There are two "lectures" for this week with only one discussion board on our facebook page.  The last assignment, a unit plan, is due THURSD

I would like to briefly share another theory of learning.
Daniel Pink has authored of a great book; A WHOLE NEW MIND Why Right Brainers Will Rule the World.  Daniel Pink writes business books and is a motivational speaker to encourage others to choose their career paths and their futures. We as educators are interested in his view of the future what will been expected of our students in order to succeed.
Please watch the following video.  Our discussion board will have more specific questions this week in response to Dan Pink, Adundance, Asia and Automation . 

How does this relate to teaching elementary school? 
With so much attention focused on THE TEST, it is easy to lose site of our true focus.  We are preparing our young students for a successful future.  Our students need to learn to become brilliant adults who invent and create and move our culture into a new generation.  So what is that future we are preparing them for? Watch Did You Know

The first video is Daniel Pink sharing some of this thoughts on what our world is becoming and what we and our students need to be to be successful.
The second video is Daniel Pink discussing how this applies to education.  Daniel Pink: Texas senate hearing on education. (You can fast forward to 1:51)

I strongly recommend adding the book, A WHOLE NEW MIND to your summer reading list.

Reaching consensus
Tim Bedley is an incredible teacher in Lake Elsinore.  He has some great teaching strategies and incredible videos and information.  Once of his teaching strategies is called “Reaching Consensus”.  We will read an article and look at some videos from his classroom.

Read Article http://www.timbedley.com/articles/article01.htm

Please be sure to watch a few videos concerning consensus as well as read the link at the bottom of the article named See a framework for the teaching strategy "reaching consensus."   

 If you have not already seen this video (third video down on the page, please watch.
http://www.timbedley.com/video/vid_teach2.htm
Reaching Consensus on a Reading Assignment(5:08)
In this powerful video, you will see a small group of 5th graders reaching consensus on some comprehension questions. Notice how they dig through the text to support their answers. They were never instructed to do this, but because of the learning activity "reaching consensus," they automatically skimmed the passage on their own. Two of these students are English language learners. 
The last half of the video is an interview with the students on the benefits of this teaching method. You'll love hearing these 5th graders insights.

Our discussion board for this week is to add comments on what you learned from Tim Bedley about Reaching Consensus and or Daniel Pink and his views how we are preparing our students for the future.

The last assignment is to complete a unit plan.  Below is the template and a sample.  Your capstone is MANY, MANY, MANY things but it is usually based around a curricular unit.  You have already brainstormed over 35 ideas (Bloom/Gardner Grid) and completed a lesson plan as well as an assessment rubric on one curricular area.  Let's use all of this information to create the Unit plan.  Hopefully, you have or will have additional projects to this unit plan from your other classes.  Feel free to include these other projects in your unit plan.  This unit plan will be an incredible jump start to your CAPSTONE.

The unit plan is due next week on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4.

RUBRICS

In our Bloom/Gardener grid, we came up with wonderful learning experiences to give our students.  We have gone beyond the paper and pencil worksheets to exploring the world around us, collaborating with peers and using our creative mind. 

Now…. What if I told you had to grade each and every student on each and every idea and project in the grid?
For example.. How would you grade the following assignments? What is the difference between an assignment grade of a B or a C for each of these? 

1.                  Create a photo collage about their assigned community helper.

2.                  Make a vodcast showing pictures of each type of element. Pictures must contain the characteristic you talked about before.

3.                  Hypothesize what kind of food you would want to eat if you were a butterfly.

4.                  Make up a chant to describe animals that fly.

5.                  Find a series of parabolas in nature

6.                  Create a human fact and opinion chain about farm animals.

7.                  Tell which element you are most interested in and why.

 

Read this article

http://t4.jordan.k12.ut.us/teacher_resources/Rubrics/Rubrics.html

If you still need help understanding rubrics, this video is exactly the kind of lecture, I would have given in a classroom setting.  If you happen to check it out, you might be more thankful we do not meet in a classroom (I think my lectures can be BORING!!!)  I want to bring you more interesting lectures than this, so it is optional!!! 

Our next assignment is to create a rubric for one of the assignments in your Bloom/Gardner Grid.  It may a rubric for the lesson plan you just completed.  It may be a rubric for any other assignment in your Grid.  You may use any rubric generator to create your rubric, although I suggest Rubistar - Your rubric is due Saturday.
Please post it on your website/blog as well as emailing it to me.  Please label it "RubricYour NameFallI".

Here is a rubric tutorial you may watch if you feel you need more information. This video also has a part one and three, if you are interested.

I will be using Aunt Olive’s rubric on rubrics to grade your assignment.

