#K

I think the obvious choice for an interesting topic would be the Webquest. I will admit, I do not understand it that well because I have never seen or heard of it. According to the textbook, Webquests are virtual tours that students embark on. Teachers provide links and other resources to virtually guide through a process. I've struggled with applying this type of learning to younger students. It is difficult for students under third grade to research, analyze, study, and interpret information. How do I engage them with a link, and correlate it to a project?

Virtual schooling was easy to relate to. In high school, I attended a summer school math program and I can tell you that I did not learn much. Virtual school is convenient (here I am taking them during college), but it isn't the very best way to learn. Being in a class setting is more attention grabbing, and engaging. I constantly struggle with turning surprise assignments in on time, reading the text I've been assigned and so on. I am not tuned in like I would be if I were taking a Monday at 5-7pm class. I've watched a few videos on Youtube about virtual school, and a lot of girls posted videos about it. They all mention that it's stressful, boring, and challenging.

Silly video that grasps online struggles!

Virtual field trips were something that I had not previously heard of or explored. The book said that google earth provides tours of famous cathedrals, libraries, skyscrapers and more! This would be so cool to experience and I think it would really excite students as a geography lesson or something!

#J

Teaching with clickers seems like a fun and interactive way to learn! I remember in middle school my teacher would create jeopardy games to study for quizzes and it was entertaining. I enjoyed being involved in the activity, and it definitely helped recall information when it came to the test. Also, if a student answers incorrectly, it is anonymous... there isn't any embarrassment so it will encourage everyone to participate. The active learning is the best way to learn in my opinion.

Democratic classrooms let students have voices and opinions. Students see lessons as having no control, sitting there and just absorbing information. These democratic classrooms let students feel like they have a say in what happens, and gets them involved in what they learn. After lessons are taught, students are encouraged to give feedback. I have never personally experienced this type of learning, but it seems like it could be fun and interesting.

Alfie Kohn stated that standardized tests cannot accurately measure intelligence and I agree! I actually did a report for this subject last semester and I was able to uncover a lot of points. Standardized tests produce a lot of anxiety and stress, making it difficult to pass! The fact that these tests are a pass or fail technique is unfair to students and the teachers, too.