My Passion Is...
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Blog Post #5
A PLN (Personal Learning Network) is a network of people and tools you can use to get help, collaborate ideas, or use for consultation. Starting my PLN has been interesting. I created a Symbaloo to keep track of my old accounts and some of my newer ones. As a teacher, it's important to have a network, people to share ideas and thoughts with, and get help from. In my started PLN I have my Facebook and Twitter, and I recently created a LinkedIn to help the process. The Symbaloo is a great way to keep it all organized and in one area, I made that my homepage so it's the first thing when I open the internet. It also has useful sites like Yippy, DuckDuckGo, and Wikipedia. I also have Evernote, which will save notes, websites, and even business cards. It's all about being organized and the Symbaloo layout is very helpful with that. People that will be important in a PLN will also be the teachers and classmates and sometimes even the students whose blogs we read and comment on weekly. There's so much out there we can use to network, thousands of people and millions of resources. Saturday, February 7, 2015
Project #15 Search Engines
Below are eight search engines I have tested and reviewed, as well as links to try them yourself!
#1 WolframAlpha : For the WolframAlpha I searched the word "beach". It pulled up an interpretation, definition, hyphenation, first known uses in english, and more. This search engine would be useful if one was searching for an unfamiliar word.
#2 DuckDuckGo : For DuckDuckGo, I searched the word "duck". It had a big ad at the top telling how they are different from others, before listing different links to a definition, the Wikipedia description of the word, and some to the "Duck Dynasty" show. This search engine seems to be very similar to Google, probably a copycat of it or something similar. It would be useful for searching general topics or terms.
#3 Ixquick : Ixquick immediately states that it is a private search engine, leading me to search the word "privacy". It also first pulls up ads, then much like DuckDuckGo, it pulls up links to a definition, a Wikipedia link, and other links to things related to privacy. I didn't find this website to be any more or less useful than Google, but it would also be useful for general terms or topics.
#4 DogPile : DogPile is a very cute, pet induced website. After typing the word "dog" I clicked "Go Fetch" to search my word. This website would be most useful when searching for something pet related- breeds, food, stores, and more.
#5 Excite : The home page of Excite has a very boring layout, with a lot of ads for Expedia plane tickets. I searched the word "ticket" and got another boring layout with links to sites like stubhub.com. This website would be useful for a basic search.
#6 Lycos : Lycos is a newer website, it's copyright year is 2015. For this search engine, I searched the word "lion" bringing up a number of links that went to a wildlife preserve, a Wikipedia site, and other resources. This search engine is another Google knockoff, it would also be useful for general basic searches.
#7 HotBot : This black and red robot ran website seems very much like Bing or Google, but without all the effects. I searched the word "magnet" and got results for Amazon and Wikipedia. This website also has a spot for checking the weather and it's labeled Weather Zombie. This site would be useful for checking the weather.
#8GoTo : To search GoTo, I typed in "Boykin Breeders" resulting in a direct list of places you could get Boykin Spaniel puppies. This search engine rocks because it features minimal ads and gives you exactly what you want, but it's downfall is it does not have images, shopping, etc. It just has the web search.
#1 WolframAlpha : For the WolframAlpha I searched the word "beach". It pulled up an interpretation, definition, hyphenation, first known uses in english, and more. This search engine would be useful if one was searching for an unfamiliar word.
#2 DuckDuckGo : For DuckDuckGo, I searched the word "duck". It had a big ad at the top telling how they are different from others, before listing different links to a definition, the Wikipedia description of the word, and some to the "Duck Dynasty" show. This search engine seems to be very similar to Google, probably a copycat of it or something similar. It would be useful for searching general topics or terms.
#3 Ixquick : Ixquick immediately states that it is a private search engine, leading me to search the word "privacy". It also first pulls up ads, then much like DuckDuckGo, it pulls up links to a definition, a Wikipedia link, and other links to things related to privacy. I didn't find this website to be any more or less useful than Google, but it would also be useful for general terms or topics.
#4 DogPile : DogPile is a very cute, pet induced website. After typing the word "dog" I clicked "Go Fetch" to search my word. This website would be most useful when searching for something pet related- breeds, food, stores, and more.
