Posts

I thought I lost all my posts but you have to look at 'Previous Posts' on the right hand side the page of posts for my previous posts that I have created....

Projects vs Exams

I am very happy with the progress of my Curriculum and Assessment project. I feel the project work has more positive outcomes than the exams for the other courses. Eventhough I am interwining all the courses in the project, I have used Josephine Boland's Lecture notes and handbook nearly everyday since we were assigned the project. I feel I know the course very well and I have been actively engaged in the learning process for the course. Whereas the other courses I have touched on them but not in as much detail as the Curriculum and Assessment Project.

Curriculum and Assessment

pheooooooooooo

Exams

As the exams draw near, I am getting increasingly worried as I am spending all my time preparing for lessons and completing the Cuuriculum and Assessment Project.

The Weekend

I had a lovely weekend. I was training with the RDF (Rserve Defense Resources) on Sunday.
I have been put forward for the Corporals course. Absolutely thrilled!!!

Webquest Evaluation

The webquest went brilliant. Our group was very prepared for the presenation. We presented on powerpoint, we had prepared and photocopied handouts and we said everything we had planned to say. I am very happy with it.

There's is only only thing I would like to change and that is; I wish I hadnt been so nervous as it went really good. Our group covered all the necessary requirements;

• Activity itself-Written and Oral Assignment
• Curriculum Integration
• Constructivism Application
• Hardware and Software requirements and the physical environments
• Rubric Evaluation.

How does Webquest support more effective learning?

1. The students are actively learning by looking up the information on the Internet.
2. The students are experiencing the information and creating and imagining new information, rather than regurgitating pre-determined answers provided by the teacher.
3. The Webquest incorporates both the weaker and stronger students. The weaker students can be given predetermined roles in their webquest assignment, while the stronger students can do further research on a given topic.
4. Webquests promote; Higher level thinking. They are required to analyse, synthesis and evaluate the information.
5. The Webquest should be designed to draw on existing knowledge and to build on new information giving, therefore it effectively draws students to revise information and learn new information.
6. Its visual Information and therefore its more effective than listening.
7. The teacher acts as the facilitator, guiding the students through their webquest assignment.
8. The students are responsible for their own work, so they will be more motivated to work better.

Webquest tomorrow

I feel very prepared for presentation.

Webquest

• We have taken an exam style question for the Leaving Cert on the Karstic Region.
• We have examined how we are going to implement this into the webquest.
• We will put the class into groups of two.
• We will set out the guidelines and outline to the class what they are required to do.
• We will tell the students, what is actually required, in terms of hard and software, ie, PC, printer, internet explorer, microsoft word, acetates and overhead projector.
• They will be graded on a Rubric

1. 10% Team work
2. 60% Report
3. 30% Oral presentation-summarize their findings

How it fits into curricular area?

Overall Aims

1. To prepare the students for LC standard answer (curriculum)
2. To make students active in their own learning (websearching)
3. To develop communication skills (Teamwork)
4. To build on existing knowledge (constructivism)

This is the bare bones of our webquest presentation. I hope the class enjoys it. I have the powerpoint presentation prepared and handouts for the group in Edtech of all the Internet Resources that would be given to complete the task and I have summed up what is contained in each site. I will present four sites in the presentation to give the group a taste of the Internet as a resource for students.

I must comment that this would be a valuable lesson to give to fifth years, as they would be actively engaged in their own learning and the teacher would facilitate them with guidance during the five computer lessons assigned to complete the task.

Webquest assignment

I am learning alot about webquest by actively researching about the background information and what is required behind the scenes, so to speak, of creating an effective webquest.

It takes time and energy to develope a webquset assignment. Our group has come together on a number of occasions to discuss our lead on our team project. I must say that it has really worked out, as each person in the group has participated well and each person is motivating the other to get the work for the following group meeting.

I am apprehensive over the actual presentation. We are well prepared but it is frightening to present in front of your own peers

History Class

History Class

I am so annoyed. I spent ages typing up about my lesson plan in History and I lost it because of a rundown bug....

