Project # 3... the last one.

One of the biggest problems I've run into in the classroom, especially being a TA for beginning sewing, is the students inability to connect to the subject.

Here is an example: One of the first projects that beginning sewing students at BYU do needs to include darts. To me darts are a simple fitting element, to everyone else they seem to be a mystery. Even though we describe darts students don't really get it until they are looking for patterns with darts and they ask me a million questions.

Another example: Learning about pastry dough in a cooking class, it is hard to explain why it is necessary to divide the butter in the dough and mix it so carefully. Even if you tell them why you do it, and how, a lot of the time they don't get it.

What I have noticed about students learning in hands-on classrooms is that if they figure it out themselves and relate it to their own experience they are able to understand the skills and concepts a lot better.

My solution? www.wallwisher.com

Basically wallwisher.com is an interactive note board. You can make the site private or public, and people can post notes about a topic or theme. The head of the site (you) controls what post-its get to stay on the site.

I think that this is helpful because while we are going over the topic in class students can use the board (or rather they are required to post) to share info and personal relationships to the topic. For example, the wall that I created for my fake FACs class has a theme of eggs. I've posted different notes about eggs. The students would be required to post anything they know about eggs. Extra points would be given for experiments. When students realize how a topic relates to their life they will be able to understand it better, and do better on assessments.

For my dart example I would probably ask my students to take pictures of their own clothes with darts (or online if they don't have any) and post then on the wall. Then other people can see darts, where they go, and hopefully why they go there.

Wallwisher is super easy to use. You just sign up with a valid email address and you have one. To post a note you double click on the page and a square pops up. The reason I like wallwisher so much is because when you click on the notes to read them it will pop up a mini window of links that the person has posted. So the web page will pop-up small, or even youtube videos can be accessed right there.

Here are some screenshots of my wall, and here is the link to my wall!

The Final Blog Post: #10

So time for an accumulation of thoughts.

I think I use technology every time I explore "some domain of knowledge". When I go to my sewing labs to teach we have computerized machines I have to deal with. When I grade assignments I get to use programs online. When I do my homework I need to use desktop programs and explore databases. When I want to know something I google search it (true story).

When I interact with my classmates technology is the main medium. We all have a general knowledge of google docs and other applications so we can easily collaborate on assignments. That is probably the newest type of technology we use

In my classroom I think technology will mainly be equipment--cameras, machines, etc.
But I'm a fan of using the internet as a source for students to learn about the subject as it applies to the real world.

In this class I learned that technology isn't that hard. If they made it for the public to use I can figure it out well enough.

I think something I learned in this class that I might use is how to make a website. Even though i just made a google site, and it was easy, I want one for my classroom (hopefully kids actually look at it).

well... I guess that's all.

Project #3

Being a TA in a beginning sewing lab we run into alot of problems. Mainly you can't show each student how to do something. So, since the beginning of class is the hardest i was thinking of presenting how to thread a machine in some way that isn't the camera following me around (because believe it or not our little camera doesnt work that well).
I will be working alone. You know how it is.

Internet Safety

I think the first thing schools need to do is have quality safe filters. They shouldn't have access to that bad stuff, especially in school.

If I did have blogs for the classroom (like I've had to do in my classes) I think it would be important to go over basic internet safety with my students, like:
Don't put personal information on your blog
Don't do illegal things
Don't talk to strangers
etc..

The world is a scary place, the internet is too.
sadly.

my instructional video!

It's a Video Chat World

So video chat. It was easy, I already had skype. Quality is never that good though. But it's free!

I don't think I would use this with my students. I would just rather not spend time outside of class teaching on computer. maybe thats selfish. Maybe I'm just a fan of separating spheres.

Lesson # 6: the videos

Okay, so, the video I downloaded was from youtube, and was called "tights are not pants" by Glozell. I might use it for a modesty lecture in one of my labs....
I used the firefox download "1-click youtube video downloader". Um, it was really easy, and the only problem is that my computer/internet is slow.

I won't have any problems using this video in class because it is on youtube--which is public. I would use it for teaching, and I wouldn't even use the whole video, just the second half.

Anyways, tights are not pants.