Blog Post #7

Blog Post # 7 requires us to watch a series of videos about project based learning. I will then discuss my strengths and weaknesses in regards to the subject and explain what I have to do prior to graduating to prepare for using project based learning in the classroom. The first video is How to make an audio QR code. The "QR" is short for quick response code. QR codes are commonly used in advertising. If you still aren't sure what a QR code is, this may help . We start the process by going to the site . There, we simply press the record button and record our message. Once the recording is complete, a URL will be generated. Once the URL is genereated, simply copy the code and proceed to the QR code generating site, . Click o n create code, then send it to MSWord. It can then be printed for scanning by students to use. According to the host of the video, Michelle Bennett, QR videos can be used in the classroom as an effective form of teaching. Mrs Bennett gave an example of a kindergarten teacher recording herself reading a story to her class. The students were able to listen to their own teacher read the story instead of a random narrator. The students then were able to replay the story two and three times to hear their teacher if they desired, effectively using her as their own tutor. Other videos in the assignment are: ipad in thereading center, Poplet in the center, Alabama Virtual Library as a Kindergarten Center. These 3 videos are hosted by Ginger Tuck and show different methods of PBL in a Kindergarten setting. Mrs Tuck demonstrates the use of an iPad as a tool for learning in the first video. The student records himself reading and then plays the recording back in order to see if he made any mistakes while reading. Mrs Tuck will also participate in the recording from time to time for encouragement. The second video introduces us to Poplet - a free, downloadable app for use by the students. The students are in a group and assist each other with the assigned project. The project assigned in the video was careers. In Poplet, the topic is placed in the center block on the iPad screen. They then take pictures with the iPad (These are Kindergarteners, mind you!) and place the pictures in the blocks that surround the center topic block. Students will then add a short description of each picture. Our final video with Mrs Tuck shows how the Alabama Virtual Library (AVL) is used in a Kindergarten classroom. Once the student finds the subject on AVL, he can listen to the audio and complete a worksheet assigned to that student. We then move on to Mrs Shirley's 1st grade class where we are shown How to use and Build a DE Board for PBL. DE is short for Discovery Education. It is a site for use by students to enhance classroom learning. The best way I can describe what a "board" is would be to take a trip back in time and remember a Science or Social Studies project that involved placing information on an actual project board for display. Instead of using a project board, the assignment is displayed on an iPad with the information for the project collected from the DE website. We then move on to the 2nd grade and to Mrs. Tassin where her students share their board builder projects. Resources were used outside of DE for their board. The students are expanding their use of technology by using outside resources to add to their board rather than using only DE. The second video, again, shows a project board used from DE. This time, however, the students have taken a charity and used a DE board to show the importance of why donations should be made for the charity. Our last two videos were posted by Dr Strange. The first video shows the use of AVL and iMovie in a Kindergarten classroom. Dr. Strange speaks with Elizabeth Davis of Daphne (AL) Elementary School and Michele Bennett of Gulf Shores (AL) Elementary School. Both are media specialists at their respective schools. Michele explained how the students use iMovie and Elizabeth explained how students use AVL. Michele told us that kindergarten students are very eager to produce their own movies and se the technology available to them. She also said that the students are very eager to correct mistakes and edit their productions in order to make them better. Elizabeth told us of the benefits of using AVL and how eager students are to use it. Dr. Strange remarked that Kindergarten students should be used to teach Juniors in college because they are being assigned similar projects. The last video again inludes Elizabeth and Michele discussing the use of technology and PBL in the classroom and the benefits of this style of learning. One of the thing that stuck in my mind was that Michele said "Teachers are teaching students, students are teaching students, and students are teaching teachers". This, to me, is the most important aspect of PBL.