Reflection 7, Chapter 7

1. Levels of classroom discussion range from teacher to teacher, student to student, and teacher to student. Teacher to teacher discussion can show us how we are doing on a particular project or subject. If they need something more, if they are to long, if another teacher has done the same thing and has suggestions to make it better or how it didn't work for them. You can use blogs or wikis or any other mode of technology to communicate with teachers that you can not meet face to face. Student tostudent discussions helps them communicate with other students and collaborate on their project. They can get new ideas, get different views, and even explain their own thinking to others when communicating with other students. Teacher to student discussions help the student understand something they are confussed about, helps the teacher understand where the students are coming from with a idea that may be close to the students heart or why they are passionate about something. Discussion is communication, communication is essential in any classroom or work place. 2. Questions for "checking in" on students is very important. Procedural questions like "Are we on task?" "Do we have the right materials?" Teamwork questions like "Are the team memebers doing their part?" "Are they getting along with all memebers?" Understanding questions like "Have you thought about...?" and "Where did you get your information?" Self-assessment questions like "Did you include all the information necessary to finish your project?" or "How do you feel you did on your project?" All these questions are intended to help the students do their projects to the best of their ability. If we just let them go and do not ask questions, we might end up with students not doing what they are suppose to do or studetns not understanding something and not even bothering to t=do the project. 3. Benefits to students when optimizing the use of technology are that the technology can help studetns reach learning goals. Some studetns learn best with hands on experience. Using different types of technology gives them this hands on experience. Technology can help students stay organized. Like using Excel, students can put thier information into a spreadsheet and graph instead of writing it down on paper, this helps them keep it organized and it won't get lost in the mix of other papers. Technology is always expanding and adding new things. There should always be something new that a student can learn while using new technology. Most studetns should have access to the technology through school. If they do not have it at home they can try a library or computer labs at various locations. Some schools are even giving their studetns laptops or ipads to use at school and at home. 4.Teamwork is a skill that can make or break a project. If the students are doing their work and doing it well they can make the project work. If students do not get along with their partner this can be a terrible situation and they will not communicate with each other and they may not even do the project, thus breaking the project. When teamwork is an important part of a project, we need to make sure we fit the right partners together to get the end results that we want. When doing a project that requires new information about a subject, make sure to listen to the studetns prior knowledge and suppliment anything else that they should know before starting the project. The book talks about different cultures. Somethings we say in America sould be rude or offensive to someone in another country. The conceps that relate to our project are that I am using new technology that I have not used before. Like blogs, podcasts, and moviemaker. This makes the project more interesting to do and hopefully more interesting to view. I also think it will help us by using the different "checking in" procedures to help keep us on track and on time.