Last Concept Map

THE BIG BANG!!!

sorry i never titled my big bang! :)

but it is right below!

This semester has flown by soooooooooooo fast! looking back at all the modules i have completed, i have learned so much throughout this semester. But this semester has revolved around project-based learning. To me PBL is having the students do it themselves, being hands on, and learning at their own speed. But this idea i have about PBL has not come with ease because this process has been confusing and a little bit frustrating at times. However i have learned a lot and can not wait to bring this into my classroom to make units more interesting and hands on for my students. when it comes to recycling i definitely learned how to be creative and come up with ideas on how to make a possible boring topic more interesting.

The Bang Bang--Katelyn

This semester has been one that has pushed me to learn new things about teaching.  Project-based learning became a huge part of my planning process when doing other lesson plans.  When first starting off, the entire process was a bit confusing, but with practice it became easier and more fun to incorporate into the curriculum.  With recycling in particular, I have been forced to think about what I would do in my own classroom to get my students to learn in a fun and new way.  I have had the chance to come up with so many projects to incorporate in lessons and it has forced to think about other subjects areas.  

We incorporated project-based in so many aspects during the semester with the different assignments we had to incorporate.  For this website we thought it would be fun to have the "big bang" be a newsletter the students would create and send out to the other students and staff of the school and their families.  It's a great way for the students to show and share what they've learned with people they know.  

The Big Bang of Lisa

Throughout this semester of being emerged into the project-based learning process and experience I have acquired professional and classroom perspective to use as a future teacher.   The process was new and a little confusing at first, not being provided with clear and concise directions made my anxiety increase when completing tasks.  But as the process moved on and I was able to access and use a variety of tools and programs to help enhance my learning process. I got excited about using similar activities with my students some day.  

I would say my goal in using project-based learning is to allow my students to learn in an autonomous manner while enhancing their strengths, overcoming their barriers, and self-evaluating and directing the process.  By allowing students to direct their learning through teacher selected curricula based units, students will be engaged and excited about learning as well as create a foundation of curiosity and communication that will help build characteristic skills that will last a lifetime.  

Ok so i have to make the final concept map and i was wondering if you guys had any ideas on what to add or take from the original two.  This final concept map has to be linked to our website, so we need to make the ideas great :) please let me know asap! thanks!

hey girls i just wanted to see what we wanted to do about this weeks assignment.. Katelyn i know we have discussed getting together but the only way i would be able to would be Sunday. On Saturday my cousin passed away from the house fire that broke out in Ann Arbor. I wont be around until Sunday.. I am sorry that i do not have any other available time.

PODCAST

Hey gals, 

Here is my script and concepts.  Hope you all had a good weekend and thanks so much for your help! 

Concepts from book: hotlist, powerpoint

 

As students reflected on the two previous lessons related to recycling during classroom discussion, the consensus revealed landfills are not the ideal solution to our continuing waste problem in America. Moving further along into the recycling unit, the students will combine prior knowledge with an overview of recycling (including what it is, what to recycle, and landfills) to brainstorm better solutions for people in the community to implement in an effort to reduce waste in existing landfills.  Through a teacher led discussion, the three R’s reduce, reuse and recycle will be used as the foundation to the solution. 

The idea of “old made back to new” will be interpreted in terms of recycling in the community, schools and home.  Students will use the safe surfing skills acquired from previous lessons to create a Hotlist of websites that provide easy to do ideas and tips for successfully using the old to new method of reducing waste.  Examples of these websites could be Goodwill and Salvation Army to model reusing old or lightly used items rather than buying new; the teacher and students using the example to brainstorm other websites that express the same principles will discuss the three R’s as well.  Students can work individually or in small groups to create the Holist and PowerPoint presentation that follows.

The PowerPoint presentation will require students to use five or more ideas presented in their Hotlist and create “how to” slides with pictures of authentic student examples of each.  This PowerPoint will be used to collaborate with the urban classroom about reducing waste in the community, schools and home.  The students PowerPoint must include at least one example of each environment.  To conclude this recycling lesson, the students will reflect on all three lessons as a whole through writing or discussion with the teacher for self-evaluation and teacher assessment of the unit goals.  

