Final Reflection

Justice League: Project #16 Rules for EDM310

C4T #4 Edna Sackson

Collaboration
 I really appreciated this post. She talks about how she had to give a presentation with another educator that didn't share her same thoughts on education. I can relate to working with others who are stubborn, or refuse to compromise. In retail, I experience that on a daily basis. She talks about how she had to put down her blazing guns to work with the other teacher. This helped me to remember that sometimes it is just better to keep yourself calm.
I know personally it is hard for me to work with others, because I get upset quickly if my group member(s) don't do their part. But I can relate to this post by keeping calm and remembering to be open minded.

Planning for Inquiry

The basis of her post is that we need to be inquirers as educators. And we have to trust our students no matter what age to have deep and meaningful questions. Even though we may have to persuade them to ask or prompt the discussion. And that is okay! She says that we have to be prepared to let go of our conventional thinking. She says a good way to provoke thinking is to quick search google images.


Edna Sackson is an extremely insightful teacher. He blog is chocked full of ideas and tips on keeping a calm head and a happy and productive classroom. As a future educator, that is all I can really hope for. In her posts she gives great advice that is useable for me in the future.

C4K # 3

Wyatt P.

Wyatt's blog was about an app called Writers Hat. He talks about what it does and why they are using it. He has a pretty good vocabulary, but he didn't edit his post before he submitted it. That is a lesson he has should take a lot from. Editing is the most important thing to consider when writing a post.

Paris

It is clear that Paris really likes horses. Her post was about a chestnut horse named Jester. She has excellent grammar and her post has clearly been edited prior to her posting to her blog. If she keeps going like this, she will be a great English student.

Both of these students had good content on their blogs. Even though they are various topics, it is easy to read and each post has meaning. A lot of blogs, especially from younger students tend to contain things like: "Today I ran." And that to me is harder to comment on.

Final Post PLN

              I have discovered that my Personal Learning Network is quite important. When I first started adding my links to Symbaloo, it dawned on me that everyone I correspond with is a resource. The students in class with me (My Group), the teachers we have been assigned in C4T, and all of the services we signed up for or used this semester (Timetoast, Skype, Twitter, Foliotek, etc.) are all available to me at the click of a link. As a future teacher, the resources and people we can call on for help is crucial. I have added many links to it, but I hope it will never be done. I will always meet new people who can help me. I'll always come across new websites, and technology that can benefit me.

Blog Post #14

Teacher Knows if You’ve Done the E-Reading

         Several insructors from Texas A&M have started to use a technology that shows them how many times their students read their E-book. They can also see the time they read it. This gives the professors the ability to see if the students that struggle with the course are truly struggling. There was an example of one student who had solid quiz scores, but the teacher could see that he had only opened his e-book once. Therefore she was able to approach the student about his study habits. It is said that we cannot really learn the material if we open the book on test day.
          I know personally know that in secondary education, most teachers, "Teach the tests." So in my high school, with almost all the core classes, the teachers focus on what will be on the test. When I as a student in high school realized that, my study habits changed tremendously. I would have an hour or two to cram the material into my brain, and as soon as the test was over I forgot the material. As a student I think that the technological way of educating children is much more effective. Maybe had the teachers been more aggressive about our everyday studying, my study habits would be better now. I won't lie, if I had , "Big Brother", watching my moves, I might get a bit annoyed. But I'd most likely understand that it was for the betterment of MY future.
          As a teacher, I would love to know when and for how long my students studied every night. I could analyze bad grades, or problem students easier. I would know that if a student consecutively did poorly on my exams, and they rarely ever read the book, the issue would lie with the way the student spends his/her time. It would also be a cool concept to put the, "fear", into students. If I didn't see that they had read the night before, I would deduct points from their in-class grade. Very cool.

If I were to talk to the teacher from Texas A&M I'd ask:
      - Do you think your students are more likely to study, if they know you can see their online activity?
      - Do they really like the technology, or do they feel like it is a bit invasive?
         
On the other hand, if I were to question the students, I'd ask:
      - KNOWING that your professor can see your study habits, do you feel like you study more or less?
      - How do you feel about the new technology? How do you feel about technology in education in general?


I'd comment:

My old high school has technology similar to this. The county gave them all Mac book air laptops. And I have heard different results. I know that the kids who were already driven, are even more driven, knowing their teacher is watching their activity. I have heard as well, some students like the idea of refusing to study because the teacher sees them.

Project 15# Justice League

Progress on final project

My group: Justice League has decided to do the movie. We are doing a series of tips to help you stay on top of your work in EDM310. I think it will be an awesome video. Thankfully I feel like I have followed our upcoming advice! We will start recording on tuesday!

Blog Post #13 TED/Students of Today.

Brian Crosby

        In this TED talk, Mr. Crosby talked about his group of fourth graders who were 90% second language learners. He took a poll the second day of class and only 9 students knew what city they lived in, and 3 students knew what country they lived in. He goes on to talk about a general disconnection between students and education today. He says we need to get our students involved more in class. The easiest way to do this in my opinion is to encourage active learning or hands on learning. Crosby gives an example of his students doing a hot air balloon assignment. This way the kids actively examined the properties of the balloon. They learned why the heat lifted the device, why it had to be light weight, etc. 