Webquest

I am prepared for the webquest presentation. I have spent alot of time on the presentation. I looked up alot of Internet resources for the students assignment and I have given a summary of each source. I have given the students guidelines for the assignments and I have put the guidelines on an acetate for the presentation and I have put it in on an handout for my EDTECH group (Group 8). On another acetate, I put an example of the typical information you'd get on one of the website to give the students a sample of what they will faced with. I will explain to students that they need to be selective with the information. On an acetate I have put the necessary hardware and software needed to complete the assignment, such as,

1. Computer with Internet Explorer and Microsoft Word
2. Coloured Printer
3. Acetate Printer
4. Overhead Projector and Acetates

I have created a 'Performance Criterion' for the written assignment and presentation. Let's hope the presentation goes brilliant.....

Blackout

The weather was very bad at the weekend. There was no electricity on Sunday due to the storm. Fortunatly I have a laptop and I could work on my lesson plan for Tuesday. I wrote up my lesson plan for Monday on Saturday.

History Class

The class went according to plan. I
assigned the students to
work in groups to discuss an archaeological site. They
came up with great
answers. I talked about the Neale and they were intrigued and
asked me
plenty of questions about exacavating.

St. Joseph's Patrician College-History Class

I'm really looking forward to my history class today with the second years. Yesterday, I tried for the first time 'group work' in the class and it worked a treat. Not only did the students learn, but so did I. I assigned the students into groups of twos and threes to discuss the work of an archaeologist. In each group, one student was assigned to writing down the suggestions and another student presnted their answer to the class. I really enjoyed. Today, we are going to focus on one particular site that I worked on for six months. It is an Early Christian Burial Site. I will take the students through the stages of an archaeological dig, as interesting as I possibly can. I have all my archaeological tools; trowels, brush, picks, hand shovel, gloves and compass in a shoe-box ready for my class today. I also have cut-sheets and skeleton sheets that we recorded on in the Neale. I have photocopied them for each student. I am going to get the students to work in groups today, after the main goals of lesson is complished. Their group work will consist of them, discussing an archaeological site of their choice.

I corrected the students history homework last night on 'the history of their local area'. Some of them were brilliant. The students are brilliant.

EdtechAcetates

I have spent a fortune printing out the acetates for edtech. Ive spent 22 euro, because I had to reprint them three times because of overlaying problems. They would be correct on the plain printed paper, but then when I printed them on acetates they were in correct.

I had to rebuild my layers again, because I had used too many layers, such as text boxes in Drawing Toolbars and this would not correspond to the general toolbar for movement of text. As I moved so too would the images and it was all getting all wiry on me. Ive learned from my experience of creating overlay acetates is not to make them to difficult and not to produce too many layers. I got too advanced with my drawing toolbar.

I am very proud of my acetate, because I created it from scratch using the Drawing Toolbar. I spent ages creating it and then I had the mishaps of printing the acetates. I spent from 11.30 to 3.35pm correcting my acetate today, but thankfully I have it completed and I am very happy with it. Its beautiful. I have learned from all my mistakes and I know I will create my next overlayed acetate much quicker.

Edtech acetates

1. 
   The acetates are driving me mad. I'm making simple mistakes and I have printed them out a few times already. I hope my next attempt will be the last. Ive done so many single acetates and I didnt realise how diificult it is to get the images aligned.
   I had the acetates all printed when I realised that the heading on the base was a line below the master. I must of clicked the keypad before printing it. simple mistakes resulting in a major headaches

Acetates2

• The acetates are driving me mad. I'm making simple mistakes and I have printed them out a few times already. I hope my next attempt will be the last. Ive done so many single acetates and I didnt realise how diificult it is to get the images aligned.

• I had the acetates all printed when I realised that the heading on the base was a line below the master. I must of clicked the keypad before printing it. simple mistakes resulting in a major headaches.

Acetates

• The acetates are driving me mad. I'm making simple mistakes and I have printed them out a few times already. I hope my next attempt will be the last. Ive done so many single acetates and I didnt realise how diificult it is to get the images aligned.

• I had the acetates all printed when I realised that the heading on the base was a line below the master. I must of clicked the keypad before printing it. simple mistakes resulting in a major headaches.

Stone Masons

I am working hard on my Curriculum and Assessment Project. I am developing a module for Transition Year Students on; 'Tradional Dry-Stone Building'.

It's a great way to tie in all the lecture courses I have attended all year.

