Carly's Blog

            When I started my journey to becoming an educator I was excited to have my own classroom and students of my own. While college prepares future teachers how to write lesson plans and integrate a lesson with multiple contents, it does not quite prepare you for the skill of parent communication. As someone who is not a fan of confrontation, I was always afraid to reach out to parents with concerns about their child with fear of families responding in defense and anger. Even though I knew all of the positives that went along with family communication, there was something holding me back. In fact, my belief is that students learn best when there is a strong relationship and communication with families so what was I waiting for?  For those of us that read and analyzed Sherry Turkle and Dr. Michael Wesch , both emphasize the need for conversation . In an e-mail or text message I can edit and perfect my message and be presented in the profes...

The link to my Pecha Kucha presentation on Family Communication: https://www.loom.com/share/2401286cd18e45ba89a7489f8f2bb732 

     Sugata Mitra is an educational researcher who delivers an interesting speech on TED Talk about the future of education. He points out that education as we know it today is outdated and doesn't prepare students for the workforce that they could be entering as technology evolves.      Sugata Mitra's  most famous study is the "Hole in the Wall" study in which he puts computers in certain communities throughout India to see what happens when children are left alone with the technology in a language they do not speak. His expectations were low but he was determined to find out. After eight hours of leaving the computer in the Dehli community near his work, he saw kids teaching other kids how to browse. Not only were children learning quickly about the computer, they were teaching others how to use it. This study extended throughout India and for much longer time frames to see how students studied certain questions and used computers. Mitra was so imp...

        Sherry Turkle, a psychologist and professor, gives a passionate TED Talk about the impact technology has on relationships and feeling alone. Dr. Michael Wesch, a cultural anthropologist and professor, advocates for education to be meaningful for students and less "inflexible" in Anti-Teaching: Confronting the Crisis of Significance . At first, Turkle and Wesch may seem at odds in their views and opinions on technology and the human race. Turkle wants the public to put down these devices and be okay with solitude and reaching out for relationships, Wesch wants to use technology to build relationships in his classroom and make classroom environments relevant. However, as I read closer and look deeper into this issue, Turkle and Wesch are more alike than originally thought.     Both Turkle and Wesch emphasize the need for conversation and outreach. Sherry Turkle remembers being told by an eighteen year old that at some point he wants to "learn ho...

          Before this class I had only seen Moana   once or twice. I have heard about all of the families whose children adore this movie and look up the Moana's character. From decorated lunch boxes to Moana themed birthday parties, this is a Disney film that is trying to bring more inclusivity into the princess world.            Disney has been criticized for their use of white, cis, straight princesses who just want to find their Prince Charming. The idea that women should be waiting around for the man of their dreams who will sweep them off their feet and provide a life worth living in paradise. These ideals and values permeate Disney princess movies and affect perceptions that children have on love, family, values, and so much more (whether consciously or not). Moana , in addition to other movies such as The Princess and the Frog , are trying to represent more races and ethnicities in the Disney space. Howev...

    This past spring educators all over the world found themselves in a situation no one would have ever predicted. Teachers had little to no time to prepare the rest of the school year online and sharing resources was crucial. Student engagement was a major concern for everyone and  I was finding that when I would assign instructional videos, some students were not watching them and just going straight to the posted assignment.        Enter EdPuzzle .        I had used EdPuzzle so many times before as station activities, but I was finding another purpose during distance learning. EdPuzzle allows teachers to see which students are watching/completing the instructional videos, as well as check for understanding. When students see a teacher assigned an instructional video on EdPuzzle, they know their watch history is monitored and are more likely to watch the video, which is so important when it comes to understanding new co...

    "Rethinking Popular Culture and Media" is a collection of chapters that aim to challenge the information we have been putting in front of children in schools. These insightful chapters were put together by Elizabeth Marshall and Ozlem Sensoy in 2016.      When I was looking through the different chapters, one specifically caught my eye. "Politics of Children's Literature" by Herbert Kohl. When I read the title I was expecting to read about the filtration of information in children's books. This is what was discussed but with a very familiar story. The story of Rosa Parks.     Kohl outlines the classic story that all children are told when it comes to Rosa Parks and how she refused to give up her seat to a white man. In Kohl's outline, he challenges the classic narrative with what actually transpired and what is kept from children's literature. Herbert Kohl presents the classic story of Rosa Parks that students are frequently told in classrooms...

    Simon Sinek delivers a powerful speech about leadership, values, and human behavior in his TED Talk, "How Great Leaders Inspire Action" . He discusses what makes certain brands and leaders "innovative" using his "Golden Circle" visual (as shown below). According to Sinek, the direction in which brands and leaders communicate (inside, out or outside, in) determines their success. A leader will be more successful when they go from their "Why", their beliefs, and their purpose rather than "What" their selling or doing.        When Sinek was describing the idea that human behavior is driven from beliefs and purpose, I agreed with him. When someone feels like their beliefs are being validated by a company or leader, they are going to follow through and support that group or person. He discusses the nature of human biology and how the brain works in the same way this Golden Circle operates in the sense that behavior is only driven from be...

    When planning my Final Project for this Media Literacy course, I was asking myself what kinds of things I want to improve in my classroom and how they connect to my belief about how students learn. As I said in the "About Me" post, I was a middle school science teacher the last two years and will be making the move to third grade this coming fall. The transition from middle to elementary level teaching provides a whole new perspective when considering changes and things I want to see in my classroom.     The middle school teacher in me automatically thinks about wanting to change how students encounter and apply vocabulary, since this is a challenge I notice every year. I believe that the vocabulary (and content) that students are learning should be relevant to things they experience in the real world. This makes content and knowledge much more concrete and the student retains that information much better.      As an elementary teacher, or just a t...