        To me, this post connects extremely well with all of our other posts. Crosby identifies that there is definitely something terribly wrong with education today. He gives a somewhat different solution. Most of our posts simply say technological enhancement will give education the boost it needs to rejuvenate itself. Crosby in my mind suggests a more hands on way of learning. This way it appeals to all types of learning; auditory, visual, kinesthetic. I believe the most important part of education is recognizing each aspect and making sure to cover all three. This will bring about a well rounded lesson and group of students. 

Students of the Today.

           What do students really do? Are they really paying attention? Are they taking notes on their laptops? This video gives a closer look at the students of today. The main points to me are that classes aren't personal. There is one statistic that only 18% of the student's professors know her name. With classes of 100 plus students, how can we expect them to know our names? But this creates an atmosphere of generic learning, with teachers only focused on the curriculum they are supposed to teach. There is another point made about students buying hundred dollar textbooks that they never use. Even with financial aid, that is expensive, and a waste. Though we can sell the books back to the bookstore, we get cheated with the amount they give back to us. Last semester I paid $150.00 for a book that I used ONCE, and I got $40.00 back for it. Or something even worse, when they say a, "New Edition", is coming out for the next semester so they cannot buy it. Usually a new edition has a new co-author and a few commas moved around, but they can't buy it back. How can we expect students to pay attention when they aren't having their education needs met in most classes? Why should I give my attention to a professor who doesn't care about my education? The point is, for us to expect a positive result, we must give a positive environment to students. We will always reap what we sew.

Project #13

My group: Justice League consists of myself, Alex Thompson and Jessica Harris. We used many tools to communicate throughout this class. The main thing we used was Email and text messaging. We also used Skype and Google Drive to brainstorm ideas for project 15 and 16. Skype and text messaging were the fastest ways to talk, but email and Google Drive were the most reliable. I think that effective communication is vital in this type of project oriented class.

Blog Post #12 Personal project

Self Assigned Assignment: English

English, language and grammar are tough beasts to master. Usually, when a student is in an English class, they are assigned essay, after essay. To me, the quickest way to get, burnt out on a subject is for the material to be given to you in a tedious way. Some of my favorite things in English are poems and grammar. My assignment to my future students is a two part lesson. They will learn the importance of editing, punctuation and spelling.

1. Write a poem. It can be about anything they want. Catch: You must your hardest to use BAD grammar. Little to no punctuation, misspell almost everything and no need for capitalization or subject-verb agreement. There is no specific length for the poem, just BE CREATIVE!

My Poem:

the see the see the see
unparaleled en it's beuty
its waves ror lik a lion
and rol twards the shoor
they begun on the horizen
breck an roll no moar

the son the son the son
pravide us with som fun
it glow and lights the wurld we're in
for half of the day cause it can
it's warmth dances up on our skin
and kises us until we tan.

the beech the beech the beech
for me its alwayz in reech
An our driv and one quik dash
akros the sand to meat the see
and touch the waves; b4 they crash
while injoying the son that incumpeses me.


PART 2: Revise the poem! Have a classmate proofread your revised draft. Write one to two paragraphs explaining the kinds of mistakes that were in the first draft. Also explain the overall importance of proofreading and editing.

The sea, the sea, the sea
Unparalleled in beauty
Its waves roar like a lion,
And roll on toward the shore
They begin at the horizon,
Break, and roll no more.

The sun, the sun, the sun,
Provides us with some fun.
It glows and lights the world we're in
For half a day because it can.
Its warmth dances upon our skin,
And kisses us until we tan.

The beach, the beach, the beach,
For me, it is always in reach.
An hour drive and one quick dash
Across the sand to meet the sea
and touch the waves before they crash
while enjoying the sun that encompasses me.

              In my first poem I threw grammar out of the window. I used no punctuation, or capitalization and I used terrible spelling. I did this on purpose, just to see how important grammar really is. I tried to use little or no punctuation, which turned into the old example of, "Lets eat, Grandpa. vs. Lets eat Grandpa." It goes without saying that a period or comma helps make important distinctions in a sentence. I basically closed my eyes when I was trying to spell the words. Incorrectly spelled words just make the poem that much more difficult to comprehend. Overall, without grammar my poem makes no sense at all.
             It is important to edit your work to make sure that no small errors slip through the cracks. When I rewrote the poem and heavily edited my work it turned into a pretty good poem. I am clearly talking about different aspects of the beach, and describing them. This would be a great project for secondary students. It allows them to be creative and silly with the first poem. The second poem requires them to correct themselves and let themselves be corrected by a classmate. The students also get experience in basic peer review.

C4K #2

Kristin
    Kristin's blog post was entitled, "Digital Learning Day." It was very thought provoking and overall a really good post!

Isara
    Isara is in the 7th grade at a school in NZ. She and her friend made a rap about education to encase how they felt. This was also a great way to show that they could use the website Vimeo. Very interesting blog,

Riley D
    Riley is in the 8th grade. I read his blog from Mr. Boylen's 8th grade Language arts class. He wrote a  very cool story about himself and a character named Cade. I really enjoyed reading his blog post.

It makes me glad to see students such as these using blogging in a positive way. It gives me hope for the future generation of people. I know that they will be literate, and learned in technological advances. Maybe we aren't doomed.

