Anthony Capps Discussion

In the videos Project Based Learning 1 and Project Based Learning 2 I noticed that the students were more involved and more excited about the subjects that they were having to learn about. From Anthony's experience it seems that with project based learning the students are becoming more independent when it comes to learning in the class room. I also learned that project based learning allows for each student to explore an area of the lesson that they found more interesting and then share the material that they have gathered to the other students. This allows students to not only learn from the teacher but also learn from each other. For example the Afghanistan culture project that Mr. Capps had his students work on. Some students focused on the food, clothing, and life style, and others focused on the warfare. Then all students where able to see what the other students had discovered about different aspects of life and culture in Afghanistan. From listening to what Mr. Capps had to say about project based learning I could see that it creates a more exciting and engaging learning environment for both teacher and student.

The programs I-curio and Discovery ED are new to me. I think it is amazing that teachers are now able to have their students search the web for information with out fear of them seeing something that is not age appropriate. All of the features on the I-curio program are very useful for the students. I love how you can collect websites and information in a folder when you see it on the web so that you don't have to go looking for it later when you need it. I also learned that I-curio has a feature for students with disabilities. For example it has software that can read the text to you. Discovery ED is also a very useful tool in the class room. With Discovery ED a teacher or the students can find multimedia to pair with the lesson that they are learning about. This tool is very useful for the students that are visual learners, and makes class more exciting for the teacher and the students.

The video discussion with Dr. Strange and Mr. Capps titled . Strange Tips For Teachers was very interesting. The tip i liked the most is that Teaching is hard work but can be exciting. I like what Mr. Capps said about not letting your job become work and allow your self to be excited about what you are teaching. I also agree with what Dr. Strange said. He stated that as a teacher you must also be a learner. Teachers don't always know everything and should be open to learning more and gaining different perspectives on different topics.I found these tips very true and think every teacher should keep them in mind throughout their career.

I enjoyed listening to Mr. Capps tell us about how he uses technology in the classroom and how he plans his lessons for the year. I was impressed that his third graders are able to effectively use IMovie with out a lot of help. I like how Mr. Capps explains how he uses his lessons to build on the students skills. He states that he will not go directly into having them use multiple sources to create an IMovie. Instead one week he may have them build a report using Discovery ED, and the next week he will have them use IMovie to make a reflection video on what they learned. Then combine those two skills and have them use both. Before listening to Mr. Capps talk about how he plans his lesson i had no insight into how exstensive of a process planning a lesson is. Not only do you have to keep in mind what goals you want to accomplish for the week but you must keep the lessons in line with what your yearly goals are. I like the example Mr. Capps gives with a Russian Doll Set. You have a yearly goal that you need to meet and in order to meet that goal you must complete each monthly and weekly goal. At the same time you have to make sure the students are comprehending the material. All of these videos gave me a greater insight into what it takes to be a successful teacher and how effective project based learning can be in the classroom.