This week I will be working on adding the river along with finishing up by adding the cattails!
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Weekly Update on Major Project continued:
After blending the three colors together you want to start on the yellow. For this color you will just simply apply it under the purple without combining the two colors too much. If you get purple in your brush DO NOT whip it off! You want some of the other colors to bleed into the yellow so it looks like a seamless sunset.
To finish painting the base coat of the canvas you will paint about an inch of blue following about a half inch of black. After finishing this step the canvas will look like this:
This week I will be working on adding the river along with finishing up by adding the cattails!
This week I will be working on adding the river along with finishing up by adding the cattails!
This week i started the painting process! I actually ended up painting two different canvas' because I forgot to document my progress on the first one! But I have to say its been a fun start to the project! I am going to go step by step (with pictures) in regards to what I have done this week:
First these are the supplies you will need to start:
I bought everything from Wal-mart for SUPER cheap! The paint was all .50 and I got a pack of 25 brushes for $5
To start getting painted you will start with the biggest brush you have. You will paint about an inch to a half inch at the top of the canvas. You want to get blue paint on both sides of the brush while dipping the corners in black. Glide the brush from side to side in the same direction.
You will repeat this step for blue (without black on the corners) and purple. You want about an inch to an inch and a half for each color. It will look like this when you are done:
At this point you want to blend the 3 colors together. To do this you will take a paper towel and dab the colors to remove any access paint so one color does not overwhelm the other. After dabbing the paint you will take a flat brush and gently glide the brush from side to side to blend the colors:
Assessments!
"Of all the tools teachers have, one of the most important tools to use is assessments - Scott Kinkoph
As a current and future educator I have a strong philosophy on assessments. I think assessments are the backbone of our teaching and learning. "It’s not a stretch to say that assessment is a hot button issue in education; however, you’d be hard pressed to find an educator who doesn’t see the value in measuring student progress." Every Teachers Guide to Assessments I see great value in assessments but there is also a downfall to giving these assessments.
I think that it is important to CONTINUALLY assess and measure students learning. Continually is the key word because if we do not measure it frequently we will not have accurate and up to date data. Students are learning more and more every time we teach on a certain subject. If we are measuring their understanding or lack of understanding, we will better be able to reinforce or reteach the information they have no yet grasped.
I really like the article Every Teachers Guide to Assessments because it tells the good bad and the ugly of assessments. "The information gleaned from assessments is extremely valuable. Besides a score, which gives quantitative data about how much of the material tested a students has mastered, information about student misconceptions can be determined by analyzing which distractors they chose and why." Every Teacher The information that is obtained by these assessments are important because we are able to either expand on a certain topic or move on because students have concrete knowledge about the content area. Although these assessments give us crucial information, we have to use them appropriately in order for them to fulfill their purpose for us as educators.
After we acquire the results from the assessment we must use the information in a certain and useful
way. If we find that students are struggling in a certain area we need to find other interesting ways to teach this information. If we as educators are able to take the information and reteach it in a different way , students may be able to grasp the information if we approach it differently. I believe that assessments are just as important to teachers as they are to the students. They allow us to evaluate our teaching skills along with evaluating the students learning. Overall I think that assessments are very important for both learning and educating our students!
As a current and future educator I have a strong philosophy on assessments. I think assessments are the backbone of our teaching and learning. "It’s not a stretch to say that assessment is a hot button issue in education; however, you’d be hard pressed to find an educator who doesn’t see the value in measuring student progress." Every Teachers Guide to Assessments I see great value in assessments but there is also a downfall to giving these assessments.
I think that it is important to CONTINUALLY assess and measure students learning. Continually is the key word because if we do not measure it frequently we will not have accurate and up to date data. Students are learning more and more every time we teach on a certain subject. If we are measuring their understanding or lack of understanding, we will better be able to reinforce or reteach the information they have no yet grasped.
I really like the article Every Teachers Guide to Assessments because it tells the good bad and the ugly of assessments. "The information gleaned from assessments is extremely valuable. Besides a score, which gives quantitative data about how much of the material tested a students has mastered, information about student misconceptions can be determined by analyzing which distractors they chose and why." Every Teacher The information that is obtained by these assessments are important because we are able to either expand on a certain topic or move on because students have concrete knowledge about the content area. Although these assessments give us crucial information, we have to use them appropriately in order for them to fulfill their purpose for us as educators.
After we acquire the results from the assessment we must use the information in a certain and useful
way. If we find that students are struggling in a certain area we need to find other interesting ways to teach this information. If we as educators are able to take the information and reteach it in a different way , students may be able to grasp the information if we approach it differently. I believe that assessments are just as important to teachers as they are to the students. They allow us to evaluate our teaching skills along with evaluating the students learning. Overall I think that assessments are very important for both learning and educating our students!
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Wordle
Just like the previous apps I have tried this app is wonderful! The app that I worked with this week is called Wordle. This app makes word maps and possibly posters that are appealing to the eye for a classroom. With this app you type in words that correspond with each other and the app generates a word cluster.
I would use this app for posters in my classroom. If I were to use this app I would have to learn how to use it more to make it appealing to the eye, but overall it's a fairly easy app. I would use this because it can give the students motivations to learn. It app also shows the students the type of technology that is out there.
Students could use this app but it doesn't do much that is very educational. If I were to have a student use this, they would have to find the words that went together to complete the graphic. I could give the students the task of finding 20 words that correspond to make an appealing poster.
