Milobo’s Musings

I’ve moved. I’ve started a new job. I’m (almost) settled into my new routines. And yet.

It’s been a while since I’ve shared on this space.  The longer I wait for “the time” or “a good idea” to reveal itself, the harder it becomes to just get back into the rhythm of reflecting and writing and sharing.

That cycle of reflecting on an idea, writing about it, and sharing our thoughts to invite discussion lies at the heart of learning and growth. Good teachers know this.  It’s important to remember that this process has to be nurtured and practiced often in order to become something students do instinctively.   It’s also something that’s important to model through our own public voice.  Students pay attention to how we interact with information. They pay attention to how we interact with one another. They can learn much by seeing how we learn.

For me, blogging has been a way to honor the cycle of learning publicly and to become part of a global community of learners. I’ve missed that lately.

I’ve spent way too much time trying to figure out how to begin my own learning cycle again. And so, I’ve decided that the best way to get started again is to just get started again.

Here goes.

Creative Commons photo from Chris Lopez via Flickr

Bloom’s Taxonomy. It’s one of those things we know we should think about when planning lessons and activities, but matching it with the right tools and activities can be tough.  In this post, I thought I’d share with you one favorite tool that matches with each level of Bloom’s taxonomy.

Remember
Memorizing isn’t a bad thing – it’s often the first step to higher order thinking.  If you don’t know the vocabulary, you can’t join in the discussion with real meaning.  Quizlet (http://quizlet.com/) is a website that helps students practice and memorize vocabulary by creating flashcards and playing games.  You can create groups of students and share your card sets with them or they can create and share sets with the rest of the class. Want to hear more about Quizlet?  Listen to the podcast created by CHS students last year as they interviewed Anthony VanGessel about his use of Quizlet.

Understand
Summarizing and outlining content to emphasize the important ideas is an effective way to demonstrate understanding.  Glogster (http://www.glogster.com/edu/) allows students to create virtual posters that include video, audio recording, images and text.  The templates are engaging and interactive and allow students to show their creative side while demonstrating content understanding.  Take a look at an example from Cyndy Murphy’s class where students outlined information about the history of atomic research.

Apply
Sticking facts into your brain isn’t that tough, it’s trying to use those facts to make meaning that can be a big challenge.  Why not try a web simulation?  You’ll find lots of them linked at this simulations site from the Kent ICT website.

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