Week 5- My thoughts on Google Classroom

In this course I was introduced to Google Classroom. I had never heard about it before and when I first glanced at it I thought, "wow, this might be a little complicated", but I was wrong! Google Classroom is such a wonderful tech tool that provides innovative ways to interact with students in school but most importantly at home! It comes with awesome features to give all students an opportunity to get a further understanding of what is being taught. I love how it is all set up as if it was your own little classroom and space, but instead of it being located in a building, it is in your computer! One of my favorite features is the how you can create assignments under the classroom tab. It has the option to create quiz assignments, questions to promote discussions, and you can even upload materials such as worksheets or other work you would want students to see. It is all very easy to manage as well! The quiz assignments has an option to upload pictures from your desktop or even google drive. You can insert a YouTube video by either searching it with their search option or by providing a URL. You can also add links to articles or web pages! I love the fact that it has a due date option to customize when you would like your students to turn in their work. You can type in instructions and the whole quiz can be worth as many points as you would like it to. It is such a great tool! We are actually saving trees with the fact that teachers can create worksheets digitally! No more photocopies and lost homework. Students also get instant feedback and teachers are given an instant analysis on whether or not students understood the concept. Overall Google Classroom is such a wonderful tool.

Week 4- Old School Classroom versus Constructivist Classroom

For this week’s resources we had to read the article “What is a Constructivist Classroom?”. The big idea I got was that with constructivist classroom settings you want to construct meaning to what is being learned as opposed to a traditional classroom, information is given to you, you either understand or you do not, and you have to move on to the next lesson. The times I have seen teachers teach with “old school” strategies, I notice students are sooo bored! The accelerated learners are not being challenged and the struggling learners are pretty much forgotten. You can either sink or swim.

I thought it was so interesting to notice the great differences between a traditional “old school” versus constructivist classroom. There was teacher directed versus the learner centered instruction. Teacher directed is when the teacher gives the lesson and you listen. Learner centered instruction is when the teacher is the facilitator and the students construct the knowledge through critical thinking, manipulatives, primary sources, and hands-on activities. I feel this is so important especially when teaching English Language Learners. Not all student learn the same way and students do not effectively learn by sitting and listening to us speak for hours! I would hate that as a kid myself! Another comparison that drew to me was students working independently versus students working collaboratively in groups, independently, OR, in partners. So it is not ALWAYS independent work. I have learned that with collectivistic classrooms working independently can obstruct student learning based on their culture. In collectivistic families, family is crucial and helping one another is instilled from the beginning. So an individualistic setting can really negatively impact family oriented students.

Working as a paraprofessional for seven years, I have seen teachers practice both settings. It literally breaks my heart to see “old school” settings in classrooms, especially since we are in such a technology driven society nowadays. Worksheets are no longer cutting it! I believe they never have. We have to find ways to make learning fun and innovative.

Week 4- Who Knew Having a Twitter was Beneficial to Education?

I need to admit that I am one of the worst persons to consistently stay active on social media. I never reply to posts and I am horrible at posting myself. I am constantly taking social media breaks because of the simple fact that we as a society can become so dependent of it. So when I found out we had to get familiar with twitter and start tweeting, I was appalled.

To be clear I did in fact already own a twitter account, but I only opened it to follow Milo Ventimiglia from the television show This Is Us. So needless to say, I already knew the basics of Twitter. As I started following my fellow classmates, as well as other educators to form my Professional Learning Network, I was exposed to a world of educational resources and ideas I didn’t know were available! I honestly had no idea how beneficial it was to have a Twitter! I realized how great it is to have all these educators under one roof. It is fascinating to see what wonderful ideas other educators come up with. Not only that but you have motivational posts that are great to come across when you really need a boost of morale.

I saw it was very easy to manage and I right away started following different people within the education world, as well as relevant hashtags. What I honestly did not know about where hashtag chats. It was neat to discover that anyone can join these chats and have discussions about the topic we are all interested in! Who knew? You can even use twitter as part of your curriculum! Parents are also welcome to check out their teacher’s twitter page and furthermore create better communication with one another! Overall, I really do enjoy having a twitter. Even though I am not the best at keeping up with social media, this might actually be an exception!