Blue Ribbon Readers

A great reading resource that I have found is called Blue Ribbon Readers: Making Connections. The resource can be found on the PBS learning website. Click on the link below to access the resource:

http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/psu11la.reading.brrconn/blue-ribbon-readers-make-connections/

The resource is an interactive game that allows students to practice their ability to make mental connections between the text and things the reader may already know. The connections may include things the reader has read before (text to text), things they have seen or heard (text to world), or things they have done (text to self). The game is designed to help students read and also assists with developing further comprehension skills.

Screenshot of Blue Ribbon game

The principles of teaching reading that could be addressed through this resource are that it helps a student to become an effective reader. According to the Ontario Curriculum an effective reader is one who not only grasps the ideas communicated in a text but also is able to apply them in new contexts. In order to do this the reader must be able to think critically, creatively, and clearly about the information read in texts and recognize their relevance in other contexts. 

The interactive game allows students to develop their comprehension strategies and apply the text understood in a text to other contexts such as books read, things they have seen or heard before, and things they have experienced.

Screenshot of blue ribbon game

The interactive game allows students to develop their comprehension strategies and apply the text understood in a text to other contexts such as books read, things they have seen or heard before, and things they have experienced. 

Screenshot of BlueRibbon game

Making connections is so important with regards to reading as it creates a more lasting impression on the student and allows them to remember and understand information more clearly. The interactive game also provides an option of having the text read out to the student for those who need more assistance. The read out loud option is great for differentiated learning and making accommodations for students who require further assistance. 

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The features that make this resource useful for teachers of literacy is that it is an interactive game that keeps students engaged while learning. Students are not simply just reading a book but also rather taking part in something that keeps them interested while developing key skills that are important in becoming effective readers. The interactive game is readily available on the site and easy to use.

Another example of making connections in the classroom can be reading texts that are all interconnected so that students can make connections about common themes or characters and plot in texts that they have chosen to explore. An activity such as this would be ideal for an older grade such as grade seven or eight. While the interactive game appeals more to students in grades four or five.

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Closing Statement

Overall I have learned a lot in my Technology Class especially with regards to all the new programs and applications that I can use in my future classrooms. Technology is an important part of student's learning experience and I am happy that I can now apply what I have learned in order to keep my future students engaged and motivated in their education experience. At first I was nervous because I found it a challenge creating presentations using the new tools that we explored, however with time and exploration of these tools I feel that I can successfully use them in my classroom.

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Genius Hour Closure Reflection

I have finished my Genius Hour Project and found it to be a really enriching experience! I discovered that you can expand your creativity skills and that art is subjective. Art is not just a blank canvas and a paint brush but it is more than that. Art is whatever you want it to be me and for my project art meant creating these simple Do It Yourself Video projects that I found online that helped make my life simple in some shape or form. I created the taco headphone holder to find a solution to my headphones always being tangled up in my bag. Not only was this a solution to a problem but it was a fun and cute way of coming up with the solution that expanded my artistic abilities further. Secondly, I created a mermaid bath bomb because it is one way that I like to destress in life. I always find myself purchasing expensive bath bombs and thought why not create one myself for nearly half the cost! The bath bomb was also a success and I was very proud of myself that I was able to accomplish this little project all by myself. Overall, I learned that you can accomplish anything you want to just as long as you have the right mindset and stay motivated and committed. I may not be the Pablo Picasso of artists but I sure can create things that I never imagined possible before this project!

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Genius Hour Reflection Three

This week for my Genius Hour Project I decided to make my mermaid bath bomb and put it to the test. The project was a bit harder than I had anticipated as I don't think I let it freeze for long enough because some of the bath bomb started to come apart before I placed it into the bath. However over all I would consider this project a success! Not to mention the pretty pastel colours looked beautiful and appealing in a warm bath.

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Genius Hour Reflection Two

This week for my Genius Hour Project I did some research regarding what other D.I.Y video I could accomplish. I decided to do a mermaid bath bomb because I always find myself watching videos of people dropping their home made bath bombs into a warm bath and I love how all these beautiful colours escape the figure and submerge into the water. I went to the grocery store along as Michaels to buy the supplies I needed to make my own bath bomb.

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Media Studies Blog Post

An excellent resource I have found on the cool cat teacher website is called 10 Cool Ways Teachers Can Use Social Media to Enhance Learning. The resource goes on to give ten examples that teachers can use social media both inside and outside of the classroom to get their students motivated and interested in their learning experience. The article describes how students are no longer working for the teacher’s wastebasket but rather connecting and sharing like never before. Social media does not have to be a negative aspect of learning but can be seen as safe and a means of enhancing student’s learning. http://www.coolcatteacher.com/10-amazing-ways-teachers-have-used-social-media-to-enhance-learning/

Retrieved from: http://www.coolcatteacher.com/10-amazing-ways-teachers-have-used-social-media-to-enhance-learning/

The resource relates to the principles for Media Studies outlined in the curriculum by including media texts containing images, words, and sounds in electronic form to communicate ideas and information to an audience. Media studies explores the impact and influence of mass media and popular culture by examining texts such as film, songs, tweets, and online posts. Students have the opportunity to share information online and create graphics through these resources.

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Some of the examples of great ideas that teachers have shared on the resource are Michael Haye’s 9’oclock Science Challenge on Facebook where he challenges his students every night with a science question and the students comment with their solutions. The next day the teacher gives out prizes to the students who answered correctly.

Another example is Lake Brantley High school’s To Be Kind movement they have started on Instagram. The school has come up with a program to encourage kindness in response to bullying that may be occurring not only at school but in the community as well. The movement is seen as a way to stop bullying out of schools and teaching them to spread the kindness.    

Lastly is Kevin Jarett’s STEM Lab Projects and Capstones where the teacher encourages the students to use design thinking and combine it with empathy.  The students have a teacher named Miss Cindy in their school who uses a guide dog to get around and they challenged themselves to look for ways they can use design thinking to get Miss Cindy around more easily at school. Not only do the students learn more about her condition but also they become more empathetic. What a great idea to combine math and science with socio-emotional learning.

In my teaching placement school, my grade eight class has come up with a great way to use social media in the classroom to enhance learning. The students are in a French immersion classroom and learning about culture is important. The students have a scare crow named Gaston who is visiting from France and each week one student takes Gaston home and lets him experience the culture of Canada more specifically Toronto and the GTA. The students tweet in French for example the students post a picture of Gaston at Tim Hortons with the caption “My first time trying Donuts and Tim Hortons, I think I prefer these to the croissants we have back home”. The project is a great way for students to practice their French and get excited about their learning.

Social Media does not have to be as negative as it is perceived but in fact an excellent tool that students and teachers can use to get students encouraged about their learning. Students no longer want to sit in a class room and listen to a teacher read straight from a textbook for eight hours of the day. Students want to get connected and share their bright ideas with their classmates and the rest of the world. Social media is the tool of the future for the students of today.