What I will be saying in my Podcast - Also Katelyn will be speaking first, I will be following and Lisa you will be going last.

My Script:
We have been using the computers quit a lot with our Google Maps, our up and coming blog, and researching recycling. This has allowed us to better understand recycling and inform our friends from an urban community about Kalamazoo's recycling and Michigan as a whole. As the students navigate through the Web there is a ton of information they have access to but some that are not appropriate. To allow your child to search safely I decided to come up with a list of Web addresses for them to look through which is also called safe surfing on the web. Just as I am concerned with the students searching, I can imagine you might be to. At home you are able to build a WedQuest to limit your child's attention to certain sites. Some safe but still useful sites are www.askforkids.com, www.kidsclick.org and yahoo! kids, http://kids.yahoo.com, as they are listed in the textbook.
Earlier i stated Google Maps which gives us the opportunity to visually see where our friends are located that we will be communicating with through our blog as well as learning more about recycling. Google Map or Google Earth as it is stated in our textbook allows us to see where the non recycled materials are being taken to; landfills. Recently we looked up a map of Michigan to find out how many landfills we have. We then decided whether they were a type II or III. A type II can accept virtually any non-hazardous solid waste and a type III is a landfill for a particular waste. The map has allowed us to plot where these landfills are located and gave us an idea on how far they are from our homes.
_____________

Lisa,
Katelyn and I were thinking you could start your Podcast off with: Students have learned landfills are not the ideal place for all of our waste to go. So they were given an overview on how to recycle.
-from there you can relate it back to what Katelyn said about what recycling is and what to recycle
-from the concept map
old made to new
community, schools, home

and remember 2 different concepts from the textbook

I used Google Map and Safe Surfing on the Web and Katelyn used blogs and Excel

Have a great weekend! :)

Ok here is my script of what I'm going to say.  The two concepts from the text I'm incorporating are optimizing technology and building community.

Hello parents and guardians.  The 5th grade teacher of WMU Elementary would like to give you an overview of what your students are currently learning.  We would also like to give you a preview of what is coming up.

We started our unit on recycling at the beginning of last week.  Students were given an overview of what recycling is and what items and materials can be recycled.  They were given handouts of what is recyclable so hopefully all of you had a chance to look at it.  The handout was meant to encourage recycling as home.

Our text book talk about optimizing technology available, which is something we are really striving for in the classrooms this year.  As you know we had the students go to each house in their neighborhood to find out who does and does not recycle.  Using that data, the students learned how to use Excel by inputting the data and creating charts.  This is only one piece of technology we want students familiar with.  

As we wrap up next week, the students will be creating blogs.  Once the students have finished researching about recycling in this town, they will post information to their blog.  These blogs will be used as a means of communication with another classroom learning about recycling outside of the district.  It will be a chance for the students to compare and contrast recycling in each town as well as a chance to build relationships outside our community, another important aspect from our textbook.  

Just want to keep everyone posted for the Podcast...
the two concepts from the textbook that I will be using are; Google Maps and Safe Surfing on the Web!

For the podcast, my section will be on what is recycling and what to recycle.  I'm going to be incorporating the lesson plan 2 I made briefly since I believe this is supposed to inform parents of what we have been doing.  I'm currently putting together my script and will post what I'm saying as soon as I'm done so we can get everything to flow.  

For module #9 we have to create a podcast. I am going to start working on my part of the Podcast which will be explaining what I expect the students to learn about landfills along with giving the parents an idea on how I plan on doing this

okay.. my lesson plan will keep on the lines of landfills :)

ok awesome! thanks lisa!

my lesson plan is things that can be recycled FYI

hello, 

i will re-do the concept map and submit using all of our ideas.  for my lesson plan 2 i will just keep using my basic ideas about recycling to create a lesson.  hope everyone has a good week!

The change of the middle circle is good with me.  I was also thinking we could expand on how to recycle clothing and electronics:  clothing goes to goodwill and salvation army. cell phones, computers and other electronics can go back to the company for redistributing.  

