bpena

Memory enhancement through Audio

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:33:00 GMT

The article Memory enhancement through Audio is about research studies that have been conducted on how sound can be used to enhance cognition in blind children. The article presents a developmental design on the usability of Audio Memory, which is a virtual environment based audio on enhancing short term memory. This tool was specifically designed for the blind to assist in their learning on math, memory, and spatial awareness. The final conclusion on this study was that evidence shows that sound can be a powerful interface to develop and enhance memory. I found this article to be meaningful as it discusses the power that music and or sound has on the human brain and how it can be manipulated to function for specific purposes, such as this article that seek to enhance memory.
One of the techniques used to assist blind children in the development of spatial awareness was using sound to map and navigate space in a virtual world these environments were setup for specific cognitive tasks. Mental modeling was a result of this technique and it was concluded that sound combined with cognitive tasks help children construct mental images to navigate through space. Therefore audio stimuli experiences stimulate visual cues for blind learners. Through experience I have not had the opportunity to experiment with this form of method on children in particular blind children. However when I have been with young children I have in particular when playing with my niece, who is 2years old, the sound of music gets her all hyped up to dance and sing. She is able to remember the words of music and the tone and pitch of certain verses. Therefore on my own observations I would conclude that this has helped her cognitive development as she has made associations with tunes of songs and words not to mention the fact that she remembers this. I think that if music or sound has an impact in young children who are able bodied, then I would definitely agree with this study I can identify that there are many positives about how sound improves our spatial awareness and ability to expand our memory.

Word count 358

Article web link: portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1028636

The Article: The impact of Home Computer use on children’s activities and development

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:08:12 GMT

The article The impact of Home Computer use on children’s activities and development discusses how technology in the home has an effect on all areas of a child’s development physically, socially, cognitive, and perceptions of reality. This article further concludes that to come up with an actual conclusion or suggestion for parents to deal with this behaviour or response at home more studies would need to be done.
The article mentions a discussion point on how parents view computers and television. It is mentioned that when parents see their child choosing to use a computer rather than seeing TV, this is a good sign because they are children who want to engage and learn through using the computer for educational purposes. However the problem arises when a child chooses to play on a computer over going outside or being participants of sports. The concerns of this behaviour becoming continuous are the possible physical or psychological negative effect it will have on these children. When reading this particular finding I can when I was younger having a Nintendo and Sega system. But in my case I did not feel that it hindered me from being social or physically active, on the other hand I think that it engaged our play as we would become more creative and use our imagination to pretend to re-enact the game. On the flip side of my experience growing up I see my little brothers and they are completely sucked into these games as if they had no other mind of their own. I find that their imagination lacks in their play because all they do is play with on of their game systems; Gameboy, X-box or Nintendo Game Cube. I find that my brothers don’t go out to the park much to play like me and my older brother used to or to even say that they would invent things to just experiment. Personally I think in the beginning when these systems came into the market the effects on children were not as severe, whereas now these games have become so sophisticated that children find no need to really make things up in their head or have a reason to play with friends when there is technology.
The article goes on to mention that watching TV and or being on a computer are a 25% factor towards the increase of obesity in young children as they spend long periods of time on these activities. Studies on the cognitive effects of children being on computer of playing game systems demonstrated that children improved their level of visual intelligence skill. Meaning that children developed an enhance awareness of different images and the way they appear (i.e. simultaneous, rapid, intense, etc.). There were results that showed this heightened intelligence in visual perception but verbal intelligence was decreasing. Overall I found that this article has interesting information to offer educators and parents and was an article that I learned new information from and I hope you guys can check it out and see what you can take from it.

Word count 510

link to article

http://www.futureofchildren.org/usr_doc/vol10no2Art6.pdf

Week:10 Chapter 10 Assessing Meaningful

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 01:05:37 GMT

When I think about assessing as an educator I find that written observational notes are one of the best methods. I personally believe this because as you are observing each child one can make sure to note all of the learning and accommodations as they occur. Whereas I find through my experience in the education system teachers prefer to use rubrics which are more standardized and don’t really allow for the individualism of each child to come through. I find that in the school system especially in grade three teachers and children are both stressing about completing the EQAO. The teachers all year round are practically teaching the children on how to take the test and complete in properly. I find that grade three children feel the pressure to make sure that they are prepared of what they need to know. At my placement specifically the school is labeled as a “turnaround school” meaning that the EQAO grades plunged beneath the line so bad that the ministry of Ontario needed to come in and coach the teachers. The teachers that go through these monthly training are from grades K-3 and they are coached on strategies for literacy and math. Additionally the in-service specialists from the ministry also coach on how to develop professional learning teams that can work together to help each others teaching style, children’s behaviour techniques, etc.

