C4T3 summary post Melissa Keeler EDM310 classblog

Brian Crosby was the teacher I was assigned to for my third C4T. His blog titled Close Reading? Ok, How about Close Doing? is very enlightening. Brian invites educators to instead of doing empty, solitary field trips to integrate a field trip into the lessons you are teaching in class. I agree with this approach. I think that being immersed in the subject you are learning is a wonderful way to learn. Integrating what you teach and learn in the class room with hands on experiences allows more retention of the information. Also it makes the field trip relevant to their learning rather than being an empty hole filler.

Post #2: I commented on Brian's blog postLeaving their Mark. He talks about his class that he has continuously taught for 3 years. He began teaching them how to blog. This activity sharpened their writing skills and improved their English as most of his students speak English as a second language. Brian then had a student become home bound because of leukemia. He decided she should not be left out. Because of this decision he began to Skype with the home bound student daily so she could feel like she was included in the class. When she was able to come back to school, she did not have to catch up because she had been attending through Skype. His class was also involved in editing another classes videos from another state (Maryland). Again Brian did this because his students had the desire to help other students. I let him know that he and his class not only left their mark but opened a door of opportunity for learning.