For why recycling is important:  recycling saves our planet because it preserves our planet's resources for longer.  

We can also add a bubble for landfills since that's what recycling competes with.  Saying things like they are destroying our planet because they just sit there with some components not decomposing.  When we keep feeding the landfills we are depleting our resources faster.

That's what I've come up with so far;  I'll keep thinking! Let me know what you think and any other ideas you guys have :)

Concept Map

making some changes to the concept map... the center circle should just be, Recycling. other then that.. i am not real sure what to add.

for my lesson plan i am going to focus on fifth grade on what can and can not be recycled. Along with figuring out what recycled materials are turned back into.

ok so for this lesson plan i'm thinking i will make a lesson plan where my students collect data on who recycles in their neighborhood.  They will have to know how many houses are in the neighborhood and then determine which houses recycle by going house to house and asking.  Let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions to improve this because i don't really know what to do.  

We also have to determine who is going to be revising the concept map.  Allie did it last time so Lisa one of us has to download the program.  I don't care either way so let me know:) along with that we have to decide exactly how to revise if so if you have any ideas i guess post them on here for discussion!

hey katelyn, 

yeah i have a mac. i didn't know how to do it so i was just going to turn it in late for the point deduction and worry about it when i get back.  i've never even used imovie so i won't be very helpful! sorry

lisa-- allie said you had a mac. did you use iMovie for the assignment? if you did how the heck did you get it upload b/c iMovies are the only thing my comp won't let me upload!

yeah i agree. i'll just continue with my topic too! 

it looks like we are making a movie on a topic for our unit. i plan on continuing with where landfills are located! i hope that is okay! Good luck!

I thought it all was really interesting!

I also started looking at the assignment for module 7.  I wanted to get a head start because of the busy week ahead with midterms! I was thinking that for my movie I would do what recycling is, what we recycle and things like that. Really just the basics since it's an intro to a lesson.  Let me know what you guys think and what you plan on doing! Good luck if you have any midterms this week!

what did you all think of Module 6?  I had never heard of virtual field trips before.  They would be really useful in the classroom for tight budgets!  Assistive technology was a term better recognized by me, we learn about it in my special education classes pretty frequently.  Hope everyone had a good weekend.  ONE WEEK UNTIL SPRING BREAK!! :)

I'm sorry to hear that Lisa! 

I just finished my lesson plan but having trouble submitting it. Where is the "Share with Reviewer" button? 

i don't think you can take it in the wrong direction, it's supposed to be the direction you want to take it.  sounds good i'm sure it will turn out successfully.  mine was done, but i might look over and edit some more since i'm not going to chicago anymore

Thanks Allie that was helpful.

This is what I'm thinking, I know I keep asking for help but I feel as though my topic isn't as straight forward and I don't want to take it in a wrong direction!  So I was thinking that I would take the first couple of days to give general background of NYC like the history, what its known for, the fast pace lifestyle as compared to the rural, etc. Then let the students explore over the internet the recycling techniques they use.  Then maybe allow them to present their findings along with how they compare to what their own family does in terms of recycling.  Let me know what you think!! Thanks guys!

I like where you are going Katelyn. I agree with giving a back ground of New York which allows our rural students to understand the type environment the urban students live in. I dont know if i would explain how harsh the environment is because I do not want the rural students to get the wrong impression. Every type of community has their down falls and by not incorporating the harsh environment of a rural community into the lesson I believe they will think there environment is perfect. I hope that made sense... I do however think you should address the fast pace life style they have and how recycling can or has been brought into it. I hope this has helped :D

I think it would be interesting to do the urban community of New York City.  I'm thinking I would first give a general background about New York City and then branch off into how the fast pace lifestyle is harming our environment.  This is just a start off idea, but if you guys could let me know what you think along with any suggestions that would be fantastic.  I'm going to be out of town this weekend as well so I'm with Lisa on getting this done asap! Let me know please! Thanks!!!

Lesson Plan One...COMPLETE! Oh man did it take me awhile.  It feels great finishing though!  Now I can relax in Chicago :)

Thanks Lisa!

