Blog Post #6

The videos done by Dr. Strange and Mr. Capps covered a wide range of resources that were unknown to me until now. The topics were covered with great detail and I look forward to exploring their many possibilities in greater detail.Mr. Capps seemed like a really cool guy that cares about the knowledge the students obtain and the students themselves. Which is a goal we should all aspire to.

I am ashamed to say that the term Project Based Learning was something never heard before entering EDM 310. Over these last few very fast paced summer weeks, I have grasped a basic understanding of the concept. Project Based Learning is just an effective way to get all the students to work together to reach a common goal. This method promotes critical thinking and creativity. I believe this is one of if not the best way for students to learn. Give them an assignment that they can actually get invested in and enjoy. I like that Capps states that his ideas of project based learning are constantly evolving. The minute we think we have all the answers is the minute we start to get complacent with our methods. Which may hurt us in the long run. We should always be looking for more and better teaching methods to incorporate. It pays to be on the cutting edge in today's teaching environment.



What should come as no shock to anyone following my blog, I was introduced to another new tool today. Icurio is a search engine that is used in many Baldwin County schools. I live in Monroe County and we are always pretty far behind technology speaking. So I guess that is how this popular tool has evaded my notice. Here is a basic definition the Icurio sites gives itself  "icurio is the only learning engagement solution that starts with a powerful foundation of 360,000+ educator-curated, standards-aligned open educational resources (OER). Add to that powerful instruction tools, streamlined delivery, real-time insights into student understanding and personalized feedback at the point of learning" 




Discovery Education is a tool I have used before. The site just provides teachers and students with a vast amount of educational videos for them to view. The elementary class I was observing last semester used this to in their science class. We watched a ton of cool videos on lizards and amphibians. Students would often just look up videos just for the fun of it. So that is one of the key advantages of this site. It gives a fun way for kids to got out and seek information for themselves.