C4T #3 John Spencer

Are Pencils Making Us Narcissistic?
    In this post, Mr. Spencer uses a comic approach to show his readers that technology isn't evil, but how it can be used is. His post says that pencils didn't make us narcissistic and self centered, we did that much on our own. But if we pick up the pencil with malicious intentions, it is the most evil tool we can have.
    I think that Mr. Spencer creates a valid point. Technology is a wonderful thing, but if we use it for the wrong reasons, it is a terrible tool. It is almost like we have to train our students to use modern tech products in the right ways. For example, I have realized through EDM310 that twitter isn't all that bad. It can be a very useful form of communication.

Remember Pencil Quests?
    The second article I chose from Mr. Spencer was about going on a pencil quest. I think this is an excellent way to gain and hold the attention of my future students. I hope that I can make my become interested in learning.
     Fun projects or assignments always kept me ready to learn. I will use quests like these, and hopefully create some new, fun ideas on my own. Like a Vocabulary hunt; where my classes go on a scavenger hunt around campus to find all of the vocab words I have hidden. That way they will have fun, and learn their vocabulary words.

C4T# 2 Kathleen Morris

Kathleen is a fourth grade teacher at Leopold Primary School near Geelong in Victoria, Australia. She and her school just got Acer Laptops for each student to have for the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade. In her post she seemed a little worried about what she would use them for. Lots of commenters suggested podcasting, blogging, etc. She says she was calling out to her PLN for advice.

My comment said that she should let her students create and expand their own PLN's. Have an email-penpal. I think it would be an awesome way to encourage their interest and knowledge of technology. I hope I can do this with my future students. In EDM310, the most beneficial thing we have done is the PLN.

Blog Post #11 Mrs. Cassidy

Little Kids, Big Potential

             In this video, Mrs. Cassidy shows several pictures of her class of first graders using the Internet and blogging.  Her students are effectively using their blogs to communicate with people worldwide. She says her students receive comments from a lot of people, some of which are from other countries. What about online predators, a six-year-old could be extremely vulnerable to the evils of the world wide web. Mrs. Cassidy's students instruct us that when dealing with the Internet, you should only post your first name. Good advice. Well, kids don't really have, "Filters", on what is appropriate to say,  and how you should say it. Cyber bullying is one of the biggest issues with children and adolescents. How would we make sure our students were behaving appropriately? The students in her class tell us in the video that you must be careful with what you say. They understand that if they comment on a post in a negative way, it can hurt someones feelings.
           What an amazing thing. These kids are grasping life lessons before they reach second grade. By using this technology, they are developing skills that they will use for the rest of their lives.

Skype Interview with Mrs. Cassidy and Dr. Strange
             Mrs. Cassidy developed her technologically enhanced classroom a decade ago. Her class was given computers, but they were unable to download programs. She states that when you have five of something in one classroom, it becomes a center of focus. She resorted to using the Internet for online education programs. Mrs. Cassidy attended professional development seminars to make sure she knew what she was doing, and to learn how to use the computers to their full potential. She says that she hasn't encountered a principal yet who has been discouraging of her way of teaching. However; some were not interested in the technological enhancement. So they let her continue her practices, but didn't encourage others to try them, nor did they make an effort to learn about them. Because of online safety, Mrs. Cassidy sent a permission slip home with every student to have signed by their parents. This slip made known to the parents that their children would be participating in an online blogging experience, and that they would be communicating with people world-wide. Most of the parents were okay with the blogs, because they could watch their child's activities and development any time they wanted.
              I think it is incredible that she is teaching so much to her first graders. The only thing I remember learning in first grade was simple addition and subtraction, and perfecting the art of coloring inside the lines. To think we could have learned more, at a quicker pace. My favorite part about Mrs. Cassidy is that when she was given this new technology, she took steps to make sure she knew how to use the computers herself. This shows a lot of passion on her part. It says that she really cares about what, and how she teaches her students. "Technology isn't going away, it is here to stay." Mrs. Cassidy is truly giving her students a better opportunity for learning. She is setting a fantastic base for their educational journey. Because of this, I really think her students will progress much further than the other first graders.

Blog Post #10 John Spencer & McLeod

Papermate Vs. Ticonderoga
          This picture is mocking the old Mac versus PC commercials. The man representing Papermate is a very, "Average", "Blue Collar", type of man similar to the PC. He buys the Papermate for the same reason people buy PC's, they are cheaper. They are economically smart, but may not be the best option in the long run. Ticonderoga is equal to a Mac. It is more expensive than the PC, but more likely to work better for longer. While the general population uses their Papermate (PC) he is using the more expensive, Ticonderoga (Mac). This is an extremely clever metaphor. It makes the comparison between the two computers easier to pinpoint. 

Why Were Your Kids Playing Games?
            Mr. Spencer's story describes a big issue in our current education system. Which is that a lot of educators become so consumed with the need for high scores on standardized tests, that they forget about the importance of creativity. The principal in this dialogue says, "If we want students to pass the rote memorization test, we need to focus on rote memorization skills." With this mindset, school becomes a tedious event in which students spend their days copying book text, and memorizing vocabulary. However; the students never really learn how to apply what they have learned to the next level. 
             In grade school, I remember my teachers had fun little games to stimulate our learning. On of the best activities were our, "Math Wiz", quizzes in first through third grade. Each week we got a sheet of paper with 150 simple math problems, and the student who answered the most (Correctly) in 60 seconds, won. By middle school, I knew My Dear Aunt Sally backwards and forwards. I retained the information because I was EXCITED TO LEARN. My personal heroes are the creators of, "School House Rock." They taught us  about grammar, math, immigration, and even the government and its voting processes. Each topic was turned into a creative and catchy song, that people still can recite. We were happy to watch movies, but we learned from them. Not everything is as standardized as Mr. Spencer's, "Principal", suggests. 


            I didn't realize this until I took EDF315, but my high school is totally a standardized school. Teachers would actually say, "I don't care about this, but its on the ARMT and the AHSGE so we'll learn it." If teaching is not fun for the teacher, learning will not be fun for the students. I think Spencer does an excellent job with his teaching. Even his blog posts are enjoyable to read! 

Capturing Reality:

           This is one of many interesting posts I read by Mr. Spencer. His dialogue is between himself and Paul the Preindustrial Poet. In this post he is basically conveying that each aspect of technology is good in certain contexts. The poet never takes photos, because he would rather be participating in the photo-worthy activity than take pictures of his family enjoying the activity. "But technology makes it much easier to capture reality in a way that we miss it. We become recorders rather than participants."
           I think that is a valid point. However; Mr. Spencer points out that we are always adjusting, so the, "Live now and interpret later", idea is crazy. This post was really intriguing to me. I found myself at a personal crossroads. I have such a vivid memory, and yet I always take pictures of everything I see. I find that the pictures mean more to me later in life, because they will help revamp my memory. It seems like with this example, pictures are like a back up plan for your mind.

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff, Please?
            Dr. McLeod's post is very sarcastic. At first, he seems to say, "PLEASE don't teach your students about technology." But as you read the poem, you realize that he actually means, "Please don't teach YOUR kids about technology, because I am teaching MY kids that stuff, and I want mine to have the leg up in life." I feel as if he is challenging us as the future of education to integrate technology with learning. Society as a whole is becoming very technology centered. I think Dr. McLeod's point is that we need to educate our students about this growing phenomenon. 
           Technology when allied with education opens a world of limitless learning. Through blogging, and PLN's we can collaborate with people all over the world in seconds. Just in my lifetime we have gone from, Post offices, to e-mailing, to texting, and now social networks like Facebook and Twitter. The way technology progresses, I would consider it an injustice to our future students to keep them restricted to this pencil and paper type of learning.  
            

C4K# 1

IBFrances07
Frances is in 9th grade. His blog is for Mr. Cometti's pre-IB World History class. The post I read was an interesting one to say the least. Frances proposed the question: What if Youtube had been around in WWI. As another student pointed out, a lot of his blog is not exactly factually accurate or even based on facts. But he is a 9th grader, and it is important simply because he is effectively posting his thoughts in a way that the whole world can see. Putting himself out in the open for people to congratulate or critique.

JosephSapia
Joseph is a fourth grade student in Mrs. Sapia's class. His blog is mostly dealing with classroom questions. He asked the commenter in one blogs to write a sentence that can be solved by 45+78. My sentence said, "My friend has $45.00 but she needs more money to buy the video game she wants. I let her borrow $78.00 more dollars. How much did her game cost in all?"

Reece
Reece is also a 10th grader in Mrs. Miller's class. His blog I commented on by accident, but I found it rather intriguing. He says he writes stories to relieve stress. I related extremely well to him, because I do the same thing. Since 6th grade, I have used writing stories and poetry as a way to cope with tough issues, or rid myself of stress! My advice to Reece was to never let that talent go away from him.

Kathleen
Kathleen is a 10th grade student in Mrs. Millers class at Baldwin County High School. Her blog is very clear on what she cares about. She has picture after about the Civil Rights Movement and how it effected the country. Her blog also tells of a woman killed because she joined the March from Selma to montgomery. It is refreshing to see that she cares about something other than herself! Bravo to her.


Summary:
    The students assigned to me were very different, yet similar in their use of the blog. All of the students use their blog to deal with classroom issues. Some, like Kathleen, go outside of the class and deal with issues effecting the world. Either way, they are all examples if how useful a blog could be in school.