I am going to do landfills. I plan on covering both rural and urban. The rural will be brief compared to the urban seeing that our 5th graders are from the rural setting. Good luck!

Module 5

Hey girls, 

For this module each of us has to create a SEPARATE lesson plan that directly relates to our project on recycling.  The lesson plan should be geared toward our fifth grade elementary students, and the specific guidelines are stated in the module assessment on e-learning.  I will be in Chicago this weekend, so will be getting an early start to avoid serious procrastination.  For my lesson plan, I was going to have the students gather general information on recycling to get a good grasp of how it works in order to further research recycling in urban communities.  So basically, my lesson plan is going to outline recycling in the simple and general form.  For you two, some suggested ideas could be a lesson plan on the urban community of NY or information on landfills and waste management.  Just ideas in case you get stuck.  You can always scroll down our blog to go over our assignment objectives we've come up with so far.  We just have to make sure each lesson plan is different or else points will not be rewarded.  Good luck and let me know what you guys are thinking! 

Description of the Map

Along with our map connecting our rural and urban communities together, we plan on giving each student a map, along with the name of the student they will be contacting through out the semester. By giving the students a map allows them to visually see where the student they are communicating with are located. The map is a great way to start the students off feeling comfortable and excited because they are starting an adventure of communicating with others through technology

Assignment Description

    The assignment given to our fifth grade students that will demonstrate cultural understanding and global awareness will be a communication project about recycling between our rural students of Dundee, Michigan and a class of urban students from New York.  The project will demand the students to use technology based communication through blogs and epal to acquire information and resources about recycling in the urban community of New York.  The students will begin the project by contacting their assigned student from the urban school and assessing cultural insight through various questions suggested by the teachers and questions of their own creation.  The main topic of their project will be recycling. The goal of the information gathered is to create a better understanding of the urban culture and educate their urban student about recycling as it pertains to their community.  The idea is that the urban student will be creating the same project, so the goals are mutual.  The students will have the whole semester to work on this project and will present the final product in a powerpoint to the teacher and urban student.  

    The questions to help build the students projects are as follows:

• Does your family recycle? If so, what do you recycle and where?
• Do you learn about recycling often?  Who educates you and what do you learn?
• What would you like to know about recycling?
• Why is recycling important for you and your community?
• Are there any landfills located near you?  Where?
• Do you have to pay to recycle?
• What are common forms of recycling used in your community?  (Agricultural, Industrial, Individual)
• Is recycling visitor friendly in your community?
• How does your community advocate recycling?    

Students will communicate through E-Pal and a blog created for them and their assigned student.  Each blog will be available to each student in the rural class in Dundee, Michigan and the urban class in New York.  Students are working to gather information about what their student knows and what they want to know to help structure their recycling topics.  They will provide general information about recycling as well as recycling in the urban community of New York.  The students will also find local resources to advocate recycling among the students they work with.  With their student working on rural recycling, the end result of both projects will demonstrate global awareness and cultural understanding in an urban or rural community. 

I just uploaded the map! The map is going from our rural community, Dundee, MI to our urban community, New York, NY. The route we chose is the quickest!

View Recycling in a larger map

I added some ideas to what you initially said Lisa.  I'm a little confused what exactly we are supposed to be doing for our assignment as far as when we get all our ideas out there and what the map is for.  Any clarification will help so I can do my part!!!

google assignment

hellooo, 

i will take on starting the folder and google maps for our assignment #4.  then i will let you all know, because i have to invite you.  this assignment takes a lot of collaboration and team effort, so we definitely can't wait until sunday to conquer it.  let's all try to do a little bit from now until sunday so we don't have to stress last minute.  plus, the directions or activities seem a little complex so it will take some critical thinking!  we should all try to check our blog and other forms of communication daily at minimum so we can knock this out as quickly and effectively as possible!  read the directions so we all can start brainstorming on how we want to approach the topic.  

i found mine too! 

just wanted to let you know that i have found my three websites and i will be emailing them to her in a few minutes along with my reflections

after posting the questions i realized i should have just said the introduction. this looks good recycling ladies!

so it looks like allie has the introduction, so i'll take the mission :)

for the websites i am going to be looking up; what is recycling, why is it important, how do we recycle and what do we recycle.

website ideas

I came up with sort of an outline for our project.  It combines all of our ideas into a more focused topic that we can relate to and help other students relate to it as well.  Our main topic can focus on students and recycling and give resources to encourage everyone to do their part.  Here is what I came up with:

Introduction

-What is recycling?