In chapter 10, assessment is referred to as the process of gathering and analyzing data to determine if intended learning outcomes have been achieved. The use of technology obviously makes it easier to store this data and organize it accordingly. The text also mentions technology based assessments which has replaced the traditional form with the digital form. This reminds me of our in class technology quiz, which I can admit is one test that I have taken unlike before the fact that I could use class resources, the internet to answer the questions on the quiz was pretty neat. What I liked as a student was that I was not being tested on what I had memorized from the readings and labs, but actually what I have learned through using the resources that have been available and how I have capable I am to apply learned knowledge.

E-portfolios are discussed to be an effective way for students to self reflect on the components of their portfolio and is a meaningful form of assessment. I personally have never done an e-portfolio, but the way that the book describes it and is visually presented, it looks really appealing for teachers to start this form of assessment as it eliminates the mountains of paper work and folders and keeps things more neat and organized. One point that is emphasized which I think is worthwhile noting is that students through e-portfolios; annotate or reflect on their work and explain how a piece of work meets the learning outcomes, they create an understanding for their strengths and weaknesses of the work, and/or how they might improve a similar product for the future.

The characteristics of a good rubric is something that I found would be beneficial to use as it states how to create one that is effective and clear for both parents and students. I have chosen not to use rubrics because of the reasons stated before but the way the book has outlined the different options, this has further shifted my perspective. Lastly the clicker technology sounds really cool. I have not personally used one as it was brought into large lectures after my time. However this would be effective when gathering consensus of general discussions, conceptual knowledge, pretest, and used after instruction to understand any student misconceptions.
I would defiantly like to try this out in the near future, I think assessing with technology is one of those things that are just breaking through now, but will soon be something used by all teachers. This I don’t mind if its more effective and helps with gathering and analyzing data to benefit both teachers and student in meaningful ways.

Word count: 675

Week:9 What is Meaningful Learning?

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 17:01:33 GMT

When I begin to think about the many years now that I have been in school, I start to reflect on whether all learning has been meaningful or if there was some stuff that just were really not that important. I know this for sure I can’t remember all learning! So how as educators can we ensure that most learning is meaningful? I recognize meaningful to be the kind of learning that is directed to my interest or to my abilities. This refers back to Gardner’s multiple intelligences, as educators we need to be guiding our teaching to the intelligence and interest of the child. When I think back to the end of elementary school and all of high school, math was the worst subject, but why? I can remember constantly thinking in my head what meaning does this have to the real world how is adding (a +a) going to get me a better job or teach me how to drive or something! No educator made math to me seem meaningful, even when I asked I don’t recall getting a straight answer because I am still confused as to how algebra or calculus can be used in an everyday context. As a young student this is very discouraging, however I am glad that through the ECE program at Ryerson we have had the opportunity to learn how to make math meaningful to younger children and enjoyable, actually teaching math in the classroom is not so bad anymore because I have become comfortable with it since there are ways to make it interactive and not robotic.

I find that the most meaningful learning for myself is the kind that get’s me off my feet and out there to practice the learning, and I also must admit many Ryerson ECE profs are good at doing this. I find that sitting through a lecture and regurgitating everything back is lame, but when I have the chance to actually experiment with it, try something out or act or do some sort of creative design with a follow up this is lots of fun.

In Chapter one in the text there are a lot of important points that are not only applicable to learning through technology but also for all subject learning areas. The text points out that for meaningful learning to occur teachers should peruse activities that are “engaging, interactive, constructive, intentional, authentic, and cooperative”(p. 2). I completely agree with this and for that exact reason is why I think children in my placement are so attracted to my activities. I make them active, open-ended, cooperative, etc. The problem is when the teacher’s philosophy in the classroom is the complete opposite to your own, even when she was a Ryerson ECE student! I guess this would be the case of where she teacher reverted back to the way she was taught. What makes me uncomfortable as an educator in practice is that I my in school learning is contradicting what I do in the classroom and the best part I have no choice, as this is what I need to do to get by placement.

