The last 2 weeks were interesting ones, with a book review and a presentation on Project Based Learning. The book review, which I did on a book called “Beyond the Hole In the Wall,” was very fun to do because the book was so informative. The book was about a man named Sugata Nitra, who started a project by literally putting a computer into a hole in the wall in New Delhi. He then observed as children from the city taught themselves how to use the computer. I was blown away by the book, because it really opened my eyes to how much kids can do just by being interested in something. In this case, they learned how to navigate themselves around a computer.

The presentation on Project Based Learning (PBL) was also very informative, but not as interesting as the book review. We had to read 3 chapters and then make a presentation on it, which at first glance seems like an easy assignment to do. However, the chapters were very dense and with lots of info, so it was difficult to decide what to talk about in the presentation and what to leave out. Overall, I feel these assignments were two of the better ones from this term.

We recently had to create a Google My Maps project of our choice. I did mine on my plans for the summer, and I really enjoyed it. As a Social Science candidate, I will be teaching History classess in the future. A Google My Maps project would be a good visual for battles that happened in wars, the Civil War being one that comes to mind. I can also see myself using it to show the battles on each island in the Pacific during World War II, and how we advanced closer and closer to Japan. Overall, this was a neat project that I feel will benefit my students and I in the future.

We also had to do a Screencast of a lesson we would use for the “Flipped Classroom” method. I liked making this PowerPoint presentation, along with recording over it. I can see myself using this method in the future, but still have some reservations about it. My main issue is I’m not sure if every student will have access to the technology needed to watch a lesson. If they do, and if parents are aware that technology will be needed, then I will definitely make use of the “Flipped Classroom” method during my years of teaching. Again, I think this was useful to practice, as it can be beneficial for the future.

The past 2 weeks, we learned a lot about coyright, fair use, bulletin boards, and Makerspaces. I must admit, before this I had never even considered that I may be violating copyright law as a teacher, so it was nice to get educated on the matter. As far as bulletins, I think it is a great way to keep students and parents up to date on what we will be doing in class. I definitely see myself utilizing a class bulletin online in the future. The Makerspace concept is a neat one, and I think it would be great for high school students. I would center mine around filming, with groups of students reenacting a scene in history or an interview with a person from history. I think something fun like that would get students engaged, and hopefully they would enjoy doing it. All in all, I am grateful to have learned about all of the above these past 2 weeks!

This week I researched the “Flipped Classroom” method, and found it to be a very neat approach to teaching. It involves creating videos or presentations for students to view the night before class, and then discussing/working on activities the next day in class. In essence, it switches what we do in classes today. Instead of lecturing in class, our lectures would be viewed at home. Then, instead of doing work at home, students would do the work in class. I REALLY like this approach to teaching, and hope to one day use it.

However, it does have its drawbacks. For one, all students would need to have access to technology at home. In some areas this would be easy, but in low-income areas it is hard to come by. Second, students would have to be extremely motivated right off the bat in order to get the work done. Can these issues be solved? Yes, but they would take time. All in all, I am a fan of this approach to teaching, and feel that it can be implemented in classrooms in the future. Or, if you teach in an area with higher income, it can even be implemented today!

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton