Wiki in the classroom

http://socialstudiesfamily.wikispaces.com/

Wiki used within the classroom can be very beneficial to students and teachers alike. It has endless possibilities with which students and teachers can use. Most dominant however, is the group work which students can work on using wiki. Also very important is that the teacher can monitor students using the wiki if she is the administrator of the page.

The piece produced was on the Social Studies subject on the Family.
Challenges faced were minimal. However, they were gotten over with "tampering".

Video Reflection

A video was produced using the Social Studies topic littering.
The challenges when producing this video were few. However it was very difficult to save the video in order to upload it to the blog. With further instruction from fellow classmates, that problem was resolved.
This piece could have been improved by the use of a professional video being attached. However, my personal views are that students would respond to videos made locally, within the group or made by the teacher.

Using Videos within the classroom

The video created was based on littering and tourism in the Social Studies lesson. My group members and I realized that littering is becoming a major problem within Antigua and Barbuda especially with the young people of the nation. With tourism being the state's main industry, it is essential that persons are aware of the negative impacts which littering may impose on the state's aesthetics as well as tourism. Thus, in the video, littering is highlighted.

Students are inspired by the use of technology when used in the classroom context. Lessons containing videos may inspire them as it would be a new approach to the content. These videos can be used to reinforce a previous lesson taught or it may be used as an introduction to the lesson as it would grasp the attention of the students. Also, students may use movie maker to present group work. This would actually excite and motivate the students into working together on the project.

Blog Reflection- Podcast

The podcast produced was one of the use of drugs within the schools.

The piece will be utilized within the Social Studies classroom to inform the students on the effects of illegal drugs on the individual student and the type of drugs that are used within the student body.

Challenges faced were few, however it was difficult to reach all of the participants at the same time. It was resolved by actually going to the students' houses to receive the information needed.

The piece could be improved by eliminating some of the scratches that are evident in the raw data. By using the microphone built in the computer itself, there would be less of a scratch since the interruption would not have been present.

Using Podcast as a teaching tool- Blog post

Podcast is an essential teaching- learning tool because for one, it captures and holds the attention of students. In a world that is rapidly becoming technological, it is important for the teacher to hold their students' attention. Gone are the days of books and simple chalk and talk teaching. Now teachers must be aware of the interests of their students and should incorporate them within the classroom. It would also aid greatly in developing the intellect of the interpersonal learner, because podcast allows for interaction with peers. 

The podcast created by my group members and I dealt with the use of illegal drugs within the schools. It is no rocket science to know that students utilize illegal drugs. However, some students and teachers may not be aware of the possible side effects. The podcast created included two teachers and two students who dealt with the issues at hand. 

Two ways in which a podcast can be utilized within the classroom setting are:

• the teacher may introduce podcast to his/ her students to interact with their peers and to keep their attention span at an all time high. For example with a subject that deals with society such as Social Studies, the teacher may ask the students to create a podcast that deals with a particular issue. This in essence would excite and motivate the students to learn
• when preparing at a presentation for a lesson, the teacher, instead of using the basic powerpoint, the teacher could then carry out interviews and create a podcast. this would be interesting and entertaining to the students and they would be left to wonder "what next can my teacher do? I really look forward to class" and this is the kind of interest we as teachers would like to see within our students.

    

Social Studies Visual Learning Tool

This handout on Social Studies: family genealogy will benefit the students as it is a guide to them fully understanding what exactly a family tree should look like and what a family tree entails. Indeed, a classroom has different types of learners. In this instance, the teacher would be able to incorporate the visual and tactile learners' needs within the lesson. The handout will be a follow up on the content that will be given at the end of the lesson. Following will be a blank sheet of the same handout that the students would take home to create their own personalized family tree. This would include for them to do research on their own family thus they would have an even greater understanding of the family genealogy.
Challenges were very few when it came to this topic and visual learning tool. This steamed from prior knowledge and the group members' assistance of the topic and how to use Microsoft word processing.

Why is it important for teachers to adequately prepare for each lesson?

1. 1.      Why is it important for teachers to adequately prepare for each lesson?
   It is important for teachers to adequately plan for each lesson so that he/ she will always know what comes next thus, they would not be easily side-tracked. You cannot get anywhere unless you know exactly where you’re going. In light of this, your expectations of what you intend the students to learn and the objectives at the end of the lesson are clear. You have a clear cut idea of what the student is capable of learning and as the teacher he/ she should plan for each intended lesson.
   2.      Why do you think every educator should write lesson plans even though you may have taught the lesson many times over?
   Every educator should write lesson plans even though you may have taught the lesson many times over because the teacher could use many approaches to the same material and it needs to be recorded for future reference. Also, it is crucial for the teacher to know what was taught and how it was taught at a later date.