"Growth" vs. "Fixed" Mindsets in Learning
Our assignment for this week was to watch the '"Growth" vs. "Fixed" Mindsets in Learning' video podcast published by Stanford University. In this podcast, the speaker talked about how some students have a 'fixed' mindset about intelligence. They feel that intelligence is a fixed trait. Other students believed in a 'growth' mindset. That their intelligence is built and improved by studying, education and perseverance. Stanford University did a study to see how the growth mindset affected learning.
Half of the students in the study were taught the growth mindset concept and study skills. The other half were just taught study skills. Those that were taught the growth mindset concept flourished. Their grades improved and they were very successful. The other half saw no significant improvement, even though they were taught study skills.
This impacts our world today. There is no way you can be successful without this positive growth mindset. As educators, we should aspire to never stop learning and teach our students to do the same. In an ever-changing world where technology is always expanding and growing, it is essential that we stay on top of things and encourage our students to do so as well.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Week 10 Blog
I listened to Willowcast #18/Radio WillowWeb, a podcast from Willow Elementary School. This podcast was given by first graders and was hosted by a six-year-old boy named Nick. It was about our solar system. They started out the podcast by talking about Mars then moved on to Venus and the other planets. They also talked about the moon, the stars and the sun.
These children completely blew me away with their grasp on the knowledge; they really 'got it'! I found myself excited and a bit jealous! When I was little, we didn't start learning about the solar system until about third grade. Back then, focus was on the three 'R's... reading, writing and arithmetic. I wish I'd been exposed to that kind of knowledge when I was their age.
Podcasts are amazing tools. I can just imagine my students' excitement upon hearing their own voices when listening to their podcast online! An advantage of a podcast is that you hear what your students have learned. You know they've 'got it'. A disadvantage of podcasts is that not every child has access to the technology outside of the classroom.
I will implement podcasts in my classroom. I want to do podcasts performed by my students and podcasts that I will personally perform to help my students with their lessons, homework, and preparation for tests.
These children completely blew me away with their grasp on the knowledge; they really 'got it'! I found myself excited and a bit jealous! When I was little, we didn't start learning about the solar system until about third grade. Back then, focus was on the three 'R's... reading, writing and arithmetic. I wish I'd been exposed to that kind of knowledge when I was their age.
Podcasts are amazing tools. I can just imagine my students' excitement upon hearing their own voices when listening to their podcast online! An advantage of a podcast is that you hear what your students have learned. You know they've 'got it'. A disadvantage of podcasts is that not every child has access to the technology outside of the classroom.
I will implement podcasts in my classroom. I want to do podcasts performed by my students and podcasts that I will personally perform to help my students with their lessons, homework, and preparation for tests.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Week 8 Blog
Podcasts from EDM3102008
I listened to two podcasts: "Possibilities for Using Facebook in an Educational Setting" given by Allison Midgette and Shaundretta Bethel and "Reflections on The Last Lecture of Randy Pausch" by Brett Kittrell, Jenny Mosley, Taylor Irvin and Bree Smith.
You could tell they were reading from a script. You could hear the pages rustling and they were very 'sing-song'. You could also tell they were nervous, which is understandable since these were their first podcasts. They didn't flow as well as they could have. Perhaps with a little more practice, these things could have been elimated.
I can't be too critical. When Lynda and I did our podcast, it was our first as well. I wish we could have got together and rehearsed our podcast before we actually recorded it, but we did not get that opportunity. Maybe next time, we can.
I listened to two podcasts: "Possibilities for Using Facebook in an Educational Setting" given by Allison Midgette and Shaundretta Bethel and "Reflections on The Last Lecture of Randy Pausch" by Brett Kittrell, Jenny Mosley, Taylor Irvin and Bree Smith.
You could tell they were reading from a script. You could hear the pages rustling and they were very 'sing-song'. You could also tell they were nervous, which is understandable since these were their first podcasts. They didn't flow as well as they could have. Perhaps with a little more practice, these things could have been elimated.
I can't be too critical. When Lynda and I did our podcast, it was our first as well. I wish we could have got together and rehearsed our podcast before we actually recorded it, but we did not get that opportunity. Maybe next time, we can.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Week 7 Blog
For this assignment I listened to several podcasts.
The first set of podcasts I listened to was Smart Board Lessons hosted by Ben Hazzard and Joan Badger. They discussed the importance and resourcefulness of the use of Smart Boards in classrooms today. They had comments from students whose teachers had implemented Smart Boards in their classrooms. It also gave you advice and instructions on setting the Boards up and what to include in them.
The second set of podcasts I listened to was Kid Cast. This podcast actually had kids doing podcasts on particular topics. The third set of podcasts I listened to were Connect Learning hosted by David Warlick. He discussed many topics. My favorite was 'What is the purpose of Education?'. I also listened to a couple of EdTech talk podcasts which are hosted by Susan Van Gelder. These were podcasts of teachers discussing the latest technologies and strategies that help us provide our students the quality learning that they deserve. I also listened to MacBreak weekly and This Week in Photography.
