Biteslide is a website that allows you to create as many slides as you want to present to an audience. The backgrounds that could be chosen are a lot more colorful and have a variety of designs compared to most presentation templates. I liked this better because it draws the audience's attention to the screen. It also allows pictures to be researched on the side and dragged onto the slide like Google Docs. This is much simpler than having to save images to the desktop and upload files. Another interesting feature is that the creator of the website will answer any questions you have as you create your presentation. Kelli and I asked him if there was spell check or hyperlinks before we decided not to use this to present our project. We asked around ten o'clock at night and he answered around six o'clock in the morning. The individual is very quick in responding to his users. Lastly, he provides websites to use as helpful research tools and tips on the side of the page. The websites may be something never used before that
As I said above, this website not working out for us had an advantage. I was able to learn about a tool called MoveNote that has you present in a different way than just reading through PowerPoint slides. Instead, Kelli and I created a script and recorded our presentation on a webcam. The class got to listen to our presentation through a video. When recording, we were able to explain everything we wanted to about one slide, pause the recording, and then continue talking about the next slide. One problem with this is that if you mess up on the eighth slide, there is no way to delete and re-record just that specific slide. Our presentation had several small imperfections because we were not able to edit our video without starting all over again. We did not realize that as we recorded our video, we were supposed to switch the slides. When we played the video for the class, we thought we would be able to click the arrow and move the slides. This made us have to go through our PowerPoint after the video played in order for our classmates to see the material we were talking about. I felt that being assigned MoveNote was an excellent learning experience. We had to figure out how to use the tool, how we were going to present our information, and learned another way to incorporate technology into the classroom.
When we started to create the presentation on character education and values/moral education, we were going to start out with the components of character education. Dr. Smirnova brought to our attention that we should ask the students what character is. We had not even put into thought that people may not know what this word means or may believe different views that it is either developed or something everyone is born with. This small discussion gets the students’ minds thinking, allows for different perspectives, and has the students come up with a general definition.
We began exploring the general idea of what character education is. When we first researched this social studies idea, we thought the components consisted of an individual being loyal, patient, compassionate, diligent, forgiving, responsible, and more.
The
most important activity cite having to do with including character education in the
classroom is having the students construct banners representing the six pillars
of character. In order for students to not be arguing over or upset with the
pillar they receive, a game can be played to choose the groups through kahoot.it. This game will be an excellent
review of character development with the students before they begin the
activity. In
this case, the students will be answering questions based on what good
character is and the six pillars of character education. This
game is social, enjoyable, and keeps students on their toes in order to answer
the questions quickly to receive more points. On the final score, the teacher
will read off the six pillars rotating them in the same order. The students are
assigned their specific pillar this way.
The students split into their groups around the classroom. Before constructing anything on the banner, it needs to be cut into the shape of a pillar. Parents will be invited in on this day and can help their children do this, especially since most elementary students are not familiar with what a pillar looks like. On the banner, the students are to use black construction paper and cut out the letters spelling their pillar. The students will be given large letter stencils to do so. The students are to discuss with one another and figure out what type of characteristics should be displayed that go under their pillar. The parents can help give the students suggestions if they are stuck. When the students come to a consensus, they are to look through magazines and find pictures and phrases that match what the pillar is known for. I think it is important for the students to lay out their pictures, phrases, and letters that spell their pillar. This allows the students to see how much room is left and what qualities are missing that define the pillar. Everyone is to work together to glue everything on the pillar. Each group will present their pillar. Every student is to talk about what the pillar means and why a phrase or picture was chosen to represent the pillar. As written, “…each must be held individually responsible and accountable for doing his or her own share of the work and for learning what has been targeted to be learned” (Stahl, 1994, p.3). Each of the students contributed in creating part of the pillar and is to participate in the explanation of what he or she found. The teacher is to hang the pillars up around the classroom as reminders to the students of what having good character looks like and ways in which one can develop it. This activity is engaging and interactive for the students to remember the qualities of their pillar. Even though the students only focused on one pillar, their peers presented the others to the students to understand how to display the other parts of good character. As mentioned, they can always be referenced, as they are located around the classroom.
The misconception Kelli and I had of thinking our topic was global education was helpful in knowing even more information on top of what Nicole B. and Ainsley spoke about in their presentation. Doing research on my own allowed me to see my own perspective of global education and my peers perspective. One Youtube video I found really showed me how global education is incorporated into the classroom using technology. I became more aware of how interested the students are and how eye-opening it is to see how another part of the world performs day to day activities. Through all of the information gathered on the topic, I connected global education to character education.
I discovered that there is an actually character counts week in schools. When I presented this information to my classmates, several of them did not know that this existed either. Through my research, I figured out that schools devote the third week in October to learning about what good character is and what each of the six pillars of character education entitles. As written, “Global education emphasizes he unity and interdependence of human society, developing a sense of self and appreciation of cultural diversity, affirmation of social justice and human rights, as well as building peace and actions for sustainable future in different times and places” (“What is global education?” 2012, p.1). The biggest global perspective present in character education is identity and cultural diversity. To incorporate global education in the classroom, students can first be informed that several different countries around the world are also participating in character counts week. In advance, the teacher could try and set up a Skype date with a teacher in another country. The students would be able to talk to the other students and hear how they are developing character. This gives the students awareness and a different perspective of how students miles and miles away are learning the same content in a different style.
