Final Project

I am planning on creating a website to be used a communication tool for both my students and their parents. I am going to create my website using weebly.com

Teacher Education Programs Are Changing

With the number of public school students choosing to take courses on line, Iowa State University is choosing to prepare its teachers for this new method of instruction. They have designed a webquest to alert online teachers of the problems they may face given this method of instruction. While the videos are helpful not all of them work. I found the resources section of the webquest helpful. Upon reflecting on this type of education I found myself wondering about what kind of a relationship a student might have with their teacher given impersonal nature computers?

Project Based Learning

Next year, the math curriculum in Georgia is changing to an integrated approach. We are transitioning to a high school curriculum that is very different from the traditional Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, and Algebra 3. The courses will be called Math 1, Math 2, Math 3 and Math 4. While these courses not only combine a variety of what was seen as traditional course (i.e. Math 1 will have Algebra 2 topics, Geometry, and Statistics) the teacher’s role is changing to become more of a facilitator. The students will also be involved in a more project based approach to learning. As a result of this transition, I have become interested in the topic of project based learning to not only increase my understanding of the topic but also to begin planning ways to use this model with my special education students. I recently came across an excerpt from a new book Reinventing Project-Based Learning Your Field Guide to Real-World Projects in the Digital Age by Suzie Boss and Jane Krauss. This excerpt includes not only an introduction to the book but also an outline of the chapters. It approaches project based learning and the integration of technology as well. Today’s students are hungry for this type of approach to learning. As teachers we are long over due to change our approach to teaching and begin to reach our students in the technology based world in which they live. The types of technology addressed range from social bookmarking, wikis, screen casting, web 2.0 and podcasting to name a few. I am going to recommend this book to our Area Lead Teacher as a possible book study for a staff development course at our school.

Happy New Year!!

I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year. May this year bring health and happiness to all.