#5 Excite : The home page of Excite has a very boring layout, with a lot of ads for Expedia plane tickets. I searched the word "ticket" and got another boring layout with links to sites like stubhub.com. This website would be useful for a basic search.
#6 Lycos : Lycos is a newer website, it's copyright year is 2015. For this search engine, I searched the word "lion" bringing up a number of links that went to a wildlife preserve, a Wikipedia site, and other resources. This search engine is another Google knockoff, it would also be useful for general basic searches.
#7 HotBot : This black and red robot ran website seems very much like Bing or Google, but without all the effects. I searched the word "magnet" and got results for Amazon and Wikipedia. This website also has a spot for checking the weather and it's labeled Weather Zombie. This site would be useful for checking the weather.
#8GoTo : To search GoTo, I typed in "Boykin Breeders" resulting in a direct list of places you could get Boykin Spaniel puppies. This search engine rocks because it features minimal ads and gives you exactly what you want, but it's downfall is it does not have images, shopping, etc. It just has the web search.
Friday, February 6, 2015
Blog Post #4
"An open-ended question is designed to encourage a full, meaningful answer using the subject's own knowledge and/or feelings" (Media College). That is the main thing I have learned from my readings. In these readings, many ways on how to ask questions and keep getting answers are presented. In one video, Questioning Styles and Strategies, a man goes over many different ways to keep questions going such and random calling of names for answers, prodding, and asking who agrees with something someone says. All of these articles stress the importance of asking the right questions.
We ask hundreds of questions everyday, and will ask five times that when we become teachers. It will be our job to get answers, to get the information out of the students so you know that you've taught them something. There are so many different ways to do this, we just have to utilize those ways to produce the answers we want. First, we have to give them the knowledge. Questions can't be answered on knowledge that has never been learned. It has to come from somewhere, something we will have had to instructed to them. Questions need to be asked in specific ways.
In the classroom setting, it's always a good idea to make notes in your lesson plan of when to ask questions, and if you take it a step further, write down possible questions you could ask, making sure to never ask more than one question at a time. More than one question could throw the focus, or cause not all parts of the question to be answered. Another thing to remember would be to make sure that test questions are asked in the open ended format as well. A yes or no question could easily be answered with a yes or a no, and no explanation would be given because it was not asked of them to give one.
While there is no wrong way to ask a question, there is also no guarantee the questions will be answered the ways you want them to be unless you ask them in a way that requires a full answer including everything you asked. The best way to do that is to utilize the different ways of asking open-ended questions to get the best and most fulfilling answer.
Sources:
http://www.mediacollege.com/journalism/interviews/open-ended-questions.html
We ask hundreds of questions everyday, and will ask five times that when we become teachers. It will be our job to get answers, to get the information out of the students so you know that you've taught them something. There are so many different ways to do this, we just have to utilize those ways to produce the answers we want. First, we have to give them the knowledge. Questions can't be answered on knowledge that has never been learned. It has to come from somewhere, something we will have had to instructed to them. Questions need to be asked in specific ways.
In the classroom setting, it's always a good idea to make notes in your lesson plan of when to ask questions, and if you take it a step further, write down possible questions you could ask, making sure to never ask more than one question at a time. More than one question could throw the focus, or cause not all parts of the question to be answered. Another thing to remember would be to make sure that test questions are asked in the open ended format as well. A yes or no question could easily be answered with a yes or a no, and no explanation would be given because it was not asked of them to give one.
While there is no wrong way to ask a question, there is also no guarantee the questions will be answered the ways you want them to be unless you ask them in a way that requires a full answer including everything you asked. The best way to do that is to utilize the different ways of asking open-ended questions to get the best and most fulfilling answer.
Sources:
http://www.mediacollege.com/journalism/interviews/open-ended-questions.html
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Project #4 C4T#1-Post#2 Mrs. Hernandez
http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2015/01/school-or-learning.html
Mrs. Hernandez has a busy life, she has been off her blog for some time, trying to keep up with her students and work. She makes some good points about schooliness, as described by another blogger and is something she refers to often. Mrs. Hernandez also makes a good point about how tests are a huge part of school, basically saying that AP classes and rigor homework are all that really count. But in the end, she still has a good passion for what she does, and it keeps her going through everything she doesn't like. "I suggest a new measurement we can use for if our education is working. Instead of the bubble tests that measure, among other things, ability to guess the best answer out of four, why don't we look around at our society. Are there less school shootings? Are there less suicides? Is the growth of the giant pile of garbage in the ocean slowing or reversing? I could go on and on...."
