C4T#3

Summary of Blog Post #1

This week I commented on Krissy Venosdale's blog. Her blog post was titled Outside the Box in which she focused on why it is important to teach students to think outside the box. Ms. Venosdale pointed out that in schools today, so much focus is placed on standardized testing. Students are taught to bubble in test answers and not leave stray marks. However, Ms. Venosdale pointed out that no matter what situation occurs in the future, the answer will not be solved by having people bubble in answer sheets. Students will be required to think and problem solve. So in schools, students need to be taught how to think outside the box.

Summary of My Comment #1

My name is Ashley Showles. I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. Through this class I have learned about your blog. I thoroughly enjoy reading all of your blog posts because they are so creative and inspiring. I completely agree with your post. So much focus is placed on testing and scores, but students cannot learn everything through standardized tests. As a future educator, I hope to teach my students to problem solve and think outside the box.

Summary of Blog Post #2

This week I also commented on Krissy Venosdale's blog. This week, her post was titled Worksheets are Awesome. She begins by stating how awesome worksheets are and the learning that is possible with them. She then goes on to list some of her ideas which make worksheets awesome. The first idea was to take a worksheet and make a paper airplane with it. Take the most successful of the five flights and record the data for each student. Then, allow students to research wind, air resistance, and even the Wright Brothers. She lists several more ideas such as allowing students to use five worksheets to build a structure that will support five textbooks. The point to her post was that creativity and collaboration should be encouraged in schools and that so much focus should not be placed on memorization.

Summary of My Comment #2

I always enjoy reading your blog posts! They are awesome. I never liked worksheets in school, and when I become a teacher, I hope to not depend on worksheets as a form of teaching. I liked all the ideas you had for students using worksheets; it was very creative. I think a lot of schools now place too much focus on memorization and standardized testing. Creativity, problem-solving skills, and collaboration should be encouraged in schools because I think in the end it will lead to a greater learning experience than what any worksheet could provide.