The characteristics of meaningful learning are crucial to consider as they are important matters that take part in meaningful learning. I can reflect on the bloging and admit that at first I found it to be very time-consuming and useless. But know that I have been doing it for so long I can say that I find reflecting through writing very effective as it allows us to put our thoughts together lay them out and enforces one to think about ones own thinking which is essentially meaningful.

One last point that really stud out to me from the reading this chapter and would like everyone to consider is, “technologies afford students the opportunities to engage in meaningful learning when they learn with the technology, not from it (p.5).

Word Count 650

Week 6: Chapter 8 and 9

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 16:50:00 GMT

In this week chapter 8, Designing with Technologies, the beginning of the chapter discusses about problem solving and the design process. As I was reading, I found that it was very similar to the process that I am currently using with children in the classroom at my placement for science. At placement I am working with children on developing the concept of structures. The guide that I have been using for experimenting is a mix between problem solving and designing. For instance; defining a problem or a need or opportunity, developing a solution, plan and make a solution and implement and evaluate a solution. When I use this with children I verbally state the process, but I find the process is where the learning occurs rather than following a rhetoric design.
This chapter focuses on children designing their own shapes like a custom made Lego piece. Simulation programs are mentioned to have been used for years in science classrooms to help students build mental models of how the natural world works. I find this as an eye opener as I myself have not really thought about it but all the computer programs that we were talking about in last weeks chapter are simulation programs of the real world. It’s funny to think that we would create these programs when we can actually live through this in the real world or experiment in the real world. The thought of experimenting in simulation can be an oxymoron as the whole point of experimentation is to see real live results of what works and what doesn’t.
Reading about the Scratch program got me really interested in terms of the concept of being able to manipulate video and music. I would like to try the program with children as it gives them the opportunity to produce interactive games, music, videos, and many more creative projects. Chapter nine, Visualizing with Technologies, reminded me of when I was in high school, for a French class we had to create a product in French and create a commercial using video technology and present it to the class. I can clearly remember how much fun it was to do this commercial. I enjoyed doing the footage being able to see myself and edit where I think I needed to improve was a great learning lesson for me especially because it was done in another language. Aside for using it for school, last year my sister and I would get my brother to come to our soccer games and film us so that we can later watch ourselves and evaluate our performance and of course where we can improve. I defiantly agree that visualizing technology can be a great addition in the classroom for children to be creative and also be self-evaluative in their learning. Combining technology and media literacy in the classroom can be really beneficial for children. Especially because they love to role play figures on T.V, creating any sort of commercial or news report challenge can be fun and education for children’s learning. I would suggest a lesson plan on a new report on nutrition and in the mix one includes physical education, media literacy and technology expectations. Best of all children can keep their video as a memoir.

Word Count 543

Week 5: Chapter 3 Experimenting With Technologies

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 21:54:29 GMT

When I first read the chapter 3 heading, Experimenting with technologies, I was unaware of the commonalities between technology and science. The term casual reasoning came up several times and the implications for this consisted of exploring, hypothesizing, conjecturing, experimenting and speculating. In comparison to science it is very similar because when one is conducting experiments, casual reasoning is present as it is said to be the most important and commonly used kinds of thinking that exists. Further more this chapter discusses experimenting with technology in terms of micro-worlds. I personally myself remember this very much, however it was more in terms of board games and how one constructs and manages their own world. For example; when I was young I always used to play the “game of life” with my friends. Here the idea was to move from one end which was being a student to retirement in the end. In this game one constructed their own life by choosing how many children to have, what career to have, house, investments etc. This idea is very similar to what this chapter goes on to discuss but obviously is virtual.
The game civilization that the text discusses I recall my boyfriend playing it with his friends and he became so obsessed. I never really knew what it was about, but as I was reading about it in the text I can recall him saying that what he liked about it was being able to take power over governments from different nations and controlling certain aspects of the environment. I can see where it can become interesting to experiment as one can try out different methods and change conditions to suit the needs of the player and the environment of the game. I find that what makes these games so cool to investigate with is that the player has ultimate control and they can do any thing they want within the rules of the game. Results stem from every decision made in micro-world games and just as the book said “experimental failures are where the real meaningful learning occurs”. These games are good for helping students learn about social studies, cause and effect, math, etc. I stated math as most of the times there is a certain count for the amount of collect items or if the game deals with money that is another aspect that needs to be considered. Personally I never thought these games where educational as I always seen them as something fun to part take and enjoy. However the benefits in described in play-based games, I think if used properly in the class can truly help in educating children in a fun way. One of the sites mentioned “Atlantis” virtual worlds is a game that is available online that I am interested in experimenting with. I think that if we can provide children with technology that is fun and cool, and at the same time this is benefiting their ability to higher level thinking, then it is well worth implementing in the classroom.