Kirstin Bailey said... I love your thoughts on school. You seem to be a very motivated teacher, it's interesting that your students have blogs as well. Tests are a lot of what school means. As a college student I can do anything, as long as I pass the tests. I enjoyed reading your draft. February 1, 2015 at 10:37 AM
http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2014/12/practice-heart-soul-of-learning.html
Yoga is about practice. Mrs. Hernandez relates that to her students practicing and growing in their reading and writing. They're practice has brought so much improvement to their work, much like the improvement you would see in yoga after practicing it.
Kirstin Bailey said...
Mrs. Hernandez has a busy life, she has been off her blog for some time, trying to keep up with her students and work. She makes some good points about schooliness, as described by another blogger and is something she refers to often. Mrs. Hernandez also makes a good point about how tests are a huge part of school, basically saying that AP classes and rigor homework are all that really count. But in the end, she still has a good passion for what she does, and it keeps her going through everything she doesn't like. "I suggest a new measurement we can use for if our education is working. Instead of the bubble tests that measure, among other things, ability to guess the best answer out of four, why don't we look around at our society. Are there less school shootings? Are there less suicides? Is the growth of the giant pile of garbage in the ocean slowing or reversing? I could go on and on...."
Kirstin Bailey said... I love your thoughts on school. You seem to be a very motivated teacher, it's interesting that your students have blogs as well. Tests are a lot of what school means. As a college student I can do anything, as long as I pass the tests. I enjoyed reading your draft. February 1, 2015 at 10:37 AM
http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2014/12/practice-heart-soul-of-learning.html
Yoga is about practice. Mrs. Hernandez relates that to her students practicing and growing in their reading and writing. They're practice has brought so much improvement to their work, much like the improvement you would see in yoga after practicing it.
Mrs. Hernandez, I am a student at the University of South Alabama, and this blog post completely connects with me! I have started a yoga class this semester, so that part is clear as the light of day to me. The fact that you have gotten to see your students grow over the course of two years is spectacular, and the comment shows me that you have taught them so much. It's still amazing to me how much teachers can impact students, I can't wait to become one!
Project #6 C4K February
Alex Gu's Blog Post
In Alex's blog post, he talks about wanting to be a superhero. He wants to go and learn his superpowers, then save the universe. Afterwards he would get ice cream to celebrate.
Kirstin Bailey
February 3, 2015 at 3:04 PM
Alex, I think it’s so neat that you want to be the Green Lantern! You could experience so much saving the universe, and having ice cream after would be such a treat. If I had a super power it would be to read minds. I always thought it would be cool to know what people are thinking.
Amber's Blog Post
In Amber's blog post, she talks about a school play that they will perform this year called "Ax of Murder" where she will have an unspecified roll. Last year she was in "Romeo and Juliet" and said it was a lot of fun and great memories.
In Alex's blog post, he talks about wanting to be a superhero. He wants to go and learn his superpowers, then save the universe. Afterwards he would get ice cream to celebrate.
Kirstin Bailey
February 3, 2015 at 3:04 PM
Alex, I think it’s so neat that you want to be the Green Lantern! You could experience so much saving the universe, and having ice cream after would be such a treat. If I had a super power it would be to read minds. I always thought it would be cool to know what people are thinking.
Amber's Blog Post
In Amber's blog post, she talks about a school play that they will perform this year called "Ax of Murder" where she will have an unspecified roll. Last year she was in "Romeo and Juliet" and said it was a lot of fun and great memories.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
What is your roll this year and what is this play about? It sounds interesting so far! That's a great way to make memories, and it's an awesome experience for you in the school setting. I am a college student and I'm going to school to be a teacher, and I really wish I'd done more activities like that when I was your age. Good luck!
Kirstin Bailey