-Why is it important?

-How do we recycle?

-What do we recycle?

Our Generation

-What's going on in with recycling now?

-What effect do we have with recycling?

-How does recycling effect our future?

The Mission

-How can we do our part?

-Charitable recycling (with specific resources)

-Everyday recycling (with specific resources)

Just let me know what you think.  We could each take a section, I'll volunteer for "Our Generation" and look up websites for those topics.  That way we aren't all coming across the same websites.  Happy Hunting!

We have to decide what types of websites we want to evaluate. Are just going to type recycling into google and see what we can come up with ?

ya i've heard of that too! and i think you mentioned goodwill earlier too. you can take clothes as well as old comforters.  

I also think a lot of companies are using recycled material to make their new products.  I bought a dvd and the inside front cover had the recycle logo, so I'm assuming that means made from recycled material.

i'm finally starting to get back on track after recovery :) i was thinking of some more ideas about recycling, but i'd have to do some more research to complete my idea.  i'm pretty sure there are some things you can recycle, such as cell phones and batteries that go towards charitable organizations.  i recall seeing a flyer somewhere and it just popped in my mind.  that would be a good thing to include because everyone likes being charitable and green at the same time!  

I really like the ideas you have too Lisa! We can get together soon to really map out everything. I hope everything went good with the surgery and you feel better soon!

sorry, look at the comment that i left under the concept map. I really like your ideas Lisa. I believe the project will be more interesting to figure out how WE can help instead of only stating the obvious and facts. Feel better soon :)

Finally I figured it out! Hopefully this is largest enough for you to see.

recycling map

I think they seem like good ideas so far.  Throughout time I'm sure we will edit and come up with further advancements in our original plans.  I think the main bubble doesn't necessarily need to be questions about recycling because that is kind of obvious in the project itself, we are addressing common questions and ideas about recycling.  Another approach we could take is to relate recycling to college students and our generation, and simple ways that we can make a difference too and how recycling or not recycling will have an effect on our lives and our future.  We definitely need to gather some resources on where people can recycle, and ways people can recycle that they may not realize.  I think Goodwill and Salvation Army is a great way of recycling that many students don't take advantage of.  We could also add a list of items that are recyclable so people know what to look for while throwing away trash.  Another idea is to gather information on land fills and trash build up and all that.  I think the most vital aspect of this project should be making students and our generation inspired to recycle rather than just reading information and not reacting from it.  Since I am home recovering from surgery, hopefully Sunday we can get together and map out all our ideas to try and organize them.  But so far it seems like we all will work really well and come up with some great ideas.

i am having difficulties trying to add the concept map. i will have it up asap

concept map.

I installed inspiration and it seems like an easy program to work with. I put Katelyn's idea into a concept map to kind of see what it would look it. I believe it looks good but i guess i am not sure what the length of the project should be. Also i think we should come up with a couple other ideas just in case we realize we are not finding enough information.

Concept Map

Ok I have a lot to say lol. Allie said that she would download the program first since it's a trial period. Then Lisa you and I can decide who will download next. The assignment says we have to do a concept map for the collaboritive inspiration part of the assignment. So here are some ideas for it. The main bubble can be Most Popular Questions about Recycling. Then from that we can have What is Recycling: key component of modern waste reduction and makes used materials into new products. Why its Important: reduces energy usage, reduces air pollution, reduces water pollution. What do we Recycle: glass, paper, metal, plastic, textiles, electronics. How do we recycle: seperate our trash and call the city for proper containers. I don't know if this is the way we want to go but any other ideas would be great! As well as any comments, corrections or additions about what I already said! Let me know ladies :)
Katelyn

yayayay! go recycling :)