Blog Post #9 McClung

Mr. McClung's World

           I chose to review Mr. McClungs first year teaching as well as his fourth year. Even though his perspective changes between the two teaching years he withholds one common lesson for his readers. Keep your teaching student centered. Make sure they are actually retaining the information you are spouting at them, rather than just fumble through your lecture and go home. This is in my opinion the biggest pitfall of being a teacher. Especially when you are being reviewed by a superior, we tend to focus on the stand in versus paying attention to the students. I also know a lot of teachers who don't care about their students, because frankly they get paid regardless.
         With his first year McClung talks about flexibility and how we all have our certain way of conveying our lessons. In our heads, we create perfect scenarios and have every part of the conversation planned out in advance. I've seen it occur in a classroom that if a student makes a point that isn't on the professor's agenda for the day, it gets overlooked. Many times I hear, "That isn't what we are talking about today", when it a serious topic related to the class. We cannot be this narrow-minded in our teaching. As educators we must open ourselves to new topics, and if we can roll with the punches it will better us in the long run. Education in this century needs diversity, and thus it needs diverse thinkers.
            In his fourth year of teaching he discusses how we get complacent with our curriculum, and therefore we begin to lose our sense of creativity. Our Child-like wonder fades and we forget how to have fun with the subject, as Dr. Randy Pausch would say. As a Color Guard instructor, I can definitely relate to this. In fact, i have now been teaching for four years now. As an instructor my job is to create the routines in which the kids perform. After four years, I have begun to notice that I have my own signature style of spinning the flag, rifle or sabre. There are certain maneuvers that if I am writing routines on the fly, I will, "copy and paste", them and move on. While this makes my life easier, it severely limits my own talents as well as my students. Especially in our sport, creativity is a huge part of the teaching process and a lack thereof results in serious deduction in your score. In a classroom, if the professor lacks that creative luster, the entire semester is a waste of time for everyone involved. If our students aren't learning from us, then they are not growing. And if they are not growing then neither are we. Stagnation is the worst form or laziness; if we strive to progress rather than stagnate we will provide a better education for the future. We can breed broader minds and logic!

Blog Post #8

How We Learn: Part 1
           Dr. Richard Miller starts by talking about how writing in our culture has changed. He praises current technology by recognizing that we currently have the capability to communicate with people all over the world in literally a second. He also mentions the fate of Academic books, which I found interesting. He says most printed copies end up in the trash and on Amazon.com for fifty cents. Instead of having a pen and paper, we carry around our laptops and jump drives. This makes documents and personal media share ready with the click of a mouse.
          I find this observation interesting. On a personal note, I recently visited my Alma Mater of Foley High School and I found something rather odd. As I strolled nostalgically through the halls, I noticed outside of every classroom big metal hooks all over the wall. Each one holding one of the same black, BCBE (Baldwin County Board of Education) backpack. Every pack had a name tag on it complete with student barcode and  picture identification. To my utter shock, an old friend told me that within each one was a brand new Macbook Air with a barcode to match the student's. They have limited internet access, so no Facebook or Twitter in class. But this to me says a lot about the strides technology is taking in education.


How We Learn: Part 2
           Dr. Miller again starts by speaking on the new kind of teaching material we are faced with as educators. Technology makes everything an instantaneous share. "Material changes in front of our eyes." We can convey emotions and energy through podcasts or educational videos. Online information for teaching gives us the ability to see what is behind the information. It also allows us to give different versions of the same information.  He gives an example of the speed of sharing a video versus if he had just typed up an essay or paper. In 3 months his video received hundreds of thousands views and had been shared all over the world embedded in blogs everywhere. He feels as though his essay would have ended up in the trash, or only seen by a hand full of people. 


Blog Post 12: Carly Pugh

I really enjoyed Carly's blog post. I think she did an excellent job with connecting writing and multimedia. She showed her true creativity with this assignment. With such an unrestricted blog post, I hope my own will be as creative as hers. She makes a valid point that not everyone likes to read books. This is relevant, but until it was pointed out, It hadn't dawned on me. I love my books, but I know plenty of people who don't read. She taught me that providing images and videos can include more people. Maybe with this kind of media and writing collaboration we can spark creativity in someone else. This is also an important way to say that people learn in different ways, and we should consider this as educators. 



The Chipper Series

The Chipper series is a silly representation of the proper way to handle this class. I have to admit, they made me laugh. But they are true. Especially the episode where Chipper accuses Dr. Strange, of not doing his job. At first I felt this way about EDM310 but I have realized that it is all about self motivation and time management. I struggle with juggling classes and my two jobs, so I really have to push myself to meet the deadlines. There have been a few instances where I miss the deadline, but I still make myself do the work. 

EDM for dummies

I feel like this video is just telling us that there are ways to get help in this class. Which is encouraging at this point, because edm310 is a bipolar beast for me. There are weeks when I feel like I will definitely pass this class with an A or a B. And then there are weeks when I just hang my head and accept that I will probably fail edm. I'm really not sure how to handle the unknown aspect of the grade. Dr. Strange says he doesn't believe in grades, yet despite that awesome glimmer of hope, we still get graded. And we won't know how until everything is over. That point makes this class the most nerve destroying class I am taking.


Learn to Change, Change to Learn

I believe this is one of the most relevant videos we've seen. One person said, "As No Child Left Behind fades away, it enables local creativity and innovations." To me, this is pointing out the flaws in traditional education. As Dr. Esquith would say, some children should be left behind because they aren't ready...yet.  "It's the Death of education, but the Dawn of learning." What a powerful statement. How much clearer could the message be? Education is not teaching, it is directing. Directing students down a single path that only has a few outlets. To learn is to open a world of endless possibilities.

Web 2.0 Tools

1) I finally got myself a Prezi account. I have been using it for 15 minutes and I am already extremely pleased and impressed. It has easy to find and use features like other templates, frame styles and every image available and searchable through the Prezi website. My only regret is that I haven't been using Prezi presentations for years!

I couldn't figure out how to share the image of my Prezi.. So here is a link!!

5)This is my poll!

Project #8 Podcast: Justice League

Project #12 Book Trailer

Project #9 PLN 1st Progress

PLN Update
       I think this is going to be the most beneficial assignment we have had so far. I have been working on getting my PLN set up so far. I am adding all my teachers and fellow classmates into the website by the week.

