Padawan Training TC to Jedi's: Lab B Overview

Cross-posted (and slightly edited from EricE's blog EDU 255 Lab B Overview)

Today I observed five teacher-candidates (TC) teaching their lab B to the class, I was very impressed with a lot of things and I also have some suggestions.


First were the hooks, every body I observed today had a hook and they were very clever. Hooks are used to get students interested (and motivated) and to think about why the teacher is saying this and excited to learn. One hook was about all of the students being warriors, and that would be very motivating to younger students in a normal classroom setting. Also the energy that everyone brought was awesome, everyone was clearly excited to be there and happy to be able to teach the lesson they were waiting to teach.

I thought everyone was excellent but here is some feedback to get your teaching to the next level. First thing I recognized was where’s the music? During all of the practice days I expressed my love for music and the energy that it brings in a lesson. Nobody used music except for one person for a very minimal time. Music fills that dead silence while you are teaching and has a energy that can’t be replaced regardless of what you say. Also,  every time TC's heard they have one minute left they began to panic. Relax you have a whole minute to finish up your lesson and break it down. I taped the videos and I found that on average it took students twenty-five to thirty-five seconds to close out a lesson which means you still have some time for activity. And lastly just go with it! You are the only person who knows how your lesson is supposed to go, so if ya mess up… who cares. Figure out where you should be and get back on target never stop and draw attention. Overall everyone was great but everybody should aim to build on what they did. Good luck to everybody and keep working hard!

Greyson Chance Singing Paparazzi

Imagine in your sixth grade festival/ Talent Show you break out some Lady Gaga on the piano, "Paparazzi" to be specific. Besides totally committing to communicating his passion for the song, in his own way - watch some of the students in the audience as some of them are in totally awe, and of course there are others that have no idea what they just witnessed. For this viral video, in just over 2 weeks, had more than 15 million views and his already been on Ellen. Believe that you can make a difference and totally commit and work like mad to make your dream become reality. Make it so!



Oh...write your own song, create a YouTube Channel, post your song and have 2.25 million views = PRICELESS! This is the transformative power of technology. Learn to harness its power and make changes that are necessary in our world, community, and schools. Go Greyson and Go RockStars!

Animoto for All

Hi All! Here's a screenr cast of how to use animoto

Learning Through Play

Lyrics Training - Now here is a great way to learn through play. Using Google hosted videos, you can play a song (Easy, Medium, Hard) at one of three levels of difficulty (Beginner, Intermediate, Expert) by typing the lyrics (English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Dutch) to the song while it plays. Play and learn at the same time. This is the same thought as learning through the physical.  It's not good enough just to teach the "content" but through concepts, games, interaction, and play.  Play On!

Embedding MP3 into your blog

Hello 255 Rockers, here is my Screenr video for you all to learn how to embed your audio into your blog. It's very simple and only takes about two minutes of your time. Remember, you're not limited to just your own voice files for your embedding, you can also add music too. Here's my sample of my audio from one of my posts and some music for you to enjoy!

DDR + Science Instruction = SciRAVE

SciRAVE is a pretty cool idea: take a fun game like DDR or Guitar Hero and have the songs be about Science topics. The game works like any Dance Dance Revolution game, you have to step on the matching arrows as they rise to the top of the screen. The arrows rise to the beat of the song, in this case science songs. The goal of this game is to teach children concepts of science while they are playing an enjoyable game. The only problem I have with the game is that the words are too hard to understand for most songs. Also, so much focus is going into hitting the arrows at the right time that there is little time to focus on the lyrics. Other than that it's a pretty fun game. You can check it out at: www.jmtour.com/scirave/

Matt put together a little video of screenshots taken while playing the game.

And here is the rest of it.

Fully Committed Communication

Watch Barenaked Ladies "One Week" Parody and more funny videos on CollegeHumor

http://www.cbc.ca/national/blog/special_feature/brain_gains/brain_gains_2.html

PAUL BROGAN - MVP 2009


travis barker remix soulja boy "crank that"






. And here is the rest of it.

"Whatever" it Takes

Hip Hop Doc (Dr. Rani Whitfield) and Dee-1 (middle school teacher) are on a mission and their message goes straight to the heart (literally and figuratively). From "Walking the Walk" to "Whatever" the duo have been on a mission to educate and motivate youngsters to live a healthy and active lifestyle (YouTube Channel). Truly inspiring and in education we call what the Hip Hop Doc does so well, is enlist the interests of his target audience - the youth that love Hip-Hop. Let it Flow Doc!

Dream The Art of Possibility

@ Yahoo! Video

Benjamin Zander at Pop!Tech 2008: How Fascinating!

Benjamin Zander is indeed a Maestro in every sense. As the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, he lives and breathes his mantra of "The Art of Possibility" which opposes the tide of negativity, conformity, and the downward spiral. The question is, how will you "move" people into the world of "Possibility" and "take them to a place they couldn't reach without you?"

Describe in detail which "Rockstar" essential teaching elements that Zander demonstrates in his motivational speech? Be sure to include: a) at least five elements, b) with each element describe what Zander said or did, and c) what the effect was on the audience or the student.

Compare and contrast your teaching style and technique to Zander's. Can you describe in detail two elements you covered in your Lab C or D and three of Zander’s teaching elements/techniques you want to be able to do by the end of your 256 experience. How will these changes in your teaching affect your communication style, student learning, overall growth towards being an outstanding leader, and reduce student misbehavior?

[Via Presentation Zen, TED Talks, Benjamin Zander, ]

Alphabet Re-Mix

Teaching well requires you to take the ordinary and make it extraordinary. The alphabet serves as a perfect example of an activity you can do to make it extra spicy. Even on Sesame Street, the simple alphabet plays an integral part of the overall mission of the TV series. And here is the rest of it.

Slacker is no slouch

Create your own Slacker Station now