Task 3.1 Reflection

1. What roles did the members of your team have this week?

Shannon was the leader of our group this week. Kaleo, Makana, and I weren't given specific roles.

2. Given your role in the group this week, how did you contribute to the group?

I was given the task of finding out what I could about PBL and then posting a little bit of what I found on my group's Google Document.

3. What worked well this week?

Shannon was a great leader and put everything together after we all found some information on PBL.

4. What will you do differently next time?

My group was a little confused regarding what the assignment was, so we were a tad disorganized. Next time, we'll work it together so we all know what we're doing and hopefully be more organized.

Debrief - Web 2.0 Tool

Debrief on my Web 2.0 Tool - www.learner.org

• Having completed this review of a web 2.0 tool would you use this tool in your classroom?

I would use learner.org in my classroom. It has so many instructional videos that students can watch on their own and develop their independent learning while I am helping other students who need the extra help.

• Prior to this activity, how did you typically select website or tools to use?

I normally would just Google what I needed to find.

• Do you have any ideas, comments or feedback on improving the web 2.0 tool selection process?

I honestly can't think of anything I'd change. The site is well organized, you can search based on grade level, subject, or audience (students or teachers).

Learner.org

Current Event Week # 7

The article Group 2 Pueo chose for this week's current event is a blog from Education Week that talks about teachers trying to be innovative and creative at the same time students are graded on standardized tests that leave no room for creativity. Some thoughts from our group included that teachers shouldn't only teach so their students are able to pass the standardized tests, but also teach them to be creative, think outside the box, and learn to be more creative in general. It is hard for students to express themselves creatively because the standardized tests have almost eliminated it completely. We as teachers need to balance teaching our students to pass tests (because that is how success is currently measured) as well as teach them to be creative and innovative.

Trying to be Innovative During a Standardized Time

Debrief on Personal Learning Network

Prior to this activity I had not used Screenr and only had a rudimentary understanding of Twitter. But I have to say, Screenr is a lot of fun (even though I sound really weird in my presentation). I can see various applications that teachers of all age groups can use it for. Take elementary school for instance, a teacher may have students show how to navigate a website or demonstrate how to put books on hold at the library. An intermediate or high school teacher could have students do something similar to what we did or have them make tutorials on how to  use Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, PowerPoint, iTunes, and more. Teachers can use it to demonstrate math concepts, have a specific set of instructions for assignments (so they can save paper/printing materials), or show students anything relevant to their studies. The possibilities are endless! 

I am still working on managing my personal learning network to be more efficient, but I am learning so much about the technology out there and what we as future teachers can do to help our students. Having a refined personal learning network would be extremely valuable to a new teacher. There are so many resources out there and just being able to filter some of it would be very helpful to new teachers.

My Screenr presentation on Twitter