Virtual Field Trips

Virtual Field Trips give teachers the opportunity to take give their students experiences and take them places they have never seen and could never see, if not for technology and virtual field trips. The are several benefits for taking virtual field trips, such as: no permission slips, no need for transportation, no need for chaperones, or need for students to pay. There are many types of virtual software that is accessible to teachers, in my classroom I would love to use Google Earth or Discovery Education. I would love to use this as an opportunity to take my students to the Siberian Tundra in Russia when going over ecosystems and introducing a new ecosystem every day of the week. After touring these virtual field trips, I would place students into groups of three and assign them specific ecosystems and have them create a travel website describing the setting, plants, animals, and temperatures. Virtual field trips are so helpful in the classroom and give students a break from every day pencil -to-paper work. Some of the great advantages of virtual trips are that they can integrate into every curriculum, they can correlate to any standard, and the opportunity to travel and explore is endless.

Websites:

Discovery Kids                                                                              

Google Earth

National Geographic

Music in the Classroom

Music in the classroom is an important part of learning in many aspects. All students learn differently according to Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence's. There are many advantages to providing music inside the classroom, such as movement and letting students release built up energy. In 2015, at the University of Helsinki, there was a study that stated the simple act of playing music during class time can help improve students learning capabilities and memory. It’s a great idea to have music already playing when students enter the classroom, something calm for the morning and then toward the afternoon play something with a rhythm and beat for when students are doing work. Another advantage of playing music in the classroom is that it helps with your class management skills. It gives the students a volume to be at and when they are talking louder than the music. That is when they know that it is time to quiet their voice down and bring it back to level one. Also, you can connect music to several parts of curriculum. You can integrate it into social studies, science, poetry, and even math! An activity I would like to incorporate for students in 5th and 6th grade, would be a social studies project where groups of three and four create a song or rap about a president of their choice!

Whole Brain Teaching

The Whole Brain Teaching Method is an interactive form of learning where students are constantly hands-on with their work and learning. The four words to describe whole brain teaching is fun, interactive, engaging, and inclusive This method consists of seven teaching strategies that teachers can adapt or construct as a set of classroom rules to meet the needs of the students and the teacher. Instead of teaching and rehearsing classroom strategies by writing down rules and procedures, the Whole Brain Teaching Method allows students to be active when learning even the simplest procedures. There are hand movements, sounds, clapping, facial expressions, and body movement. I would love to incorporate the Whole Brain Teaching Method in my classroom because I am amazed by the skills students learn just by working and learning in the classroom by incorporating body movement. While watching the video, my favorite part that I took from this was the, “Teach,Okay” method. I loved watching the students be able to follow directions and do it so quickly and efficiently. It was incredible to see every child was engaged and every child had a job to “teach” their partner. This method gives students the opportunity to create social skills, learning skills, and most importantly how to participate in the classroom.

Dance/Brain Breaks in the Classroom

I am a total advocate for brain breaks and dancing in the classroom. I believe that it gives students a moment to breathe and take a break from focusing on their school work. It can be frustrating and hard for students to work and learn when they feel overwhelmed or frustrated. Therefore, I feel it very important to have ways for students to relax or release worked up energy. School day hours are long! In my classroom, I would use brain breaks to channel student’s energy into something engaging and creative. Whether it be a “GoNoodle” or creating an informative song and dance to go with your lesson. In the article, “Enhance Learning through BrainDance Movements: An Empirical Study”, it was proven that incorporating dance in the classroom effects reading scores, social skills, learning skills, and negative behavior. It was also found that during this research that students who participated in activities that required multiple senses, such as dance, created higher-blood oxygen levels and brain connections. Not only is dancing a great tool for learning engagement, but it is also a great tool for student’s activity and creativity. Dancing and Brain Breaks allow students to unconditionally be themselves and enjoy learning!

Websites:

• GoNoodle
• Jack Hartmann

Student Led Conferences & Digital Portfolio Reflection

I love the idea of students taking ownership of their learning and work during Student Led Conferences. It really put into perspective about the idea of alternative methods for progress reports and report cards. It shows the proof of wasted materials that we use with report cards and how efficient Student Led Conferences and Digital Portfolios could not only be to school systems, but to the earth as well. It is collaborative and includes students, parents, and teachers. This could also be great way to include parents and lets them be aware of how their child is doing in school. It is also an incredible way for parents and teachers to make strong connection and communication. It also gives students the opportunity to track their own progress and monitor their work each week. This is good, especially for students who strive for excellence and for students who struggle to be able to keep a close eye on their work, so they try hard on every activity and paper they do inside the classroom. I would incorporate Student Led Conferences in my classroom to create a place where students, teachers, and parents can come together and see the effort of each students work. I would use Digital Portfolios as an effective alternative of paper reports of progress to students and parents as well.

Websites:

• Google Classroom
• Google Docs

Shadow Puppet App for iPhone & iPad Tutorial / How To

iPad Basics: Getting Started with the iPad

iPads in the classroom open up new ways of learning