Problem with the Blogs

As you may have noticed all my blogs are on the same date, but If you view each individual post I created on the 11th, I have dated all my blogs differently. In my last Edtech class, Bonnie asked us to write our blog address beside our names. I wrote my username, as I had created blogs each week instead of Posts. Bonnie asked me to copy and paste all my entries into one blog address. All my downloaded images and altered fonts had been deleted subsequently. I was so disheartened because I had entered a blog twice a week, sometimes three times a week. Bonnie informed me I wouldn't loose any marks, as a few people had done the same thing. I copied and pasted my blogs and I entered the date I had created the blog. I have learned from this mistake.

Acetates

I use acetates to supplement the learning curve in my classes. I think they are invaluable to some lessons. I dont use them in every class, because they are not needed and in fact they would take from the lesson. For example, I was teaching a class on Archaeologists at work. Instead of acetates, I brought into class, archeological tools, such as, trowels, brushes, picks, skeleton sheets. From the start of teaching, I have been using single acetates. After the Ed tech Lesson I learned how to use different layered transparencies. I created the layered transparencies in class and they were brilliant, as the students saw the start of a feature to the whole development, explaining their geological processes at the same time, as I placed transparency on top of the next.

I created a layered transparency on the processes of coastal Erosion. My first layer was the headland and calm water. The second layer was an arrow of strong wind blowing against the headland, causing further weathering. The third layer included stronger waves, cracks in the headland and it included the terminology of coastal erosion, ie Hydraulic Action, Corrasion and Compression. The base layer included the process of Attrition and particles in the water, as stone hits against other stone to erode the headland, in this process known as Attrition. These layered acetates will be used in my class to promote the learning on Coastal Erosion. The acetates are visual guides to both students and teacher and the layers will facilitate the process of explaining the coastal erosion better.

Acetates as visual aids are the way forward.

Handouts

How do Handouts support more effective learing?

I know that handouts are an excellent way to Keep students focused. For example, in my last History class I discussed the different types of sources available to Historians. I took contributions from the class and wrote them on the white board. I asked the students; 'what are the problems associated with each of these sources?'. I allowed the students to come up with their own ideas. I distributed a handout of the problems associated with the sources, so the students and I could read them in class, to supplement their ideas. They will use the handout for future reference, ie to complete their homework and study for an assessment at the end of the section covered in History.

In my geography classes, I use handout to enhance their learning experience. I prepare and present acetates of physical features in class. They listen and look at the visual aids of the acetates. In the middle of class, I distribute a handout, reading about a feature in more detail. These handouts include graphics to stimulate their learning. The students can take the handout home with them and use them to assist them with their homework.

All the students are required to keep their handouts in a folder. Their folders will be checked and graded at the end of the year. This grade will be going towards their end of year mark.

For the assignment, I created a handout on the Hydrological Cycle. Using the computer skills I learned in my EdTech, I created a diagram of the Hydological Cycle using the Tool Bar. I researched the Internet for the important terminology used in the Hydrological Cycle, ie, Precipitation, Condensation, Evaporation and I looked up their meaning. I used the information from the Internet and the school Text book, to explain the Hydrolgical Cycle. I then constructed a word puzzle on the Hydrological Cycle, so that the students would have to look up the letters of the word in the word search puzzle,therefore the students are unconsciously looking up the letters to spell the important words. I created the puzzle on the internet www.puzzlemaker.com.

After the Edtech lesson on handouts, I have become more aware of ownership and management of handouts. I provide a space at the top of their handout for their name and date. I have also become more aware of the font and font size I use when creating handouts for my classes.

Handouts assist me in my teaching. I don't want to bore students by talking to them all the time. The handout diverts attention from me. I always give my classes a handout on exercises and Homework. This is a brilliant way for me to look back in my teaching folder and examine the work that we have covered in the class previous.

I had an unfortunate incident two weeks ago, where a student in my class crumpled up a handout and where another student crumpled up his corrected test and threw it in the bin. I spoke to both pupils after class and I explained the work I had put into the Handouts. I explained how they took time and effort and that they benefit from them now and next Year, during their exam year. I told them that they showed me disrespect. I warned that I would checking their folders at the end of the Year.

Handouts are excellent assistors in teaching.

