The Power of Teaming

  I have learned many different types of tools to use to benefit student’s learning from my education classes. However, in my ITE and Social Studies Methods classes I have been exposed to many new technology tools that I continue to pass the knowledge on with my friends and family. I love learning about technology and how to apply it in a classroom. In my last post I discussed how Kahoot and Socrative can be used to assess student's knowledge. I had a PowerPoint presentation to give in my ITE class and I thought it would be different to use Kahoot, instead of asking my peers and professor questions. There was only one student in the class that has used Kahoot, therefore I had to explain to everyone how to use it as if I was teaching. This was a great opportunity for me to test this how to see how it works before using it in fieldwork. My professor was so impressed and wanted to know how I found out about this tool and I started to explain that it was from Dr. Smirnova's class. My professor was so pleased with this program that he wants to use it in the classroom from now on. I personally try to bring all the knowledge I have and apply it to all the classes I'm in the best I can. As you can see, my presentation went well and my peers truly enjoyed using Kahoot. I think it is important as a college student to introduce new tools or ideas into other classes. 

      

       I also believe as a teacher it is helpful to share information and ideas with your colleagues. Therefore, after my presentation I spoke to my mom and wanted her to try using one of these tools in her classroom. She teaches Math 7 Common Core and I thought that her students would love using one of these tools. My mom created an account on Socrative and made a quiz for her 7th grade students. She had to reserve the iPads in her school for a day and as she was doing this she found out that Socrative was an app on the iPad, but no one know what it is. She was nervous using it because it was a new tool for her to use in her classroom and she didn't know if it was going to be distracting for her students. However that was not the issue, her 7th graders loved using the iPads and though Socrative was different. The feedback my mom got was very informative. The students loved the instant feedback and enjoyed seeing how the whole class did on answering questions. Socrative can be used as a teacher paced quiz, which is what my mom did in her class.  Socrative can also be set to student paced where each student would work at his/her own pace and get instant feedback. At the end of the lesson, my mom asked her students if they would like a student paced version next time and was surprised that they did not. Every class enjoyed the  teacher-paced version so they could see as a class how everyone was doing. This was surprising to my mom. Her students asked her if they could use this from now on instead of having Exit tickets. After my mom taught this once, she understood how this program worked and was very comfortable with it.  Teachers can also share quizzes with each other by sharing the SOC- identification number. If you want to see one of her quizzes, log onto Socrative and import the following quiz SOC-15239627. I see this as being a very helpful and informative tool for the classroom. The students enjoyed it as well.

Tips for Collaboration

After reading Lily Jones blog, I found her tips to be very helpful for successful collaboration. Her first tip is to build relationships with colleagues. Sometimes teaching could be frustrating or full of laughs and it is nice to just pop in another teacher’s classroom to say hello. Jones states, “The relationships you build with colleagues aren’t just good for your mental well being; they’re also the foundation of collaboration that can result in increased student achievement. Just like building relationships with students lays the groundwork for academic success, building relationships with colleagues lays the groundwork for effective collaboration” (Jones, 2014). Her second tip is to find time to collaborate with each other. Teachers should share lesson plans, activities, ideas, etc. Teachers can do this through Drop Box, Google Docs, Skype, or email. Believe it or not, the more teachers collaborate with each other, the more the likely students are to achieve goals and succeed. Lily Jones third tip is to share responsibility, by trying to make plans and “dividing up the tasks based on ones strengths and interest” (Jones, 2014).

In the video, the teachers discuss how helpful it is to collaborate with each other. One teacher mentioned that teaching another activity that is from another teacher allows the students to feel a connection that they are learning what everyone else is learning too and that it is not just in this classroom. I think it is significant that students know they are learning and doing the same activity as another class. Students like to talk to their friends in other classes and they get excited when they realize they’re learning about the same concept.   Since the common core and he Engage NY Modules have been implemented, teachers across buildings and districts have been collaborating even more.  In my mother’s district made up of three middle schools, the grade level teachers have collaborated and shared lessons, ideas and end of unit assessments.  Teachers are learning to work more together to achieve more as the new curriculum is being implemented. Collaboration is a big part of teaching and working together helps both teachers and students succeed.  

Thank you for reading,

Works Cited

How Teachers Collaborate Online and in School. (2011, October 20). Retrieved February 12, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0tMDxhLRaA

Jones, L. (2014, June 18). The Power of Teaching Collaboration. Retrieved February 12, 2015, from https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2014/07/18/power-of-teacher-collaboration-nea/ http://blogcea.org/2011/09/30/collaboration-raises-achievement/