PBL

Project based learning is what needs to be happening in classrooms now. Right now in classrooms teachers and educators are still very test oriented. Students like myself do not thrive in that environment. I am a visual learner and I believe that if students participated in more PBL they would have a bigger chance to succeed.

                       Courtesy of blogspot

When I was in school there was a lot of memorization for test taking. I remember making a lot of flashcards and hoping that I could memorize all the information that was given to me. After I took the test I would wipe my brain clean of the information and in the long run it would not be beneficial to me at all.

                   Courtesy of whstatic

After watching the video and reading the articles and learning more about Project based learning I think that it is a great method to use in the classroom. I love the three C’s critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. The three of those things are life tools that students will always need to have whether they are in the classroom or in their occupation. I love how PBL seems to deepen the students knowledge and give them a much bigger background on the topic itself. In the Article 8 Essentials for Project Based Learning there was a quote that suck out to me, “students find project work more meaningful if they conduct real inquiry.” I think that that statement is so true. Students are always asking why they need to learn certain things and if they are working with real life situations it can be more relevant to them. I think that if teachers and future educators can incorporate more PBL in their classrooms in the future it would have a positive impact. The only downfall with PBL is that it does not apply to every subject, all the time. There are still times when the old flashcard method is going to have to implemented, but being able to switch lessons up in the classroom will not only be refreshing to the students, but to the teacher as well.

                                            Courtesy of peertutoringresource

A Hole In The Wall

When you put children and technology together the possibilities are endless. Mitra proved that in his research. When I was first listening to Mitra speak I thought that his ideas were fantastic. He was traveling to different countries and placing computers literally into a hole in the wall and leaving them there. He would come back months later and see not only that children have learned to use them, but they have taught themselves English as well. With absolutely no instruction on how to work the device the children had taught themselves how to browse the internet, play games, and in some cases search google.

I spend a lot of my time on the campus of an elementary school. I am mostly in kindergarten and first grade classrooms. From personal experience I can say first hand that children are not intimated by technology the way some adults can be. I think that with all the technology we have today it is implied that students will be working with something more advanced than the previous generation. In the kindergarten class that I am in they have centers that they do everyday. There are six centers and they rotate every ten minutes. One of the centers is ipads. The students select one of the learning game apps on the ipad and begin learning immediately. It is one of their favorite centers because they have their own ipad and they are able to choose which ever game they wish. The classroom is evolving and Mitra wants teachers and future educators to be aware of that fact.

      So much technology! courtesy of  rachelscreativeclassroom.blogspot.com

The content of Mitra’s talks were incredibly informative. I thought that he took his research and experiments to a whole new level and it had a big impact on myself personally. I loved how he made the comment that the rich children were “smart,” but people were not thinking it was only because they are able to have access to resources other families aren’t able to have. By Mitra putting technology in places around the world where they have never even seen a computer before and are able to navigate their way around is amazing. I think it shows that children are eager to learn. Knowledge is power and power is technology. We as future educators need to do our part and make sure we are implementing technology in our classrooms to give our students a better future.

For more information I have posted a link to an article about Mitra and his research and experiments.

http://tech2.in.com/news/science-and-technology/sugata-mitra-wins-milliondollar-ted-prize-for-hole-in-the-wall-education-project/793692

About Me!

My name is Chelsie Green. I was born March 28, 1991. I was born in Fontana, California. I have two awesome parents and one brother who is two years younger than me. When I was five years old my family moved to the High Desert from San Dimas and I have been here ever since. I attended elementary through high school in the Hesperia Unified School District.

I thoroughly enjoyed my years in high school. I was lucky enough to have met my current boyfriend back when I was a sophomore. We have been together now for almost eight years. Wow times flies! I graduated from Sultana High School in 2009. I was always very involved in school. When I graduated I realized I wanted to become a teacher and make a positive impact on children’s lives the way my teachers did for me.

     High School Graduation Trip

After high school I attended Victor Valley College and received my Associate’s Degree. I then transferred to California State University of San Bernardino where I received my Bachelor’s Degree in English. I loved being a student at CSUSB. The faculty were great and always so supportive. Now I currently sub in the Hesperia School District. I also coach cheer leading at my old high school. I stay very busy, but I am thrilled to be starting my new journey at University of Laverne. I have heard so many wonderful things about this school. New adventures are exciting and scary at the same time. I will push myself to be the best student, coach, and substitute teacher that I can be.

Acceptance email from CSUSB!!

               My beautiful cheer team

The Growth Never Ends

Thomas Friedman’s speech was very interesting. It made me think about many different situations and how they could drastically change overnight. Our world is definitely evolving. I think that it is changing in a positive way. We are a rapid growing society that uses an immense amount of technology on a daily basis. Thanks to technology we are now able to communicate with anyone, anywhere, within a matter of seconds. I believe that these growths will have an impact on everyone, but in education it will be tremendous. Students will be able to leave elementary school with more knowledge about computers than ever before.

So excited the day I got my MacBook Pro…I was in college.

This week I am actually subbing for a 1st grade class. I came into the classroom and read through the sub plans and noticed that in the afternoon we were not going to the computer lab, but I was to take out a cart that was in the back of the classroom and hand out a chrome book to each student. I was amazed. When it was time to hand the laptops out the students knew exactly what to do. They opened them up and began to type in their user ID and password. I was waiting for 25 hands to go up asking for help and there was not one. These students are not afraid of technology. They were born into it. They will simply explore until they find what they are searching for.

       1st grade technology!

                     My first day subbing.

I definitely think globalization will affect me as a future teacher. Technology is constantly changing and I will need to be flexible to the changes and be willing to learn. I want to instill in my future students that even though we now have more ways of communication than ever before, it is still important to communicate face to face. With all the advances we have made people have lost the intimacy and importance of face to face contact. If you are interested in learning more I have included the link to preview/purchase Friedman’s book.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/world-is-flat-thomas-l-friedman/1100162228?ean=9780312425074

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