Overall I love this app!
Learning Environments
"A school’s perimeters are no longer the only place students learn. Kids are learning about the world from their homes, from the community, and anywhere it’s available to them."Learning Environments
Learning space can encourage students to engage and learn in a new way because these spaces can be innovative, interesting and encouraging for learning. In this day and age the learning environment looks different for every student. For some students their ideal learning environment is a classroom filled with electronics and technology that can help keep them engaged. For other students their ideal learning environment is a room with entirely white walls that helps them to focus on the information that is put in front of them. Either way learning is encouraged in these environments because it helps the students to remain on task according to their needs. Also comfortable and inviting learning environments help the students to keep engaged because it feels like a second home.
Google apps for education are a good tool for both teachers and students. These apps can merge physical spaces together and they allow students to choose their own tools for education. Students can use something that they are really good at to help and promote the education of other students. There are tons of apps out there that help students and teachers to promote physical spaces for students. Dr. Bruek explains it in great detail that is very helpful to future and current students!
"Who says the 21st Century classroom has to be a single room?" Designing the 21St Century Classroom
As stated by Dr. Brueck in Digital Learning Spaces The University of Akron has many informal learning spaces that are innovative, collaborative and useful for its students. One thing he brought up that I thought was important is that the library is essentially open 24/7 365. With the use of online technology we are able to log on to the library at any hour to use its resources. Also, he said that the desks and tables in the conference rooms are very innovative and useful. You are able to move the desks to use them in many ways. The University of Akron also has many informal learning spaces in almost all of the buildings. You can usually find somewhere quiet and calm to study or just take a break. these spaces for very beneficial to students.
These informal learning areas at the University of Akron are very helpful to me because I love a calm, quiet area to study or just simply take a break. Also, in the library there are rooms that you can meet with others and use for a study group or a place to work on a group project. I use these different areas often and they are very beneficial.
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Ebooks
Today's tech savvy learners are often equipped with a variety of technological tools used as easy as pencil and paper - eBooks
I see the use and integration of eBooks impacting the writing process in a great way. I was encouraged by how excited the children became when they started to write their eBook in their special ed course in the video The World is the Audience. I think the integration of these eBooks was so crucial for these students. Before starting and writing the eBooks the students did not feel as if they had an audience but with this book it gave them a massive audience.
I also think that it will impact the writing process by encouraging other students to write with the possibility of publishing a book. This makes them more goal originated because they know that they will have an audience that will view their book. Also, collaboration with other student in their classroom will encourage the students to come up with good quality ideas. This gives the students a sense of satisfaction. I think that eBooks can have a positive impact on all students writing abilities if the teacher encourages it the right way.
I think that using student created books in the classroom is such a good idea. Using their own books allows the students to use constructive criticism to improve their writing. Before and after the book is published you can ask the students to change and implement new ideas into the stories that can improve the story. I also think using books that were published by other classrooms or schools can also have a positive effect on students. The students reading the book can see what the other classrooms or students their age are learning compared to what they are learning.
I see eBooks fitting into my future classroom in a big way. I also want to teach special education so I think that eBooks will be such a positive thing for my students to do. Even if the student publishes a book all by themselves I think that they can learn a lot from them. The considerations that I will have to make is that I will have to make sure that their learning isn't only about eBooks.
The thing that stood out most to be in Jon's presentation is how honest he was with his students. In this day and age we always say "do to others what you want done to yourself." But i think that people take that statement a little too far because they won't be honest about something that needs to be said. But Jon was very honest with his students when he said that their writing sucked. I think that this creates a classroom of honesty and trust because the student learn to trust in their teacher, whether it is good or bad.
I think that using student created books in the classroom is such a good idea. Using their own books allows the students to use constructive criticism to improve their writing. Before and after the book is published you can ask the students to change and implement new ideas into the stories that can improve the story. I also think using books that were published by other classrooms or schools can also have a positive effect on students. The students reading the book can see what the other classrooms or students their age are learning compared to what they are learning.
I see eBooks fitting into my future classroom in a big way. I also want to teach special education so I think that eBooks will be such a positive thing for my students to do. Even if the student publishes a book all by themselves I think that they can learn a lot from them. The considerations that I will have to make is that I will have to make sure that their learning isn't only about eBooks.
The thing that stood out most to be in Jon's presentation is how honest he was with his students. In this day and age we always say "do to others what you want done to yourself." But i think that people take that statement a little too far because they won't be honest about something that needs to be said. But Jon was very honest with his students when he said that their writing sucked. I think that this creates a classroom of honesty and trust because the student learn to trust in their teacher, whether it is good or bad.
Cool tool week 8
This week I used Video Star. I used this app to make a funny video so I hope you enjoy it! :) This app was fun and useful if you are willing to make videos to share with others. This app makes videos that you are able to put to a song, but you also have the option of not adding a song. I could use this tool to share information in a fun and useful way with my students and other teachers. It is quick and almost anyone can use this app. It is very self explanatory and you are able to upload videos to pretty much an source. In the classroom you could use this tool to do daily reminders or maybe a recap of the week because it is used in such a fun way and students will truly enjoy it.
Students could use this app for their own use and for digital artifacts. This could be used as a study tool or to share information with others or your teachers. The only downfall is that some students are too shy to use this type of media.
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