The WESS project has taught me that the more research I do, the more ways to incorporate ideas in the classroom, technology, information, and clarifications I will find. It is better to explore several ideas and programs before settling and choosing just one. Character education is not a topic I thought would fall under social studies. My project and my peers' projects have expanded my horizons to realize how many aspects are incorporated into the social studies curriculum.
~ Christine Brown
Build Future Leaders of Character. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2015, from http://characterfirsteducation.com/c/curriculum.php
The students split into their groups around the classroom. Before constructing anything on the banner, it needs to be cut into the shape of a pillar. Parents will be invited in on this day and can help their children do this, especially since most elementary students are not familiar with what a pillar looks like. On the banner, the students are to use black construction paper and cut out the letters spelling their pillar. The students will be given large letter stencils to do so. The students are to discuss with one another and figure out what type of characteristics should be displayed that go under their pillar. The parents can help give the students suggestions if they are stuck. When the students come to a consensus, they are to look through magazines and find pictures and phrases that match what the pillar is known for. I think it is important for the students to lay out their pictures, phrases, and letters that spell their pillar. This allows the students to see how much room is left and what qualities are missing that define the pillar. Everyone is to work together to glue everything on the pillar. Each group will present their pillar. Every student is to talk about what the pillar means and why a phrase or picture was chosen to represent the pillar. As written, “…each must be held individually responsible and accountable for doing his or her own share of the work and for learning what has been targeted to be learned” (Stahl, 1994, p.3). Each of the students contributed in creating part of the pillar and is to participate in the explanation of what he or she found. The teacher is to hang the pillars up around the classroom as reminders to the students of what having good character looks like and ways in which one can develop it. This activity is engaging and interactive for the students to remember the qualities of their pillar. Even though the students only focused on one pillar, their peers presented the others to the students to understand how to display the other parts of good character. As mentioned, they can always be referenced, as they are located around the classroom.
The misconception Kelli and I had of thinking our topic was global education was helpful in knowing even more information on top of what Nicole B. and Ainsley spoke about in their presentation. Doing research on my own allowed me to see my own perspective of global education and my peers perspective. One Youtube video I found really showed me how global education is incorporated into the classroom using technology. I became more aware of how interested the students are and how eye-opening it is to see how another part of the world performs day to day activities. Through all of the information gathered on the topic, I connected global education to character education.
I discovered that there is an actually character counts week in schools. When I presented this information to my classmates, several of them did not know that this existed either. Through my research, I figured out that schools devote the third week in October to learning about what good character is and what each of the six pillars of character education entitles. As written, “Global education emphasizes he unity and interdependence of human society, developing a sense of self and appreciation of cultural diversity, affirmation of social justice and human rights, as well as building peace and actions for sustainable future in different times and places” (“What is global education?” 2012, p.1). The biggest global perspective present in character education is identity and cultural diversity. To incorporate global education in the classroom, students can first be informed that several different countries around the world are also participating in character counts week. In advance, the teacher could try and set up a Skype date with a teacher in another country. The students would be able to talk to the other students and hear how they are developing character. This gives the students awareness and a different perspective of how students miles and miles away are learning the same content in a different style.
The WESS project has taught me that the more research I do, the more ways to incorporate ideas in the classroom, technology, information, and clarifications I will find. It is better to explore several ideas and programs before settling and choosing just one. Character education is not a topic I thought would fall under social studies. My project and my peers' projects have expanded my horizons to realize how many aspects are incorporated into the social studies curriculum.
~ Christine Brown
References
Build Future Leaders of Character. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2015, from http://characterfirsteducation.com/c/curriculum.php
Stahl, Robert J. “The
Essential Elements of Cooperative Learning in the Classroom.” Educational
Resources Information Center. Used with permission.
The Six Pillars of Character. (2015). Retrieved April 27, 2015, from https://charactercounts.org/sixpillars.html
What is global education? (2012). Retrieved April 27, 2015, from http://www.globaleducation.edu.au/global-education/what-is-global-ed.html
Worldwide Character Counts! Week. (2014). Retrieved April 28, 2015, from http://charactercounts.org/pdf/ccweek/resources/2014/4-2014-Lesson-Plans-for-Elementary.pdf
The Six Pillars of Character. (2015). Retrieved April 27, 2015, from https://charactercounts.org/sixpillars.html
What is global education? (2012). Retrieved April 27, 2015, from http://www.globaleducation.edu.au/global-education/what-is-global-ed.html
Worldwide Character Counts! Week. (2014). Retrieved April 28, 2015, from http://charactercounts.org/pdf/ccweek/resources/2014/4-2014-Lesson-Plans-for-Elementary.pdf
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