We are nearing the end of class.  Our last assignment is a Unit Plan.   Below is the template and a sample.   You have already brainstormed over 35 ideas (Bloom/Gardner Grid) and completed a lesson plan as well as this week's assessment rubric on one curricular area.  Let's use all of this information to create the Unit plan.  Hopefully, you have or will have additional projects to this unit plan from your other classes.  Feel free to include these other projects in your unit plan.  This unit plan will be an incredible jump start to your CAPSTONE.  Your capstone is MANY, MANY, MANY things but it is usually based around a curricular unit. (Your unit plan!!)


Rubric due: Saturday, October 23rd
Unit Plan due THURSDAY, November 4th.

We are more than half way completed with the class.  I would like to take this week to take a deep breath and give everyone a chance to catch up. 

I have sent out an email to anyone missing any assignments.

The lesson plan is still due this week.  Please post the completed lesson plan on your blog as well as emailing it directly to me.  Label it "Lesson Plan You name Fall 1".  Due before midnight on Saturday, October 16.

Our next assignment is to choose one of those ideas on our grid and create a lesson plan.  It is your choice, if you choose an idea that is most likely to be used and successful in your classroom today, OR you may choose the idea that you wished you could do!!  Imagine laptops for everyone and unlimited time restraints.  Sometimes these crazy (if I could do anything ideas) lead to practical possibilities once thought completely through.  If you have a classroom, you may be more likely to choose practical. If you do not have a classroom, you may wish to dream big.
Use the one idea from the grid that you choose and complete a lesson plan using the template provided. At least 2 multiple intelligences should be covered as well as a technology component (possibly an idea from your field trip)
The template provided has a blank for "STANDARDS".  I would like both the California State Standards and the National Educational Technology Standards and Performance Indicators for Students. (NETS.S).  The NETS.S can be read online. Please read the NETS.S and add the appropriate ones to match your lesson plan.  (PLEASE NOTE: the sample included may not have NETS.S.  Your lesson plan needs NETS.S)

Last week, I had forgotten the discussion board for this video.  Please take the extra time to post a response if you did not get a chance to do that already!!!
Watch this video; Killing Creativity
On our facebook discussion board, please comment on the article and reply to two other’s comments



Multiple Intelligences Special Guests .. Temple and Jaime

Temple Grandin 
Our special guest to share spatial intelligence is Temple Grandin. Temple Grandin gives a fanastic speech. She is a very successful woman who has autism.  Her speech is not only important to hear for your children with autism but she is an amazing visual learner. Her speech helps us understand how the mind of a visual thinker works. (I strongly recommend the movie out on DVD Aug 17th.) I believe EVERY mother and EVERY teacher should see this movie!! There will be an EXTRA CREDIT discussion topic for the movie if you choose to watch it!!

Jaime
Read the story from our text book entitled  "Jaime’s Story" 
Leave a comment on the article about Jaime and Temple Grandin on the discussion board.  Continue the discussion on two other’s comments.                                              

Ready for a field trip? Well, actually it's field trips! Your mission is to FOCUS ON how people use technology to learn, and what is really out there being used.

You must visit the following three locations.

• A toy store (Kaybee toys, Toys-R-Us, etc)
• A technology store (Best Buy, Circuit City, the Mac Store, etc)
• A place where people go to play games (Dave & Busters', GameWorks, etc)

At each location, you most do the following:

• Spend 20 minutes watching kids, teens, and adults at the store. What are they playing with? How are they using the equipment/toys? What are they learning? Write down your observations in a journal.
• Spend 20 minutes playing with the toys/equipment yourself. You MUST spend 20 minutes - no cheating. Write down observations about what you learned/discovered in a journal.
• Think about it: write down how these toys/pieces of equipment could be used in the classroom to enhance teaching and learning.

Post a highlight or two your reflections in the discussion area no later than Saturday this week.
Have fun! Take your family with you. 

The Bloom Gardner Grid must be completed by Saturday, Oct 9th. 

Our next assignment is to choose one of those ideas on our grid and create a lesson plan.  It is your choice, if you choose an idea that is most likely to be used and successful in your classroom today, OR you may choose the idea that you wished you could do!!  Imagine laptops for everyone and unlimited time restraints.  Sometimes these crazy (if I could do anything ideas) lead to practical possibilities once thought completely through.  If you have a classroom, you may be more likely to choose practical. If you do not have a classroom, you may wish to dream big.
Use the one idea from the grid that you choose and complete a lesson plan using the template provided. At least 2 multiple intelligences should be covered as well as a technology component (possibly an idea from your field trip)
The template provided has a blank for "STANDARDS".  I would like both the California State Standards and the National Educational Technology Standards and Performance Indicators for Students. (NETS.S).  The NETS.S can be read online. Please read the NETS.S and add the appropriate ones to match your lesson plan.  (PLEASE NOTE: the sample included may not have NETS.S.  Your lesson plan needs NETS.S)