojo was a thing.
• Video of something I enjoy!

• Professional looking photo!