Blog Post #7 - Dr. Randy Pausch

Randy Pausch
Dr. Randy Pausch was an amazing inspiration to hear, and I find it hard to not write about how sad it is to know he is gone. Dr. Pausch carried with him a heart warming message in a world where more often than not, teachers and professors don't care about students. I have known so many to be consumed with what THEY already know rather than what they could teach others. His three main points were as follows:

• Have Fun
• Never Give Up
• Always Search For The Good In Others.

In his last lecture, Dr. Pausch talks about fulfilling childhood dreams. He states the importance of, "The Child inside". and the, "Child-like wonder", that we as adults and especially as educators tend to lose. His point here ties in with the other Blog assignments because he silently establishes that the current education system is flawed. I too believe that fun is always a big part in a classroom. I tend to be silly, and I try to keep things light-hearted with my high school kids. I do this because when I am happy, they give me more of their attention, rather than when I am angry and they let my message go in one ear and out the other.
         Another point he makes is to never give up. He says from his health to his students, he never gave up. This is very noble and rare. In the current school system, teachers give up on students, students give up on classes, parents give up on kids and so on. Also with me personally I know that I let my patience wear thin on a daily basis almost. And once I reach that point of no return, I just throw my hands up and give up on my girls.
          He also remarks on the fact that we should ALWAYS search for the good in others. He is told by his colleague that when someone disappoints him, he just needs to give them more time. At some point in time, everyone will impress you. When someone disappoints us, a lot of times it takes a long time, if we ever build back that trust. Maybe if there is a student in your class, and they seem to always let you down, all they need is more time and other opportunities to prove themselves.
         Dr. Pausch presents a beautiful message in his Last Lecture, one that honestly brought me to tears. This post assignment is going to be the one that has the longest lasting impression in my life. If I could inspire one person, the way Dr. Pausch  has inspired hundreds of thousands, my profession would have been worth while.
     
       As a side note, this is the second time I have done this assignment, and it brings me to tears every time. This is by far the BEST blog post we do, and I hope you never get rid of it Dr. Strange. Dr. Randy Pausch should be remembered, and his ideas celebrated forever. He was truly incredible.

Blog Post #6 - Networked Student

The Networked Student

          The idea of connectivism is very interesting! The basic meaning is that a student will build a network of education for himself, with assistance from the professor. Through programs like Google Scholar, we can do our own research and determine the validity of a website. Using iTuneU we can find podcasts from actual classes across the world and put them straight on our iPod. What a crazy thought. I attend the University of South Alabama, and I can receive a lecture from a professor at UC Berkleigh? This is a great example of technology at its best in the education world.
          Teachers are needed with the concept of connectivism, simply because they help organize the students. A teacher instructs the student on how to politely ask for help. They tell the student how to organize the mounds of information they receive from  their PLN.


          Thinking about all that I have learned, and what I know now, I could easily fill a novel. But dreaming about the infinite knowledge I could have gained from networking such as this is incredible. As a child I always heard, "Two heads are better than one." How about ten brains, or 100 working together? This would be an infinite well of knowledge, coming from all kinds of backgrounds and origins. I hope I can teach this way in my classroom. I will definitely try my best. 

Blog Post #5

         Krissy Venosdale is an awe inspiring gifted education teacher from Missouri. She uses her blog entitled Venspired to reflect upon herself and those who inspire her. In a particular post she tells about her dream school. One where students and learning live harmoniously together. Where the students don't have to fit the certain criteria to be considered gifted. If I got the chance to build my own school, the first thing I would do is remove ALL standardized testing. in the current world, everyone learns in their own ways at their own pace. We cannot expect students to pass the tests if we as teachers cannot effectively teach everyone everything. Meaning, in most scenarios, teachers don't have the time to spend individually with every student making sure that everyone has all of the LO's embedded into their heads. Some kids are DIFFERENT, and that isn't a bad thing! The next thing I would do is immediately incorporate the best technology available. The students would begin building their PLN's from the start of their education.


Virtual Choir
       Jennifer Chamber's posted a video of Eric Whitacre's breathtaking Virtual Choir! I have followed this amazing, ever growing choir. This particular choir piece is entitled, "Lux Aurumque." 185 voices from 12 different countries singing together via Skype. What an amazing innovation Whitacre has made using the world wide web! He is currently producing his newest and largest choir. I would love to be part of his virtual masterpiece!

21st Century Teaching
     The first thing I noticed about this video is the music. As a band student, and music fanatic, I was mesmerized by the track behind the video. I watched it a few times.
       Teaching in the 21st century shouldn't be too hard. Most of my classmates and I were the start of the technological age. As long as we use the technologies we use such as blogging, (tumblr, blogger, etc) social networks, (Twitter, facebook, linkedin, Skype, etc) Educational connectivity, (PLNs) we will be effective teachers. These sites provide us with an instant and endless source of knowledge and lesson possibilities. Bloom's taxonomy has been blown wide open with the possibilities. Create has a different meaning today than it did 15 years ago. It used to just mean to put something together. Now creating something is making something that no one has seen, or expanding upon a concept already around.

