Big Six

The idea of the Big 6 is a good one. Students need to learn problem solving skills that will help them in the classroom and outside of the classroom. The "Big 6" allows them to do this.

If a student has an issue/problem they simply follow the 6 steps to resolve it. Students will feel that they are in control of a situation and given a sense of responsiblity. It gives them freedom to come up with a resolution on their own with the steps.

This is a great program that can be taught to children. Its benefits will have positive outcomes towards students.

New Technologies

Both the Amazing Table and the Video conferencing are pretty cool. I agree with many others in our class when it comes to video conferencing. It would be a great thing to use in the classroom for guest speakers. Students could also use this to communicate with other classrooms across the world.

I also think the amazing table would be great in a classroom. Students can use the paint program to create projects and on the other hand young students can create pictures during free play just like they would at a real easel. The only difference is that you can print the picture for them to take home that day and they wouldn't have to wait for it to dry.

It is amazing to watch how much technology has changed over the past few years and will continue to change for the future. I can't wait to see what new kind of technology will be created next.

Connecticut Nutmeg Video

I think it is very neat that the recipient books for the Nutmeg Award were decided by children. This is great because it is not only engaging children to reflect on what they are reading about but also engages them to become more involved in helping other peers with their choices of literature.

As Sandy asked, I am also curious as to how children become selected to serve on this committee.

MP3 Homework

I think that its great teachers are having students use Ipods/MP3 players to learn Spanish. This is also great for books on tape which will only enrich student's learning to read. Students love using Ipods and MP3 players so this twist on learning is fun too. Its a great way to incorporate technology into the classroom even for learning a new language. Sometimes listening to a new language can help a student learn rather than just reading it. This is a wonderful idea!

Tablaux Vivant

I enjoyed this activity very much. I feel that students in elementary, middle, or high school would enjoy this. With each age level it would just have to be modified. It was great to work as a group and collaborate everyone's ideas for the storyline. With elementary students, this would be a fun activity because they could act out a story they are reading in class. All students would be involved and get to play a different role. I never thought of using technology in this way with taking pictures. It allows students to be creative while learning and have fun at the same time!

Learning Styles

I took the learning style quiz for fun even though I already knew I am an auditory learner. Once something is explained to me rather than read I understand it much better.

This quiz is a great reminder when thinking about how students learn. Not everyone is an auditory learner and needs to be shown things. There are also tactile learners. Taking this into account in a classroom is key and will only benefit the students.

Using technology for different learners is a great idea. Visual learners get to see things on the computer and auditory learners can listen to what they are learning about. I agree with what clovett said in that it gives students another way of learning besides textbooks.

Wiki Reflection

The Wiki page I read about was Letter Pop. As an educator, newsletters are very important to keep parents informed about what is going on in the classroom. It is a great way for them to stay connected with their child and with us as educators.

This is something I enjoyed seeing that the page offers. This program can also be used for outside of school for announcements and invitations.

Students can also use Letter Pop to create projects for the classroom or homework purposes. The only potential problem I can see with this is that the students using the program need to be sure it can only be viewed by their teacher, classmates, and parents. Especially since it has the feature to add pictures to projects the student is working on.