Mind Mapping

Ideas for a Lesson on Reading Maps

Bloom's Taxonomy provides a wonderful way to guide learning. It provides a framwork for understanding how our minds retains information and how to form educational objectives. Mind maps are ways to organize our thoughts so that we can come up with ideas on a topic. This is very useful for teachers so that they can plan their lessons based upon these these principles. By using online mind mapping tools, such as Popplet, teachers can successfully create diagrams that help to organize their thoughts to create a more complete and in-depth lesson plan.

Cyber safety is such an important issue today, especially in schools. While the Internet offers so many opportunities, it also can be a dangerous place for children at times. Bullying and inappropriate content  are becoming more and more relevant today. For my poster, I wanted to create a poster that would provide questions that students can ask themselves. It is designed to be a sort of self-check to enhance awareness in the minds of young people who spend a lot of time on the Web. When I am a teacher, I want to encourage safe and appropriate use of the Internet so that students can enjoy the benefits of being connected. I would share with parents my classroom rules for web use and encourage them to implement similar measures at home. I would encourage them to ask the questions at home as well. Since cyber bullying is such an issue, I think that monitoring the computers that students are using, helping them be aware of when a situation may become a bullying situation, and teaching them the tools to know how to respond.

Teaching Children in all Areas of Life

For my BookBuilder project, I endeavored to show how virtues can be taught to children of all different faiths and backgrounds. I propose that virtues are life skills that can be taught to students and children to help them grow into well-balanced individuals. They are universal to the degree that they can be applied to every age range and background. Teaching the virtues can engage children in making good choices and can build upon the child's natural and prior knowledge of making good choices and building good habits.
To see my book, please visit the site below:
http://bookbuilder.cast.org/view.php?op=view&book=56850&page=1

What to do with Social Media

Social media covers a wide expanse of internet use. In its most basic form, it can be defined as anything that allows individuals to socialize with one another using media as a form of communication. Social media is extremely popular and is gaining force throughout the United States.
I believe that social media can be used in the classroom. It will engage students, most of whom will be familiar with using the internet as a means of education. I would use it to supplement my lessons and to provide a place where more sharing of information and learning can take place. I feel that some things are appropriate for classroom use, like the sites above. I would refrain from using Facebook, since it is too much of a distraction and may interfere with the appropriate student/teacher relationship. I would personally like to seperate my personal life from my work as a teacher. I would hesitate to accept a student as a "friend" who can access all types of information. Also, I believe that it can be too easy for a teacher or a student to pursue a relationship that may be inappropratie.

A Review: The Confidence of Math Teachers and their Students

http://chronicle.com/blognetwork/castingoutnines/2010/01/27/girls-inheriting-math-anxiety-from-female-teachers/
This article taken from the Chronicle is a short summary and commentary on a recent development in math education. The article states that female elementary school teachers can transmit their math anxiety to their female students. This research seems to indicate that stereotypes regarding math and gender are still in force today.
I chose this article because it was relevant to teaching. I will be an elementary teacher, hopefully in the 3rd-6th grade range. This article reminded me the importance of expressing confidence and fostering an atmosphere of positive learning. On a personal level, it called my own math anxiety to attention. I reflected that perhaps my anxiety is based on a stereotype and what I can do to enhance my confidence in my math skills.

Reviewing Online Resources

With the vast amount of information to be found on the web, it is important to to be able to define what is a "good" resource, versus a "bad" or "un-trustworthy." A "good" resource, I would argue, is one that contains truth about a subject, that is not misleading, and without an overt amount of bias. There are some ways to ensure that the information you are receiving is reliable. For instance, a good resource will likely have citations or refer to sources, thereby validating the information and confirming facts. Also, any website that presents the information in a professional manner would most likely be more reliable than a non-professional, typo-filled site. Once you have found a reliable source, you can use this information for your educational needs. 
http://www.diigo.com/user/rosered14/TEAC?type=all
These are a selection of good resources related to teaching, discipline, learning, education, etc. I found them at http://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm. With these quality resources, teachers can have greater confidence when they teach or collaborate with others.

Using New Technology in the World of Education

I am really excited about the opportunities that technology is bringing to the education field. For instance, wikis can be used to create a forum where teachers can communicate ideas with each other and edit one each others'  work. Wiki sites can also be used for parents and students, so that events or field trips can be a collaborative planning opportunity. Prezis are also an innovative way to get students involved. Prezis show a big picture, can have videos directly added, and are an exciting new way to present ideas. Diigo.com, or other similar sites, is a wonderful way for learners to collect information on the Internet. The use of Diigo allows the person to save articles, to make notes, or highlight important text. As a future teacher, I can see how this will be useful for finding articles, projects, or other teaching ideas and saving them for later. RSS feeds also have the potential for being useful. With this, time is saved from going directly from site to site, and teachers will be able to interact and keep up to date with the latest from other teachers, parents, students, or any other person who has a blog.
I recommend everyone, including but not limited to teachers, to discover the new opportunities that technology has offered to the world. In many ways there is "something for everyone!"