Blog Assignment #6

      There are many things that any teacher can learn from the videos of Dr. Strange and Anthony Capps about problem based learning and things to do in the classroom. From the first video Project Based Learning Part 1: Experiences of a 3rd Grade Teacher they both talk about how students should be learning, but not making them show what they already know. That being said is very true because if a child is just showing what they already know than they are just regurgitating what they have heard or been taught instead of actually learning on their own. Also children should have projects that deal with also meeting the required materials that the state wants students to know. If a child is not up to the standards than how will it help them in the future? The second part of the video, Project Based Learning Part 2: Experiences of a 3rd Grade Teacher, is to let children know about problem based learning and be excited to talk about it. Children having a better understanding of what they are doing will help them also get a better understanding on what they need to do and how it should be done. Projects may not always go well, but learning and taking notes on the way we as teachers describe them will only help.

Dr. Strange & Anthony Capps

      Anthony Capps talks about two programs he uses in his third grade classroom quite often. The first mentioned is that of iCurio. I personally had never heard of it until it was talked about between Dr.Strange and Anthony Capps. It is an online tool that allows students to safely search the internet and lets them store things they find on the search browser. It sounded really neat and useful to not only the students, but also for teachers to use. The other one they mentioned was Discovery Education which gives students a more visual way to learn. The website will give videos of experts that will give the students they need to know to help give a deeper learning. Dr. Strange even mentions how most students seem to be listeners/watchers when learning than readers/writers.
      The next few videos was about tips and tricks of teaching. From the video The Anthony-Strange List of Tips for Teachers Part 1 they listed a number of things for first year teachers to learn. One of the most important I thought was that of knowing surprises will happen and teachers should be very flexible. The video Don't Teach Tech- Use It gave me a lot to learn from. It taught me that I should not introduce the technology all at once, but introduce things week by week and eventually give students a projects that uses everything at once. The other most important thing I learned was what Anthony Capps called the "Russian Dolls" from the video Additional Thought About Lessons and that is a lesson should be no more than 4 layers.
      I gained a lot of learning from watching these videos and will for sure use it when I become a teacher within the classroom.