Shawn+Nesaw

Responses/Reflection to Learning Styles and CAST Website Resources

 * 1) In completing the learning styles survey, did you learn anything new about your personal learning style, or did the information confirm what you have already determined about how you learn best? Completing the learning styles survey confirmed what I already knew about my learning style, I learn best when I get to actually do what is being taught. I am a more visual learner and work best quietly, on my own. Were there any suggestions offered for improving your study skills that you had not considered before? The suggestions were helpful and intriguing. I never felt highlighting helped much but the survey suggested I use color coding and highlighting during note taking and studying. I liked the idea of making sticky note flashcards and posting them in the car or around the house so I can study as I am going about my usual business.
 * 2) What was your overall impression of the CAST website? It has an immense amount of information. The information is very useful and the way they present things is very user friendly and interactive. Being a special educator, this sight motivates me to really learn as much as I can over the summer so I can really put UDL in motion in my teaching in the upcoming school year. I hope you'll "bookmark" it so you can use it as a resource in your teaching - don't forget the UDL Toolkit Wiki, too.
 * 3) Did you find any interesting information in the electronic version of Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age? The amount of research done on how the brain learns was the most interesting to me. I don’t have a whole lot of background on the brain but I think knowing how the brain functions and learns is important information for educators. Describe how you might incorporate that information in your teaching. Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age provides useful information of how the brain learns and what technology can be used to aid in learning in order to level the playing field so to speak. Being a special educator, I have been hearing more and more about UDL and it’s increasing presence in special education. This book and the CAST website really motivates me to get on board and incorporate UDL in my teaching. My first way to incorporate this would be to simply rethink many of my objectives of my lessons. Rewriting them in order to accommodate the Maryland SC and UDL would help me be a more effective special educator. I would use technologies that read to students, or help students present their answers in ways that are easy for them and building lessons that touch upon all students learning styles.
 * 4) Differentiation of instruction is a topic that is stressed in public schools today. Did any of the resources provided at the CAST website give you some new tools in helping you plan lessons for all learners? Yes, the model lesson building and the goal setter are two tools that I will be using as guides as I start incorporating UDL into my teaching.
 * 5) What was your reaction to the 2 activities in which you participated? Did you gain any new insight into your strengths and talents through these exercises? The exercises gave me a good idea as to how questions are presented in each of the three brain networks so when it’s time for me to design lessons and ask the right questions, I have some idea as to what should be asked of my students because I have gone through the process. I didn’t gain much insight on my strengths and talents but I was paying closer attention to the activity from a teacher standpoint, asking myself how I will I design the lessons and ask the proper questions to touch upon the three brain networks. The activities were very useful.
 * 6) Many of my graduate students who are teachers have expressed concern that they don’t feel equipped to sufficiently plan differentiated lessons for their students, but they have responded quite positively to the materials at CAST. Is this a resource that you may put to use in your teaching or share with colleagues at your school? Absolutely yes! I would agree with many of your students, I too do not feel very equipped to plan differentiated lessons but this site will certainly help me begin to. HCPS has already had some professional development on UDL with a site called Learning Links. I think that between that and the CAST website, which I feel may actually be a better resource, teachers don’t have an excuse to not learn how to differentiate their lessons. In the next few years, you probably will see more and more mention of UDL principles in teaching and learning - knowing this site and where to go for information gives you a leg up.
 * 7) What would you like to know/explore more at CAST? I would like to explore the tools and lessons plans sections more. I am already differentiating lessons but these tools and samples may help me refine my lessons, making them even better. There are probably more things on the CAST website that I haven’t discovered yet, so by continuing to explore I hope to find more useful tools and tips.

Technology Standards using Voki.com - Great job on this Shawn, regardless of our difficulties with classroom technology .

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Virtual Field Trips

__Overview__ - A virtual field trip is a very specific, guided Internet search that teaches the user about a topic. A teacher chooses a topic and then researches different aspects of the topic on the Internet, finding websites, videos, and other online activities that students will access in order to learn about the teacher chosen topic. Students may follow a typed virtual field trip guide or a web based guide, answering questions along the way.

__Positive thoughts about VFT__ - I think a virtual field trip is a great break from the norm for both students and teachers. It gives students the opportunity to use the Internet in useful ways to learn about a topic. It gives the teacher the opportunity to be creative, build lessons that are interactive and engaging for students, make use of technology, and dial into the students need for fast paced, engaging material on their main source for information, the Internet.

In this particular Virtual Field Trip, I liked how there were three main websites that students could visit. All three had something to do with the topic, The Whaling Industry. Portrait of Ports was the main site the teacher wanted her students to use. She gave a brief summary of Whaling followed by the website link and then some questions for students to answer. After that there is a website with a episode of a popular television show that tells a story about Whaling from the eyes of the Whalers and great narration by historians of Whaling. Finally, to bring a kinesthetic piece to the trip, the teacher includes a knot tying website for students to learn how to tie knots just like the whalers they learned about in the Virtual Trip. This Virtual Field Trip covers all the requirements for a well-rounded trip.

