My PLN plan

I consider myself a fairly techy person.  I typically know enough to get by and I know where to find answers and help in navigating new technology that I am not familiar with so I can avoid showing my weaknesses.  However, through my Developing and Growing Learning Networks courses I was introduced to ways I could use technology in my network that I had never really considered.

Upon entering the course i thought I knew about all of the latest and greatest social and learning networks available, and while I did know about many of them, I didn't know of all of the ways in which they can be used.  

I would have never considered using Twitter in my building.  Twitter has been a little intimidating to bring into the school because there is so much content there that we, as educators, can not control.  BUT...  Announcements can be made, assignments can be completed, and a professional learning network can be found!  There are numerous twitter accounts that focus on counseling, libraries, and administration within schools.  Connect with those people!  Look at their followers.  Reply to their tweets and grow your network.

RSS feeds were something I was not familiar with when I began this course.  These were probably the neatest nugget I learned about during the past 6 weeks.  Through an RSS, we can create our own feed, simplifying scrolling be weeding out the things we are not interested in, and focusing our content so that we have a streamlined way of viewing helpful information to us.

The tools and strategies I have learned about will make my educational experience greater due to the resources I now have at my fingertips that I previously wasn't aware of.  I have always enjoyed taking information I have learned and sharing it with my colleagues.  My peers are always looking to the latest and greatest ways to connect with students, parents, and other educators, and I have no doubt these tools will be something they will be greatly interested in.  This course may even lend itself to some winter professional development.

EDU 5506

 When I was in the classroom, blogging was one of my favorite ways of maintaining communication with my students' parents.  I found it was a quick way to throw our fun activities onto a place that everyone could access, and it allowed them to see photos of their child in their school environment, and who doesn't love that?

I also quickly learned that other teachers love blogging, too.  What a great resource it was for ideas and community within the educational world.  So many fantastic educators would post their educational philosophies and ways their classrooms operated, along with fantastic activities for learning and development in the classroom.  Teachers are often so creative, especially those at the elementary level, and this was just a wide open forum for them to express themselves while providing excellent content for readers.

It is important to be careful when finding bloggers to follow.  Not every educator shares the same thoughts and ideas for their classroom and how it should operate.  You have very type A teachers, and you have some teachers who are a lot more laid back and spontaneous.  It is important to realize that a lot of blogs are opinion based and not fact based, and while fun and entertaining, most are not the law.  Be careful as you search for educational blogs and make sure that their content aligns with your core beliefs and goals for your classroom.

Additionally, many administrators are using blogs as communication tools.  Having admins who are blogging can be very helpful as we are learning and growing as professionals.  I, personally, enjoy the content that is full of real life experiences.  I have always enjoyed reading about others experiences and that does not change in the professional world.  We are often fighting the same battles and celebrating the same victories, and I find others' experiences helpful in navigating my own journey.

Investigating Force - 1

For our first investigation of force, students used their pencils, SOAR Binders, and chairs. They were to provide force to each object making it travel the length of 3 floor tiles. They learned that heavier objects required more force to travel the same amount of distance as lighter objects due to their mass. This helped us learn Newton's Second Law of Motion. 

Comparing and Comtrasting

One of our reading skills a few weeks ago was comparing and contrasting. We have learned many fabulous phrases to help us compare and contrast, but one of the first things we did was create a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting ourself to either Doon or Lina from The City of Ember.

Adding Details

We have begun working on writing during daily 5. One of the first things we needed to learn was how to write a fourth grade sentence. 

Fourth graders include details like who, what, when, where, and why in their sentences. We practiced this skill together before students were given the task of writing about where their name came from, or telling me about their favorite summer activity. 

Investigating Force - 2

We used paint and straws to investigate the effect of force. We first blew lightly into the straw that was full of paint, then we blew a little header, and finally we blew very hard. We noticed that the harder we blew, the larger the splatter made by our paint. 

At the end of the investigation, we used just the force of our air to blow the paint around. This helped us with Newton's Fiest Lawe of Motion, the law of inerti, because the paint was at rest until the force of our air was pushed upon it causing the paint to move. 

Comparing and Contrasting Sentences

Comparing & Contrasting SentencesPhrases to remember:  in comparison, by contrast, similarly, on the other hand, on the contrary, however

In Virginia the earthquake travels long distances however in California the plates are cracked which stop the earthquakes from going further. – Mohak

In Virginia the earthquake temperature is cold however in California the earthquake temperature is warm. – Kelsey

In California the damage is contained however Virginia has a lot of damage in large areas. – Sabin

In Virginia the plates are solid on the other hand California plates are cracked causing earthquakes to stop. – Riley

The plates in Virginia are cold; on the other hand, in California the plates are warm. – Banks

In Virginia, the plates that cause earthquakes are cold; however in California they are warm. – Ella

In Virginia plates are solid however in California plates are cracked – Reagan

In Virginia the plates are solid causing the earthquake to keep going; however in California the plates are cracked causing the earthquake to stop. – Roselin

The plates in Virginia are cold; however, the plates in California are warm. - Alex

In California masses of energy stop easier; however, Virginia masses of energy go further. – Alex

The plates in Virginia are cold and solid; however the plates in California are cracked, warm, and not solid. – Thomas

In Virginia the plates are solid and cold so energy can go far, however, the plates in the west are cracked and warm so energy cannot go through very easy. – Lydia

In Virginia the earthquakes travel pretty far.  On the other hand, California quakes don’t travel as far because there are more faults. – Jacob

In Virginia they have solid plates; however in California the plates are cracked causing energy to stop. – Charlie