Word Count 506

Week 3: Chapter 7 Communicating with Technologies

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 17:54:51 GMT

Communication and technology is a growing social reformation. I am not one to be to involved in using this as a favorable form of communication but I have many friends that are glued to this form of communication and for one I know FACEBOOK is a big form of keeping connected with the rest of the world. It is absolutely crazy how linked the world is when you start to realize how friend of your friends know certain people that you know and its like this immense web that is all linked. I think that there are many positives to this form of communication, but at the same time negatives as these forms of communication can obsesses people with constantly being on it and neglect that face to face form of contact or even the phone. I find that communicating through technology to complete assignments for school or to work on projects can be helpful as it allows you to send instant information and to get an immediate response and feedback. In chapter 7 it posses a question; what are the advantages of online conferencing? I think that the advantage of this to the “regular” face to face is that if people are living in far distances or that it is difficult to meet with others to discuss the easy was is through online it is quick efficient and can be done form the home.
When thinking back and further reflecting on this chapter I begin to think how can we as teachers integrate all of these forms of communication into the curriculum and make it beneficial for children’s learning. Like mentioned in the text, in today’s frenzy of widespread internet communication we have to some way adapt and use this as a form of learning for children since it is teaching them from their interests because so many students are involved in internet communication. I like the concept of pod casting I have never personally used it myself put I can imagine where it can be integrated into the classroom. It can be used to help children learn second languages like French or Spanish in the school. I also just thought of a great way to integrate all forms of audio, video and text most classes do a lesson on social studies where children compose a piece on their personal heritage or family tree. Well in this activity children can write information about their family and traditions include images or a video recording of an interview with a family member and then have an audio on maybe a national anthem or their personal reflection on the assignment. This can then be posted on the classroom website or blog page for children to share amongst themselves. I think that this can be a fun way to integrate technology in the classroom where children get to learn about one another and also embrace their individual diverse backgrounds

Word Count: 486

Week1: Personal Experience with Technology

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 16:10:01 GMT

My personal experience with technology has been more recent in the past years. As a child in elementary school we did not have any computers accessible in the classroom but there were a few in the library and in special education classrooms. I can recall that we were allowed to use the computers if we were done all are homework or if we over achieved in behaviour for the day, it was pretty much done in a fashion were it was special treatment and you had to work hard for it. However in my times the computer where not colour it was green or white writing with the black background and there where really simple games nothing to special. I can recall using a computer at school in around grade 5 before that I don’t remember anything at all having to deal with computer technology. We did use type writers instead to write assignments in good copy. In my family we did not purchase our first computer I believe it was up until 1998. This was a very new thing to my parents as they are old school and did not know anything about how it works. I learned how to use the computer on my own, I found that the best way to learn is by playing around with it until you discover something you did not know before, and it’s actually quite fun. When my mom began to learn how to use a computer she was fascinated at how accessible things are through the use of computer technology. She was amazed at how connected you can be with the rest of the world such as listening to the radio, and/or reading news from other countries in particular Colombia as that is where my family is from.
Even though computers are all well and dandy, I have had many troubles with them I remember in high school typing an assignment having saved it and my computer crashing and erasing all my data, I can remember so clearly that day how angry I was I wanted to literally kill my computer at the point, it was not impressed at all as it was a completed research assignment that had to started from scratch again. Aside form computer technology there are many other forms, I speak of computers as those are the major forms of early form of technology for my self. The children who are growing up in the 21st century probably know more about technology then my self as we have so many gadgets that are made to make our lives easier. You have cell phones that can do almost everything, digital cameras, electronic pets, I-pods, lap-tops..etc. I think I can go on and on. The point is that technology has become easily accessible as the cost is not as expensive as it used to be. As future educators it is crucial that we inform ourselves of what is available for children as we can educate them as to how to be safe with technology as not all of what is available is good for us or educational.

