Blog Post 5

The driving question for this blog post is, "What do you learn from these conversations with Anthony Capps?"

The first video was Project based learning part 1. This video had some really unique points about project based learning. Anthony said his ideas were constantly evolving. This is a good way to look at P.B.L. because it helpe him to keep an open mind. He also said that P.B.L. can be used as a way of getting students to learn something.What I learned from the video was that it helps if the students have a good audience, keeps the students interested, and involves the community. I also learned that P.B.L. is driven by content. Anthony had his students write letters to their congressman which allowed for writing, reading, and social studies standards to be met for the ACCRS. His students used peer review to narrow down which letters to send. This is an example of how democracy is key to project based learning. It is so important because it gives opportunities to revise and reflect on their work. I thought it was very interesting getting to hear about an actual project he used in his class room. This video made me very excited to one day be able to do these things with my own class.

The second video was Project Based Learning Part 2: Experiences of a 3rd Grade Teacher . I learned that a smart way to introduce new tools in P.B.L. is having students do simple projects in order to get to learn how to use the tools for more complicated projects. Anthony had his students write a narrative script as if they were a child in Afghanistan. He then had them record the narration on imovie and pull pictures from icurio to use in their videos. The focus was broad because it really caught the student’s interests so he did not have to worry about choosing for them. One child even had to do an alternate science project,but it ended up being beneficial to the entire class. The parents were very impressed with the work of the 3rd graders. Anthony said that, "With project based learning you will always get more than you expect." He also said to never limit your students by giving them exactly what you want them to do. Another important thing I learned from this video was that Project based learning involves not just a method for you to evaluate students but a very powerful method by which students learn. It takes a lot of planning and a lot of work.I also learned that it is important to always take feedback from the kids in order to make future projects better.

The third video wasIcurio. Anthony explained that Icurio is an online tool that serves a few different purposes. It allows student to safely surf websites that have been filtered for educational purposes. It not only searches text, but audio and video as well. The students can use it themselves. I also learned that it has a storage capacity for students and teachers for information that they find valuable. This helps with virtual organization. It also has kid-friendly buttons. Anthony pointed out that it is also convenient for classroom bells and sudden changes because it allows students to save their spots and get back to what they were doing quickly. He said you can also search by criteria by key words. I learned that it is useful for all grade levels, even high-school.It has a read-aloud feature which would be good for difficult circumstances. I think that Icurio is a unique learning tool that I can't wait to use in my own classroom.

The fourth video wasDiscovery Education. When talking about Discovery Ed. Anthony said, "A pictures worth 1000 words so a video must be worth a million." After viewing the video, it seems he is definitely right. Discovery Ed. has lots of visual aids which takes students beyond pictures. It also allows teachers to bring experts into the classroom via video. It also has student searches to enrich research experiences and teachers can use it to bring texts to life. It can teach students that making videos can be useful to them. It Compares and contrasts reading to what they are viewing. All of these things sound like things I can use in my class room one day, expecially as an english teacher.

The fifth video was The Anthony - Strange list of Tips for Teachers Part 1. The first tip in this video was that to be a teacher, you’ve got to really be interested in learning yourself. Dr.Strange said,"If you’re not a learner, you will not be a successful educator. We have to ourselves constantly learn and we have to model that for other people." This stood out to me because it brought up a valid point that teachers really do need to be able to learn themselves. The next tip in the video was that teaching is hard and work is not separate from play. It meant that teachers are always thinking about new ways to improve their teaching even when they aren't technically at work. The idea is to let your work become a fun experience for you. Another important tip from the video was that surprises always happen. The best thing to do in this situation is to be flexible. Another important thing I learnd from this video was that when you start with an end goal and it doesn't look like what you wanted, be flexible and see if you can make it work. It is also important to get students engaged and to reflect. Always ask, "How can I change what I did to make it better?"

The sixth video was Don't Teach Tech - Use It. This video stated that technology is natural for children and you shouldn't teach it. The idea is that when you are designing projects, you incorporate more technology each time. Anthony called it “Scaffolding.” By using this method, it allows for students to learn and review the technology. It is also sharable and teaches them how to do new things.

The seventh video was Additional Thought About Lessons. In this video, Anthony said,"A lesson is at least 4 layers thick. But if it’s any more than 4 its miserable." He said the four things you have to think about as far as lessons go are how it fits in with your year, unit,week, and day.Each is part of what goes into making successful lessons.

These videos really taught me new things that I can hopefully use in my own class room.