Flipped Classroom
           I could definitely see myself using the flipped classroom approach. And simply because, class time becomes a precious commodity to teachers in a tight schedule. More students learn by hands on experiences in my opinion. I love the idea of the lesson being at home and the assignment being in class. What a great way to check the understanding of the students. I really think I will try the flipped classroom as a teacher! 

Project# 6 My Sentence

Blog Post #4

Langwitches
Joe Dale
      
           The video on Joe Dale's website talks about the importance of Podcasts and Vodcasts. It gives the example of a child staying home from school with a high fever. The child is afraid of missing an important study guide review that is happening in class. She is at ease when she realizes that the teacher  makes a Podcast of all of his study guide reviews. She listens to it while she is recovering from her illness. To me this proves that podcasting and video podcasts are an extremely convenient way to educate our students. It also makes me think of the flipped classrooms. In flipped classes, students learn the lesson online either through podcast of vlogs, this way they can spend precious class time applying their knowledge to reality.
             I think that using podcasts in class is an excellent way to keep kids interested in learning. And I actually really like the idea of a flipped classroom. I could have my students at least listen to their lesson at home. With that system in place, It would take 1/4 the time to review quickly and put their knowledge to the test with the assignment. 

Flat Stanley!

             I chose this option because I love Flat Stanley! i had never heard his story until last year, but it is an awesome concept! I really want Flat Stanley to visit me! Anyway in  Ms. Tolisano gave her first grade class from Jacksonville, Florida a really creative assignment. She had them read Flat Stanley by Jim Brown. And then she asked them imagine that they had been flattened like Stanley and they had to choose their own travel destination. Each student conducted research on their location so they could describe what they did on their adventure. They also told how they got to and from their chosen place.
             The finished product was a really cute podcast that encouraged all kinds of creativity.They also got the experience of a podcast; they got to hear themselves saying the words, as well as hear the different emotions in their speaking parts. This is also a great way to support their creative writing skills, which will be used a lot, later in school. They are learning to describe things such as a plane, a trip to a different country, themselves if they were flat. 
This would be an awesome assignment for any age.

Listening-Comprehension Podcasting
                In Ms. Tolisano's blog post, "Listening-Comprehension-Podcasting", she writes about a second grade class that uses podcasting to learn and understand Hebrew. They are learning the story of Purim. The class used tools such as a Smartboard, Garage Band and a microphone to record their segment of the podcast script. This is where the good part comes in. Then the class listens to the script clips out of order and is asked to put them in the correct order. Ms. Tolisano expresses the importance of hearing their vocabulary while they are discovering and learning a new language. She also says that by letting the students hear the clips over and over again they deepen their understanding for the meaning of the clips. 
               Once again, Ms. Tolisano has introduced me to a method of learning that is amazing, but had never dawned on me. This is actually a great way to learn a different language, or better your understanding of your own language. In my opinion, nothing helps me to learn Spanish better than using it in context. This way of teaching languages with podcasts is like a modernized version of virtual flashcards, where the clips read to you, and you decipher what you hear. Ms. Tolisano is an inspiration! Great assignment. 

             Podcasting is a very effective tool for almost all learning. With vodcasting available as well, all you need is a hands-on assignment in class and you can appeal to the 3 main types of learning. (Auditory, Visual and Hands-on.) I will definitely be using podcasts in my future classroom.    

Project #5 Presenting ME

C4T # 1 Mr. Bernia

Mr. Bernia
         Mr. Bernia is a Middle School Principle at Oakview Middle School. He has been teaching for 9 years and in that time he has been: Principle, Assistant Principle, a teacher and a school custodian.
In his blog post, "Keep, Stop, Do", he shows us the importance of keeping yourself in check. He has a monthly meeting with his mentor, in which he shares his thoughts, receives feedback and clears his mind of any clutter. He calls this exercise a Self Evaluation and he does them twice a year. Though they don't replace his daily self-reflections, they are vital to his up-keep.
"I think ask myself the following questions:
- What do I want to keep doing?
- What do I want to stop doing?
- What do I want to start doing?"

I think this is something I will start doing, but it is also something that EVERYONE should be doing. I know personally that I can start to feel too comfortable with certain situations, and that is when I know it is time to check myself. I am thoroughly glad that I read this post. Thanks Mr. Bernia!


Why School
           In this post Mr. Bernia examines a text written by Will Richardson called, "Why School." Richardson addresses the issues with current education versus Technology. He asks why school? Why does it require so much change? Mr. Bernia says it has to do with the word Literacy. Back in the day to be literate was to be able to read and write. Those two skills just aren't enough anymore. Now, to be literate, you must have at LEAST a basic knowledge in most if not all basic computer technology.

This post related to EDM310 so well, I had to choose it. Mr. Bernia says to accommodate the ever-changing world or technology, we as educators must rethink the practice of assessments. If literally all answers are on the Internet for almost any subject and any grade, how are the kids learning? I know more than once in high school if I was having issues with a homework question, I would Google it. For example Google used to be a search engine. Now it is a verb: They googled it; I am googling; I will google it later.  Mr. Bernia is a very in touch principal. He knows where the world is headed, and he is bringing his students with him.

Blog Post #3

Peer Editing
 The video says we need to follow 3 simple techniques in peer editing.

