Engaging students with concept mapping

1. Concept mapping is a great way for teachers and students to organize information. Concept mapping can give a teacher background information on student knowledge, and quickly and efficiently organize student thoughts. A concept map could also work as a way to summarize students thoughts or summarize ideas in general. Concept mapping works as a first step in writing, solving problems, and many other school subjects.

An example of a way a concept map could be used in a classroom is as a summary for a field trip to the zoo. The concept map above is a summary of a classrooms trip to the zoo. It would be a great activity after a class returns from a field trip for a teacher to work on a concept map with them. The teacher could understand what the class learned, and the class could review the information so it would be fresh in their minds. This review would be great if there was going to be some activity that expanded on the information learned on the field trip.

Another example of a concept map could be constructing a map based on a writing topic. Students could individually create concept maps and write down all of their ideas on a certain topic. For example, if the paper was to be written on favorite vacations, then the students could map thier ideas about vacations. The center idea would be "favorite vacations" and the map would consist of whatever came to the students mind. This would be a great pre-writing exercise because it would help students brainstorm ideas on the main topic.

If a teacher wanted to gain backround information about what students knew about the water cycle, then the teacher could have a class discussion creating a concept map on the water cycle. This would be a great chance for the teacher to understand what students already knew and how much more they needed to know. It is an oppurtunity for students to throw out any information they know and have to be connected to the main idea. The teacher can connect ideas and this can help student understanding grow. If students see how ideas are connected it can help them understand a subject better.

2. As I have said in the above paragraphs, concept mapping as many benefits in a classroom. Concept maps can aide teachers and students in orgainzing information, can give teachers backround information on students knowledge, can summarize teacher and student thoughts, and can work as a first step in many school subjects. All of the examples I listed above support these ideas in different ways. Using concept maps for different subjects will be beneficial for different reasons. Using a concept map for a pre-write will organize student thought, while using a concept as a whole class will gain understanding in student backround.

3. A teacher must decide what type of learning they want accomplished before they decide to have students create concept maps. If organizing information, summarizing information, or gaining understanding in student backround is important then a concept map would be a good choice. A teacher must also decide if they want students to complete a concept map alone or together as a class.

Blogs and Wikis in Education

1. Identify and describe 3 interesting/innovative ways blogs and/or wikis are being used in K-12 classrooms.
Blogs can be used for many purposes in a classroom. I think the best way a blog can be used is for student feedback. I think it is a great idea and a great help for teachers to have a place where students can feel free to speak their minds. A teacher could bring up a certain classroom topic and let students give their opinions and feedback. It is a great way for there to be open communication between teachers and students. A wiki is a great way for a classroom to work as a whole in completing a certain project. A wiki gives students a chance to change information on the web and give their input. A wiki could also be used as a tool to work with another classroom across the country. It would be a great way to have children communicate with other children who may be much different then them. This would be a great way to share ideas and work on a project through the internet.

2. Describe how you might use RSS readers/aggregators within a classroom setting.
An RSS program could be used in a classroom by a teacher as a way to keep track of students work. If students are working on personal blogs, teachers can stay updated on their progress. An RSS program works as a way to keep track of websites by automatically updating the subscriber when a new change occurs in that website. RSS programs could also be used in the classroom by updating the class when a change to a website they follow occurs. This is a great way to save time and become a more efficient classroom.

3. Describe at least 2 pros and 2 cons of using blogs and wikis in education.
A pro of using a blog in a classroom is that teachers can read student feedback in an efficient manner. A pro of using a wiki in a classroom is it is a great way for students to connect and learn new ideas from other students. These students can live all the way across the country or in their own state. Students can change each others information and learn from each other. A con of using a blog is that students may not have at home access to computers. A teacher must keep in mind that everyone comes from different backgrounds. A con of using a wiki in a classroom is that some information posted may be inappropriate. Since anyone can post information on a wiki this can create a harmful potential for random people to mess with the website.

Teacher Web Project Critiques

1. Describe and discuss the impacts your use of a class web site like
the one we created on TeacherWeb might have on student learning,
on student engagement, and communications with students and parents.
2. Identify and discuss what you see as the two biggest advantages of designing
and using a classroom web site within your teaching activities.
Also, identify what you see as the biggest disadvantage of using a class website
for instructional activities and why.
1. Creating a web site such as the TeacherWeb would be extremely beneficial for teachers, students, and parents. Creating a TeacherWeb allows a teacher to organize his/her class information into a easy to read and easy to understand way. Having class information, class handouts, a way for students/parents to contact the teacher, and other various information in one location is very helpful in keeping all class information organized. The TeacherWeb is helpful for students because it is very kid friendly. The web site is broken down in a way that is easy to read and easy to understand for students. There are also alot of helpful links for students to better their understanding in a particular area. Practice quizzes, review sheets, and information on certain topics provide students with multiple resources in becoming successful in school. For parents the TeacherWeb is a great way to stay connected to what his/her student is doing in class. TeacherWeb allows parents to become involved in their students learning by providing class schedules, announcements, and other various information.
2. I think there are multiple advantages in using a TeacherWeb in a classroom. Some of these advantages include connecting parents, students, and teachers and also providing a teacher with a logical way to organize all of their various information. TeacherWeb is an excellent way for students to stay connected to the classroom even when they are at home, and TeacherWeb also provides parents with an in-depth look at what their student is learning. The one major disadvantage I see with TeacherWeb is that it has the potential to open up the internet to students. Although the internet can be a very positive tool for students, it can also be very harmful. There are countless web sites that are not appropriate for children, and there are many ways that children can be taken advantage of because of the Internet. It is very important that teachers stress internet safety to their students and also make sure students are being monitored at home when using the internet.