Word count:519

Light Chapter 15

Sat, 24 Nov 2007 02:29:13 GMT

This posting is late; regardless I took the time to talk question what we are comfortable in knowing. Reading this chapter it brought me back to my childhood, as I remember playing with my shadow like it was yesterday. When I would walk along the side walk the sun would shine on my back and this I would create a shadow on the ground, when I would see this I was fascinated by it and in a way always made me feel safe on my way to school. I went to a Catholic school and growing up we would always talk about our guardian angel, and how it would follow us every where we would go, the shadow that shun on me felt always felt as it was my guardian angel. When reading the text the concept of the earth’s shadow really never occurred to me. I might have learned it as a kid, but it does make sense. When the sun is no longer shining on the sun the earth is facing the darkness of space.
The text discusses in the beginning that nothing can be seen without the experience of light, so does that mean that without light there is complete darkness. If this is the case then why are we not humanly built to be able to survive in darkness forever, why do we need to depend on the light? Well like mentioned in class, light is needed to generate energy and without energy and power we would die. This would cause mayhem as there would be no food for plants, no energy to circulate our water systems, etc. I remember learning light in school mostly through religion, once song that comes to mind is “children of the light”. The symbolism of light in Catholic religion is the concept of hope and life. When some one passes away that is known to the family, traditionally we light up a candle. What does this mean? Why do this? Well I think the reason was to provide the family with the light of hope; the light produces a sense of clarity through the pathway to travel and the symbolism that the soul still lives on until it meets with God.

Aside from the light being a part of my religious faith, I remember as a child when the teacher used the light projector so we can each; create a shadow portrait of heads. This was really cool because we later had the freedom to make shadow puppets on the projector of different animals. Another concept we talk about light is ground hog day. Who created the concept of the ground hog having a reaction to a shadow? The fascinating aspect of light is that is causes curiosity to stir. The concept of light and the significance within it is a great starting point of inquiry for children to want to explore and investigate.

Word count 487

Week 11: Chapter 14/ Sound

Sun, 11 Nov 2007 05:10:20 GMT

This may sound quite silly, but I remember first learning about sound when I was a kid watching the magic school bus. The episode was really incredible! The examples that were used to demonstrate how echoes form with our voices, was quite clever with samples that referred back to the functions of vibrations. I remember learning in language development the impacts of sounds on the women’s womb. Researches state that babies in the womb can hear the outside sounds of the world because of the sound vibrations in the womb. This also explains the reasons of why babies recognizing their mother’s voices as soon as they enter the world. Aside from this there have been several studies that have shown that sounds create dendrites in the brain to expand causing the brain to be more receptive to knowledge such as memory and attention.

This chapter discusses the basic understanding of sound, and how it functions. It is noted in particular how sound travels, as well as the origins of vibrations. The explanations are rooted on how strings form to produce sound; for example the harp. Sound is important in the curriculum because it can be a form of attention to understand whether and for others entertainment. The topic of sound can be integrated with multiculturalism because there are many sounds that come from different cultures that children can relate to.

The text has an activity on creating a guitar or harp and it is based on the concept of vibrating objects making different sounds. This activity is using a box with and using elastic bands to stretch around the box to recreate the strings of a guitar or harp. I have seen this done before and I thought it was really neat. At school I don’t remember learning about sound as a science subject; instead I learned it as a form of art through music. One fantastic idea that came up in the text was the concept of making telephones from juice cans. I can remember making these and playing with them like it was yesterday. When I was young I used to do this with my neighbour she lived beside me and so we had the idea of making these phones to communicate to each other it was such a cool thing to do. As future educators we need to remember that the best activities are those that children inquire from or those that stem from their own lived play experiences.

word count 412

Week 9: Simple Machines

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 03:45:08 GMT

This week topic simple machines, is not a subject that I am familiar with learning at school. I can recall people advising me last year during placement to teach simple machines in the classroom as one of the many lessons I had to implement, but I was always scared to do so. I guess because I was not sure if I was teaching it right. Before reading this chapter I thought that friction was a whole separate unit, but in the text it is also a part of simple machines. I can see how it fits in as friction falls under the category of force and friction can help in many aspects work as a simple machine.

Today I had a light bulb moment when discussing with my group about an extension activity for simple machines. When I was looking at the science curriculum I realized that simple machines falls under the grade four sections in the curriculum, which was labeled Gears and pulleys. Then it came to me as to why I don’t remember learning about this and that was because during this period in my life I was living in Colombia and for sure, I don’t remember learning that at school.