Teaching and Course Work

31/10/06

• I am aware that this is a learning curve for both the postgraduate students and the staff in the Department of Education, but I think the amount of work expected from the postgraduate students should be considered. This week, I had intended to make a start on the Curriculum and Assessment project, however we have been given additional lectures to attend to, not to mention an increase in the workload.
• Over the weekend, I visited Donegal, as part of the Curriculum and Assessment project, as I wanted to learn more about my chosen curriculum. I know now that I have built a backlog of work to do this week, because I chose to go on this journey. My point is; if I work on one aspect of the course, the other parts are effected.
• The course places so much emphasis' on reflection and consequently we should be given the time to reflect rather than worry about deadlines of projects and reading materials and not forgetting the exams which are coming up next month.
  I know it will all work out in the end. I am having a busy year. I am learning how to use my time more effectively. I am worried about my time on the Curriculum and Assessment project.http://ncca.ie

CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT

26/10/2006
I find the course interesting. I am learning to really think about Curriculum. Alot the materialis covered is new to me. Sometimes I feel the class goes to fast. I am very worried about the project on Curriculum and Assessment. I have an idea, but it's a matter of 'time' that's prohibiting me from starting the project.

Blackboard

19/10/06
I cannot Log into Blackboard, because it doesn't recognise my Username and Password.

Teaching Blog

16/10/06








I am a Postgraduate student in NUIG. I want to be a secondary school teacher. I decided to undertake the PGDE a few years ago. I am really enjoying the course. There is alot of work involved, between teaching and course work.
I attended NUIG last year. I completed a Masters in Landscape Archaeological. During the course I developed analytical skills, which I have found useful in this course, as we are required to be analytical and reflective over our experiences as student-teachers. During the MA, we were taught how to use GIS, Photoshop and Powerpoint. We were required to use these programmes during the course of the year. I hope to learn new things in the Ed Tech course. Already, I have learned how to use Blogs.

Copying and pasting changed changed my colour and font sizes. I had to upload the image again and change font on the 9/11/06

Teaching Blog

16/10/06

Glenbeigh, Co. Kerry.
The copy and paste wouldnt allow me to paste images that were downloaded to my blogs.

Teaching Blog

16/10/06

I find all my time is spent planning and preparing, for teaching practice. From writing out lesson plans, class exercises, homework and reflections, to reading over the material in advance of the class, I find I have little time for course work. I have five classes in the week. I am teaching second years and fifth year students. Fortunately, these classes are in the morning. In the afternoon, I write the reflection of the class and I usually get time to correct the students exercises. I have course classes at three o'clock (Irish=Monday and Tuesdays). I finish course lectures at six. I prepare the lesson plan, which takes me a while to complete, because its all new to me and I type out the student's homework. After that I read over the section to be covered the following day to make sure I know everything in that section and I read further to make sure I know that too. Where does course work fit in?

Third Post

1/11/06

This week has allowed me to reflect over the first term in school.
I find myself asking more questions on my experiences as a teacher. I divulge my experiences with other Teacher Practitioners and ask their opinion on how I would have dealt with the situation more effectively.

Teaching

I had a really good day today. I found the classes were very disciplined, as I reprimanded students on their incompleted Homework. I requested the students to have a note from their parents for repeatedly forgetting to complete their homework. I gave the students an assessment today. Two years were absent, for most of my classes, so I am going to give them a chance to sit the assessment next week in class. I also got the Junior Cert results of the fifth years classes I am taking this year, for my teaching practice folder. I have to write my reflections of my classes now and continue my work on my webquest project. In the afternoon, I will prepare my lesson tomorrow and in the evening, I will attempt to make a start on the 'Curriculum and Assessment Project.

Overpriced Acetates and Mean Teachers!!

The Price of coloured acetates are unreal. Ive been working with black and white acetates since September, but three weeks ago I decided to create seven acetates with colour. I went to get them printed in the office, next to Smokey Joes and it cost me eight euro. I provided them with the acetates in the office to print them. How would anyone afford to print coloured acetates.

I got another set back today in my school. I was photocopying a handout for my class today and one of the permanent teachers in the school turned on me and snarly said; 'How long will you be', I replied that the other photocopier was working and he said; 'does it work' and I replied 'yes it did'. It was just attitude and the way about him...God help his students. There absoloutely no need to be mean. I later found out that the photocopy had jammed on him yesterday, from another Postgraduate Diploma in Education Student. There was no need fro him to take it out on me. It set me back for ten..... Where is the niceness gone?

Thank God my Lesson went well..