• Compliments: Stay Positive
• Suggestions: Specifics
• Corrections: Grammatical, writing

 Even though with these three bits of information, it is evident that this is taught to third graders. By this I mean it is simple, effective, and polite. Constructive criticism is always the best way to go; no one responds to constant negativity. When we give suggestions we are to pinpoint details that the author could be different. And finally, we make corrections. Any sentence structure errors, punctuation errors, or capitalization errors should not escape the editor.

On a different note, I agree with the slideshow, Peer editing is a great way to get to know your classmates as well as sharpening your editing and comprehension skills. These skills can be used to better edit ones own writing in the future. It also helps us learn how to properly use constructive criticism. As future educators, I would have to say that tearing someone down is not going to help anyone involved. Positive reinforcement and praise when deserved is ALWAYS going to be the most effective way to peer edit.

Assisting Technologies
            This video talks about how little is done for children with sensory disabilities.I actually just participated in EPY 315's DAD activity. With this activity I had to be blindfolded, was put in a wheel chair, had to read with a mirror, and lost the use of my small motor skills. I was asked after each activity, how I would cater to each disability as a teacher. And it really got me thinking. How do we assist disabled children individually, while still treating them fairly. Most of the time the disabled children only want to be treated the same as everyone else. There are tools such as Easy Readers that help dyslexic children read better. Or you can read aloud to the visually impaired students. But I honestly don't know how I would react. I would do everything I could to help them learn. My heart is too big to treat them like the rest of the class. I would, in a way, have to train myself to be fair beyond reason. 

Blog Post #2 Redone

Did you know: John H. Strange

In the assigned video, I believe Dr. John Strange is describing the over-popularity and the engrossing nature of technology. Overall the message is saying that we as instructors need to be ready to teach the upcoming technology monsters, that are currently breeding in the world today. The video effectively provides statistics on the growth of computers and cell phones per household. This growth will continue to flourish in the coming years. Is this good, or bad?

 When I was in middle school, I did not have, "My", phone, neither did my parents, we had one house-phone that was a land-line. Now almost everyone over the age of seven has a cell phone. 11,453,577 text messages per minute sent world wide! That equals almost 200,000 texts a second. Are you kidding me? The growth rate of this technology has reached a point of insanity as well. When I bought my laptop, it was one of the best around. six-months later, it was ancient and way out of date. In a society as down as ours is, who can afford to keep up with that kind of development? Granted on a positive note, they have companies now that let you trade in your old technology for the newer model. In which case, I wouldn't mind forking out the extra money for the better products. If there is a better way to stay up to date in the world, I certainly need it. Ultimately, technological growth is the staple that is driving our world forward.

Mr. Winkle Wakes: Mathew Needleman

Mr Winkle is a good example showing that the older generations are getting more and more out of touch with the way people learn. As powerful as technology seemed to previous generations, It is more advanced now than any of them could have known. In the classrooms today there are educational videos and power point presentations. Back then, the primary resource of a teacher was chalk and a black board. Honestly, kids today are too ADD to stay focused on a teacher for a whole class period. We as teachers have to make class more interesting for the students. If they are bored, they will never learn. 

            In my opinion, a more, “Hands-on”, education is correct way to keep a student interested. The only projects I remember from high school are the ones where we got to perform the task we were learning. For example, my 10^th grade year, instead of reading Julius Caesar and testing on it, we read it, and then acted it out. My group had togas and red paint, with glowing swords. As silly as it sounds, I loved it. Or in a science class, where the students build a catapult, a geometry class where they build a triangle bridge. This is the type of thing that will interest a child, and keep them enchanted. 

The Importance of Creativity

            Let me begin my post by saying, Sir Ken Robinson’s lecture was a joy to hear. He made valid points about our world’s declining creativity. He kept his topic interesting with humor, but he made sure we knew his message. He told jokes, and wasn't worried about staying serious the whole time. He is a prime example of how creativity and individual personalities make life more enjoyable. We have been told to color inside the lines our entire lives. Why? There is no rule book for coloring. We were taught that very young, that if it was not perfect, it was ugly, or wrong. What kind of life are we being set up for? Like he mentioned, the current school system is focusing on the right side of our brains and that is it. I believe to be, "well rounded"; we are going to need a lot more than math and science.  I find it interesting that when a college says they are well rounded, they mean they make an English major take and art class and a math class. That does not make well rounded people. It makes frustrated college students. Someone who is well rounded is able to adapt to their situation. I honestly think without creativity that would be impossible. EDM310 allows us to embrace out creativity with projects like the book trailer as well as our podcasts and silly group names. (Go Justice League!)

Pinterest in the Classroom
             I will be honest; I have had a pinterest for at least a year now. It is awesome for anything from Do-it-yourself projects to learning how to braid your hair, and making a colorful rainbow shot display. How on EARTH could this tool be useful in a serious classroom? Well there are plenty of ways according to Edudemic.com. Teachers like, "Cool Cat Vicki", are posting boards that are all about helping other teachers with creative ideas for lessons, and of course decorating their classroom. There are also lots of pins on new websites and resources that could be effective in the classroom. I am actually really impressed with the way they use this site for good. Normally I turn to pinterest for procrastinating my life away. In fact this assignment was very dangerous for me, I was almost lost in my pin boards.