The text does again like with most chapters very interactive interactions with the topic being taught. Which I think it is important to emphasize as it will get children started on their enthusiasm to want to learn more. I was reading the metro newspaper today and there was an article about a program called FMA. This program presented workshops in schools within various cities on advocating learning science through rap, which I thought was a really cool introduction. It is always mentioned that teachers should teach children out of their own interests and this is a perfect way to implement science learning for most young children, as it’s easily reliable.

There are several lesson in the text that are suggested, which I think makes teaching the simple machines very basic as, the breakdown of the lesson are straightforward. I think it would be a really cool idea after teaching this unit, if possible making a trip to watch a construction site. Children are able to internalize their learning through a visual and kinesthetic avenues, in turn promotes education from the outside environment. The chapter also mentions including math in this concept which I think is really relevant. Using various bolts, nuts, screws, and tacks etc. children can sort these objects and put them in jars as a demonstration piece. I feel that as we get around in life sometimes we don’t stop to think about how simple machines serve a purpose in our daily lives (i.e. hinges on doors, etc).

WORD COUNT 453

Week 9: Gravity and Magnetism

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 04:01:01 GMT

In chapter on Gravity begins with a question that I can sure relate to when I was a young girl. I remember thinking that people who lived on the bottom of the earth fell down. I remember this perfectly because when I was traveling with my family to South America, I was always afraid that I was going to fall down, now that I think of it my thoughts were so silly. Well many years later and now I am in the position of educating children about gravity. I can recall most of my learning about gravity at the Toronto Science Center. I think that when teaching topics like gravity, it should be fun, hand on and interactive, since this concept is abstract, children will learn best through realistic activities. The text gave some examples of activities; however I really enjoyed how it was advised for teachers to introduce the topic. The pendulum exercise would be really cool to teach it to grade two’s and three’s because it can be interrelated with a little bit of history on Galileo. When I was looking into the ministry guide lines on the expectations for learning about gravity and magnetism, I found it also mentioned static electricity as being a force too. But the textbook does not mention anything in relation to static electricity. I think that this is possibly one area of science that was overlooked.

Magnetism is always a fun attraction for children I remember when my little brother was learning about magnets at school. He was hooked up on it! I believed he kept up with this for a while, experimenting all over the house and trying to move different steal objects. Magnets is an invisible force just as gravity, you can feel it and see it when watching that magnets attract to other metallic materials, the difference it that gravity does not pull only on magnets but everything, it is like the earth magnets!

What I find most fascinating about gravity and magnets are the numerous opportunities for integrating math activities. For example; Gravity is related to the balance and weights (math concept) because it is based on a gravitational pull (science concept) and Magnets is common to helping children with counting and numeral recognition an activity such as fishing with a magnet.

Word Count: 386

Week: 8 Chapter 10 Rocks and Minerals

Sat, 20 Oct 2007 17:22:52 GMT

This week’s topic on Rocks and Minerals is very intriguing. The reading provided a lot of information about the formation of minerals and the different types of rock formation. I think this is great because I can hardly remember learning about Rocks and Minerals in elementary school. The activities that were suggested in the book were so cool! it made me really want to try some out. There are so many lessons that can be done with rocks and minerals that I never thought were possible. The ones that really called out my attention were making fossil print with clay and the activity on the forming of crystals. To my knowledge I never really took into account the amount of minerals that we intake in food, like salt.

I remember as a child I liked looking for white rocks in my backyard and then going to the payment and drawing hopscotch on the ground using the rock as a marker. I never really understood how that worked but I thought that it was really awesome, how a rock can serve to be kind of like chalk. The reading actually states that these kinds of rocks were the once used by cave dwellers to draw pictures. I learned reading in this chapter that chalk is pressed gypsum and lead is graphite are both a rock. Which may sound silly, but I never knew that. This is what I mean I don’t remember much about rocks and minerals in school. While I was reading this chapter I really was thinking that when I would come across teaching this subject in science. I would really like to make the learning memorable for children.

In my placement experience, I don’t recall this subject being covered as an overall unit rather it was mixed with others. For example when I went to the Etobicoke Field studies center with my grade two placement class we discussed rocks and minerals, but it was a brief overview. The children would inquire on the rocks that they found along the hike to the maple trees. I personally really am interested in rocks and it may sound kind of corky, but I like to collect rocks from different places in the world. When I have traveled I like collecting rocks that I have found in the ocean and the ones that are along rivers. The rocks are really exotic in the shape and colour, it is really amazing!

