Module #10

Recycling Public Service Announcement Activities.

Lesson Plan

Module #9

1. Looking at myself doing the presentation, I liked that I sounded fluid and knowledgeable in what I was talking about.  I talked about what was on the slides without always reading the slides.  I felt that my audience was listening and engaged because of the fun things I included in my presentation.  I think that I did a decent job of having eye contact with my audience.

2. It was sad watching me give the presentation from a seated position.  In the past I have walked around with a binder in front of me.  I was videotaped sitting at my home computer.  I found that I talked quickly and could have slowed down.  I did not ask questions and or give an opportunity for my audience to ask questions.

3. I definitely think that watching myself will improve how I give presentations in the future.  It was hard to watch, but remembering that a camera adds 10 pounds to anyone helped.

I think that some of my colleagues would benefit from videotaping themselves as well.  I think in general there would be less gum chewing if people saw and heard what they sounded like while chewing.

Reflection of Module 8

Of all of my posts I think this post is going to be the easiest.  I say that because I have been working on the energy study for what feels like months and it is a topic that comes up in almost every conversation outside of work.  I am thinking that when this class is over I give it just two more weeks and then I will get back to talking about my infant twins again.

The energy self study I decided to try and reduce the number of plastic bottles that I use and would eventually go out to trash or recycling.  I started by calculating the amount of shampoo and conditioner I used on a weekly basis.  While finishing the bottles I researched the best method of cleansing my hair without the use of heavy chemicals and detergents.  I mixed 1 TBS baking soda and 1 cup water and placed it in a condiments dispenser, and placed it in the bathroom.  First I ran out of shampoo, so the following morning I put some of the new mixture into my hair and rubbed it into my scalp.  Unsure of how it worked I just used a little conditioner and went on with my day.  That day my hair felt a little more oily then usual but I just went to work and did what I had to do.  The next two days I did the same thing.  Being out of conditioner now I mixed up 1 TBS apple cider vinegar and 1 cup of  water, placed it in a condiments container labeled ACV in the bathroom.

I waited a whole day unsure if I really wanted to do it.  In the morning before work I tried it.  My hair felt clean to the touch and I was wide awake by the smell of ACV that everyone on the internet promised would go away when the hair dried.  My first few hours in the day were the best, my hair was light, full, bouncy and clean.  As the day progressed my hair started to become oily.

I read all about the "transition" period.  And my fear was realized, I was going through it.  My hair had been used to the harsh detergents in the shampoo that my body was producing and excessive amount of oil to compensate to the daily stripping of the oils.  On the internet people say that this transition period could last from just a few weeks to a couple of months.  I spend the majority of two weeks with my hair in a pony tail.  With those two weeks I believe the transition period is over.

When I started to calculate the use of plastic bottles I realized that this experiment was so much bigger.  I actually do not go through a great deal of bottles.  I do save some money and am bringing less chemicals into my house.  The best thing is that I have to wash my hair less frequently, and therefor using less water.  I went from washing my hair six times a week to only four.  My hair feels wonderful and can last many days between each wash.

Was my experiment a success?

YES

Reflection of Module 7

Thinkfinity.org  


Go There.  I have spent quite a few hours on this website.  The part that I keep going back to is that people can search for lessons via the state standards or common core standards.  This is very important because in my school the principal keeps pushing the common core standards.  I have shown this website to a minimum of 5 colleagues, including the literacy coach and health teacher.  All have be very grateful, it is just a shame that I had to show it to them this late in the year.  


I enjoyed “Turn It Off”, I feel like younger kids would find the use of the toy as relatable as well as the question prompts about parents asking them to turn off the lights or toys.  “Power Play” was a lot of fun.  I think it would we great to do with some of my kids.  In “Be an Energy Saver” I enjoyed the energy conservation game that I can see a direct correlation with activities I do with my students.  Thinkfinity.org was an amazing website.  There are a ton of resources that I will be sharing with my colleagues on Monday.  I found the website easy to navigate and also includes a broad range of levels. 

Reflection of Module 5 and 6

The project that I am working on is to reduce the number of plastic bottles that I recycle/throw away by not using shampoo or conditioner. I started collecting data on how much shampoo and conditioner I actually use. Therefore making a prediction on how many bottles I go through. I have also identified other methods of cleansing and toning my hair.
I chose this as my project because I have new babies at home and I am thinking about all of the chemicals that are in my home.  Removing shampoo and conditioner can not only benefit me but also the environment, at least that is my hope.  I collected some data on how much shampoo and conditioner I use in each shower.  With-in the past week I ran out of both, and now I am using baking soda and water mixture to cleanse my hair.  I follow that up with an apple cider vinegar and water mixture for toning.  (I have been using the ACV and water mixture on my face as well.)  I am collecting data on how much baking soda and apple cider vinegar I am using.  

I hope that my hair agrees with the change.

Reflection of Module #4

Sugata Mitra's "Hole in the Wall" experiments have shown that, in the absence of supervision or formal teaching, children can teach themselves and each other, if they're motivated by curiosity and peer interest.  What hit me the most was the fact that he kept pushing that these kids performed better when they shard computers and did not work 1:1 on computers.  It was the interactions with their peers that helped them gain the knowledge.  What a wonderful concept that I think we all knew as teachers but Mitra pointed it out in his experiments.  His studies found that younger children were teaching the older children.  I see that at my school, the younger teachers are showing the older teachers how to use various technologies.  At the end of Mitra's talk he says he needs:

1 Billion children

100 Million Mediators

10 Million SOLEs (Self Organized Learning Environments)

180 Billion Dollars

10 years

In my calculation that is a 10:1 ratio students to mediators, that is almost as good as my special education classroom 12:1:1.

I found the "Hole-in-Wall" experiments to be so interesting that I e-mailed my entire family and asked them to watch the ted talks and ask their thoughts.  My father a retired public school administrator loved the philosophy and was emotionally moved.

I completed an Anthro Tech Assessment Guide.  If you are reading this blog and from P141K then please add to my answers, I would like to hear your thoughts.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b1RY5QI-KiJZ-_Bos_VB-ZeWyOu1apaZbjiuwUDekRw/edit

Reflections on Module #3

I reviewed the Essential Conditions Necessary conditions to effectively leverage technology for learning I began to get disappointed.  Untill I spoke to the Adaptive PE instructor at my school.  He talked about bringing an xBox or Wii into the school.  He thought that it would both motivate the students to participate in gym as well as engage them.  My thought has always been to get my students off the couch and in front of a book or go outside, but maybe I am thinking at this all backwards.  Maybe I should be engaging them with the things that excite them the most.  If our teachers presented more with technology as a model then maybe when they go home they might be more will to use the technology more wisely then to play “Man of War” or whatever game is popular at the time.  Before I moved to District 75 I was in a community school in Washington Heights.  Just as I was leaving they were about to try “SMART Response PE interactive response system”.  To the best of my understanding, students will receive a handheld wireless remote and students are to answer questions from their own remote.  The buttons of the remote look similar to that on a cell phone.  Students would then answer all kinds of questions from true/false, multiple choice to short answer.  The answers are then tallied by the software and then can be shared with the class.  This type of technology I think would motivate students.