There were a couple of podcasts that I checked out on my own. One was a series of podcasts called Study Cast hosted by Mr. Brent Coley. This was my favorite. In his podcasts, he discusses what he is teaching in the classroom. He even 'walks' them through the lessons, providing outlines that they can get online or from him in class. His students can listen to the lessons, go along with him using the outlines, once, twice or however many times they need to until they've truly 'got it'! I want to do this for my students!
Another series of podcasts that I checked out is Teaching Tips by Teachtopia hosted by Sabrina Weissler. These tips are for teachers and parents. There is so much information out there. Podcasting is definitely going to be a useful tool in classrooms today and in the future.
The first set of podcasts I listened to was Smart Board Lessons hosted by Ben Hazzard and Joan Badger. They discussed the importance and resourcefulness of the use of Smart Boards in classrooms today. They had comments from students whose teachers had implemented Smart Boards in their classrooms. It also gave you advice and instructions on setting the Boards up and what to include in them.
The second set of podcasts I listened to was Kid Cast. This podcast actually had kids doing podcasts on particular topics. The third set of podcasts I listened to were Connect Learning hosted by David Warlick. He discussed many topics. My favorite was 'What is the purpose of Education?'. I also listened to a couple of EdTech talk podcasts which are hosted by Susan Van Gelder. These were podcasts of teachers discussing the latest technologies and strategies that help us provide our students the quality learning that they deserve. I also listened to MacBreak weekly and This Week in Photography.
There were a couple of podcasts that I checked out on my own. One was a series of podcasts called Study Cast hosted by Mr. Brent Coley. This was my favorite. In his podcasts, he discusses what he is teaching in the classroom. He even 'walks' them through the lessons, providing outlines that they can get online or from him in class. His students can listen to the lessons, go along with him using the outlines, once, twice or however many times they need to until they've truly 'got it'! I want to do this for my students!
Another series of podcasts that I checked out is Teaching Tips by Teachtopia hosted by Sabrina Weissler. These tips are for teachers and parents. There is so much information out there. Podcasting is definitely going to be a useful tool in classrooms today and in the future.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Week 6 Blog
Randy Pausch's Last Lecture
I just finished watching Randy Pausch's Last Lecture for perhaps the fifteenth time in my life. Wow! What an amazing man! And what a positive, uplifting message! One of my favorite quotes by Randy is: "We can't change the cards we're dealt, but the way we play the hand." I'm reminded of that almost daily. The fact that my son, Jonah, has Autism sucks. It sucks big time! But I can't change that. What I can change is how I play the cards that life has dealt me. I can choose to wallow in sorrow or to rejoice in Jonah's triumphs. I choose the latter.
Randy was an inspiration to his family and to millions around the globe. He has left a legacy of hope and joy behind him. He could've lived the remainder of his life as an 'Eeyore' and no one would've blamed him. But instead, he chose to live his life as a 'Tigger', boucing his way out of it with a smile... and no regrets.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Week 5 blog
International blogs
The first blog I've listed is Nelson Central's Room 9 class blog. Nelson Central is in New Zealand. There are twenty-three students in the class, ages six and seven. The teacher's name is Rachel Boyd. This class's blog has video and pictures of of the students participating in activities and projects throughout the year, from January to November of 2007. You can check out this blog at: http://room9nelsoncentral.blogspot.com.
The second blog I'm listing is Mrs. McNamara's class blog from Australia. Mrs. McNamara teachers year 5. She has twenty seven students in her class. This blog includes the class's goals for the year, video and pictures from activities and projects, as well as other information. You can check out her class's blog at: http://mrsmcsclass.blogspot.com.
The first blog I've listed is Nelson Central's Room 9 class blog. Nelson Central is in New Zealand. There are twenty-three students in the class, ages six and seven. The teacher's name is Rachel Boyd. This class's blog has video and pictures of of the students participating in activities and projects throughout the year, from January to November of 2007. You can check out this blog at: http://room9nelsoncentral.blogspot.com.
The second blog I'm listing is Mrs. McNamara's class blog from Australia. Mrs. McNamara teachers year 5. She has twenty seven students in her class. This blog includes the class's goals for the year, video and pictures from activities and projects, as well as other information. You can check out her class's blog at: http://mrsmcsclass.blogspot.com.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Week 4 blog
Mrs. Lori Elliot of Nixa, Missouri has a blog for her fourth grade class. She has a well of information available in her class's blog. She includes information for parents, pictures of class outings, pictures of the students participating in class projects and the students' comments about their experiences. You can visit her class's blog at: http://teachers.emints.org/F406/elliott/.
Mr. C of Noel Elementary has a blog for his class. He has video of his students' involvement in class experiments and their reactions. One of their experiments was making boats out of both Ivory soap and aluminum foil. They added marbles/pellets to see how many the boats could hold before they capsized. The winner, I imagine, was the one whose boat held the most marbles/pellets. You can visit his class's blog at: http://mrcsclassblog.blogspot.com/.
Mr. C of Noel Elementary has a blog for his class. He has video of his students' involvement in class experiments and their reactions. One of their experiments was making boats out of both Ivory soap and aluminum foil. They added marbles/pellets to see how many the boats could hold before they capsized. The winner, I imagine, was the one whose boat held the most marbles/pellets. You can visit his class's blog at: http://mrcsclassblog.blogspot.com/.
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