__Possible problems with VFT__ - As great as virtual field trips are and for all of the advantages they provide, I feel there are some drawbacks to them as well. They are time consuming to create. Teacher’s time is so limited, it is difficult to find the time to research all of the different components that are included in a virtual field trip. Websites, links, and videos might not work which could bring a virtual field trip to a screeching halt. Even though teachers creating the field trip might think a website or video is interesting and worthwhile, that doesn’t mean the students will. Good point. I think you need to try out the field trip, then solicit responses from students as to what they liked and what they think needs to be changed. You can always tweak your creation!

__Final thoughts and ideas__ - Virtual field trips can be used in any subject area but especially science, social studies, and literature. In fact, after exploring some of the field trips posted on blackboard, I think some of them could be used across curriculum. Virtual field trips definitely make learning fun and with so many websites being created just for interactive student learning, virtual field trips will become more commonplace in classrooms. Virtual field trips are also a great way to differentiate instruction. Teachers can build activities based on the varying levels of their students. This way, all students can participate in the field trip and each student has the opportunity to learn at their own pace, in their preferred way.

Clinch Knot

A clinch knot is the most effective way to tie a fly to your leader when fly fishing. I am very pleased that you tied the knot and included the picture here.

ToonDoo!

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Project Based Learning using Glogster

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Final Project



Objective: Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas. **RI2** Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea. (SC, 3)
 * RI2 CCR Anchor Standard **

Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. **W1** Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.
 * W1 CCR Anchor Standard **

Materials: National Geographic – Young Explorer Magazine, Glogster.com, paper, pencil, Internet, endangered species list.

I do: Show map of North, Central, and South America. Have a discussion about these places, including languages spoken, has anyone visited there, animals that live there, and goods that come from those places.

Talk with students about how the America’s have many different specices of animals and list a few as well as the habitats they live in.

Ask the question, why would someone harm or kill an animal?

Review with students main idea and details, and how to listen for them when reading.

We do: Read article Animals of the Americas

__Below grade level__ – Listen to Animals of the America’s and follow along with teacher.

__On Grade level__ – Read Animals of the America’s with a partner. Fill in organizer of the main idea of the article and at least three details that support the article.

__Above grade level__ – read the article independently. Fill in organizer of the main idea of the article and at least five details that support the article.

After reading class gathers back together to discuss what they read. Once the discussion slows, come back to the question about harming or killing animals. What is it called when too many of one animal are killed? (students should say something along the lines of endangered or extinct). Discuss those words.

Have a definition endangered on the board.

Introduce the assignment.

You do: Students will select an endangered species from the America’s to research, locate it on a map, and create a glog that persuades others to help their animal.

Students will use these questions as a guide during their research. Their posters should answer these questions.

- Where does the animal live? - Why is the animal endangered? - What can be done to save this animal? - Why should people care about this animal?

Assessment: Students glogs will be graded on the rubric below.


 * ** Category ** ||  ** Excellent - 3 pts. **  ||  ** Fair – 2 pts. **  ||  ** Poor – 1 point **  ||
 * ** Purpose and content ** || Information presented gives a rich overview of chosen animal. || Information presented gives some important information about chosen animal || Little information on chosen animal presented ||
 * ** Design ** || A variety of elements (text, graphics, audio/video) included in poster || Some variety of elements present || Little variety of elements included (i.e. mostly text) ||
 * ** Mechanics ** || No spelling/grammatical errors present || Some spelling/grammatical errors || Many spelling/grammatical errors ||
 * ** References ** || Poster contains web links/references to sources for information || Contains some links references to sources || No references present ||
 * ** Persuasiveness ** || Poster is persuasive || Poster isn’t that convincing. || Poster is not convincing at all. ||
 * ** Total ** ||  ||   ||   ||

Closure: students will have Tuesday and Wednesday to complete this project. Thursday and Friday students will present their research to the class.

This is an example of student work from this project. media type="custom" key="20253058"

//I created a lesson for students in grades 2-3 about endangered animals in the United States. This lesson puts Glogs to use by having students research an endangered species. Students then make a glog using glogster.com to inform about their animal and persuade others that their animal is indeed important and worth saving. Informational texts are used in the beginning of the lesson. The lesson is differentiated while students are reading based on student reading levels. The research and glog portion allows to students to be creative in how they present their information.//

//I feel this lesson will be used in my future classes because the topic being explored is one that is appropriate for school, it has objectives that are based on the Common Core State Standards, and student understanding of informational texts is an area where many schools are trying to play catch up and fill gaps. This lesson has a reading, writing, and a research component, which makes it a well-rounded lesson that teaches students about an ongoing problem that we face in our world.//