Word Count 408

Week 7: Air and Weather

Sat, 13 Oct 2007 18:15:43 GMT

The weather…. I think it must be one of my favorite subjects in Science! I can remember in grade one always being the first one to raise my hand during French class to state my opinion on what the weather was like for the day.

The book describes many interesting activities about air and weather that made me really think about how it would look like in the classroom. I really like the helicopter spin moving through the air. I can remember in my second year placement participating with the children in making paper airplanes. It was fun to make, learn and observe. The children got to learn through trial and error by experimenting with the different folds of the paper and the effects it had when pushed by the air. Another activity that was mentioned was the concept of how rain if formed? I never knew that there could be a lesson for demonstrating this cycle. I think that this is a good visual for children to observe and make reflections of there inquiry. I would defiantly like to try this in my own classroom.
I can recall in my placement last year the children were learning about temperature and how to identify with the different Celsius on the thermometer bar. They learned about the temperature using the thermometer in different environments. However I really liked how the book uses creative movement as an extension to thermometers. I think that this is a great opportunity to allow children to learn through different experiences. Usually from my experience children learn this is through worksheets or math books, but I think its so much better learning through creative expression. The weather also lends itself to be easily accessible to a field trip, outside of the school on a rain day. Children can make observations about the water cycle. Like I have always said if there is an opportunity for children to learn outside of the classroom walls teacher’s need to take the chance because children will greatly benefit from it.

Last year as an extension of the weather subject, I used children’s observations in the classroom to create a chart of the daily weather. Unfortunately I never knew until reading the chapter in the book, how important it is to stress that the sun is always shining even when it is cloudy. I always thought this would possibly confuse them because it’s an abstract thought. But now that I see the way the book demonstrates this, the idea no longer seems so complicated. The children used this chart to at the end of each month create a tally then a bar graph on the weather of the month. I really liked this lesson because it incorporated math and science. To adapt this idea to older children temperature can be measured as well as wind speed (air) and different graphs can be created. Keeping this throughout the year makes children comfortable with the concept of weather and graphing.

Word Count 496

Week 5: The Human body-Care and Nourishment

Sat, 29 Sep 2007 23:44:56 GMT

This weeks reading was really fascinating to learn about. The human body and healthy eating have always been a science topic that I enjoy learning and teaching about. I recall last year in early primary programming forming a unit study on this science topic. It’s interesting how some of the lessons that I introduced in that unit study are similar to the ones mentioned in the book. The concept of growth intrigued me as a little girl. I can remember always measuring my height along the inside wall of the closet in my room I was consistent to make sure I labeled the month and the year on the line that I measured myself at. At school I remember learning about the food groups, but the activities were not the much fun. All we did was colour the products that belonged to the proper category and keep a week’s log of the food that we consumed at home. The text mentions that the practice of requiring children to report what they have eaten at home each day threatens feelings of acceptance and reduces self-esteem. I never actually thought there was a problem with this until, I realized after reading this statement that with the cultural diversity that exists in the classroom and the different social classes, this can be quite insulting to children who don’t consume all the food groups or more then that children will feel pressured to make it up since they feel they won’t fit. Since my personal experiences with the food groups were not that much fun, I would suggest teaching with an interactionist style that includes; food tasting activities and possibly a trip to the local grocery store. I believe this kind of hands on learning is more beneficial then colouring as well children take away with them a joyous experience.
I can recall the dental hygienist coming to the classroom and giving us mini lessons on how to care for our teeth. She used the big sets of teeth with the extra large tooth brush and showed us how to brush and maintain. She also went over the effects that junk food has on our teeth with a small in class experiment. I would like to bring this kind of learning to my classroom as I think it is important for children to learn very early about how to maintain proper dental hygiene.
The text mentions that food should not be treated as a punishment or a reward and I completely agree as children can be negatively conditioned. One of my experiences in a kindergarten classroom, the teacher would use the method of removing a child’s snack or lunch temporary as a behaviour management technique. However I thought this was terrible because it conditioned the children negatively and to be honest it did not stop the behaviour
Ultimately since we are living in a society with rich cultures, as future teachers we should take the opportunity in this segment to invite parents to share information about or perhaps demonstrate a quick baked good from their culture. This allows for beneficial learning for children and appreciation for other foods.

Word Count 500