Project #12 Book Trailer

Blog Assignment #8

This Is How We Dream


"Ideas don't belong to us individually, they belong to us as a culture." I really enjoyed this quote from Dr. Richard E. Miller. His idea on how ideas are thought by all different types of people. Ideas are a melting pot. People from different cultures and different background can constantly evolve the original idea.
Dr. Miller made me feel drawn to what he was saying during the video. Incorporating multimedia into my classroom does not only make the classroom more interesting for the students, but for the teacher as well. Multimedia takes mundane lessons and really spruces up education. The more interesting the lecture is, the more the students will be more inclined to learn.


Carly Pugh's Blog Post #12


Miss Carly Pugh made an excellent suggestion by suggesting future teachers should create a playlist of videos to encourage them. Different videos/opinions can motivate people differently especially with different types of topics or subject material. Think Different was my favorite video that she posted. I like how Carly took the initiative to add this to her playlist to use as a reminder. A reminder to go out of the box and make kids think! Creativity is naturally in a student’s mind, but sometimes it takes an educator to pull that creativity out. Teachers AND students both need to think outside of the box.
After Carly’s blog, I was curious and inspired to search for my own inspirational videos to add to my own playlist. When searching YouTube, I found a video that stresses the keys to success. Attitude is the key to a teacher’s success. Thank you Carly for adding another idea to my teaching portfolio !


EDM for Dummies


Oh EDM 310! I really enjoyed both of the videos. Watching these videos really got my wheels turning about my final project. My plan is to begin brainstorming and create a couple of ideas before I decide on the final decision. I may even rehearse and see which one I like the most. Animation seems to be the direction I am leaning toward right now, but in the next week it could change


Learn to Change, Change to Learn
Change! Change! Classrooms are in need of a change. They need to be transformed into learning hubs that are filled with interest. I am completely and 100% percent on board with this idea. The classroom needs to be more interesting. Technology and kids are constantly changing. In my opinion, it only makes sense to constantly keep changing lessons to keep up with technology and students. Learning shouldn’t be boring! Teachers please listen: students don’t need to just memorization and typing questions into Google.
I loved this video! I completely agree with transforming the classroom into a fun and interesting learning environment. After this video, the excitement of teaching is almost overwhelming. I cannot wait to become and educator and to teach my kids useful information and not useless information.


Scavenger Hunt

Edmodo is a great resource that is available at the click of mouse for teachers and students. The site is a combination of the ever growing popular twitter and Facebook. If you register as a student or teacher, you are allowed access to appropriate communication possibilities. This site not only allows communication between student and teachers, but between parents and teachers. The site also provides the ability to connect and communicate with other educators. In my opinion, this site is similar to Google. Creating groups, updating and organizing calendars, and recording grades are similar to features offered by Google. This site also allows students and their parents to view passed assignment and the ability to “exchange” notes about projects or school related issues. The other feature that I really enjoyed and hope to implement into my classroom is the quiz creator and etc. With the quiz creator aspect, I would be allowed to create a quiz, post the quiz for student, receive the quiz responses, and grade the quizzes all in one program. That is an extremely useful tool when maintaining an organized classroom. I do not know how I could incorporate the quiz creator for my future elementary students, but I have plenty of time to figure it out

Photo Peach is a useful and creative site used to create and share slideshows. This site can really be implemented into the teaching resources used to spruce-up classroom lectures. The slideshows have similar features as the computer program PowerPoint; music, comments, captions, quotes, movies, links, and pictures can be added onto the slides. The site also allows the possibility for teachers to create a “folder” where all of the students have the ability to create their own slideshow. However, unlike Edmodo, this site can require a monthly subscription especially for more advanced features.  

The last section of the scavenger hunt was Poll Everywhere. This site/feature is completely free and it could be considered very valuable to educators. Already, I am considering the idea of enlisting the help of my future first class to see what areas they enjoyed and where I could improve. 

Project #9b

Project #10

My PLN's are my life savers! I actually have two! I have my iGoogle and my iPhone 4s. Because of this class, I am constantly using different tabs all at once. I honestly had no idea that my computer could do this. My PLN is actually pretty small, but has the sites that I access the most.  With today's technology, I am able to take my PLN with me anywhere. Everything these days has an App. These apps and PLN will greatly benefit my entire teaching career. Not only are my resources and PLN accessible, but they are dependable. I can't wait to see how much my PLN grows over my teaching career.

Blog Assignment #7

The Networked Video
learning in the 21st century offered a very clear definition of how topics are learned by students dealing with online classes. The resource the student uses helps the student in the research he or she performs. By doing this, the student combines all of the information obtained about the topic, and makes it accessible for others who could be researching the same topic or information.

My first issue is the factual dependencies of the facts based on the subject matter. On the internet, it is extremely easy to manipulate the opinions about topics and the “research” found. When exploring for facts, finding opinions is particularly easy to locate on the internet, but finding facts; however, is not as easy. After evaluating this method of learning, I became aware of why. It makes perfect sense. If you research information on your own then the information becomes easier to obtain. Having the student conduct the research themselves seems more beneficial for the student in the long run.  The new way of learning seems to be deflecting teachers just beating facts into students.

In the video, He wonders will teachers still be in need? Oh my goodness, YES! Because of our past assignments, I really and truly believe that I would not pass without the assistance from my teachers. Teachers are leaders or guiders of the stars, in a cheesy sense. Dependency on teachers will change in the forms needed, but there will always be a need for guidance. we are here to guide them in the right direction, be their model, teach, them how to decipher good information and anything else the internet may throw their way, is like the video stated.

One of the most important aspects of this video, I am still learning about is establishing a personal network. The best part is being able to view others. Being able to assist other educators and learners is highly beneficial to everyone. Sharing and “stealing” others ideas to provide excellent learning for students is a major resource. In the end, it is all about the students! Teachers do not need to forget this!! Share! Share! Share!...What are you doing still sitting here…Go share!

A 7^th Grader’s Personal Learning Environment

7th grader's PLN inspires me to create my own and share it with others who could use it or who are not aware of PLN’s. One thing that I wish my teachers’ would have instilled was organization. I think this is an excellent trait for students to have. One of my favorite parts was when the student mentioned that she is NOT given the option to do her work, but she IS given the option to do her work in an exciting way. The teacher is instilling and promoting a creative outlet for their students. Her students are able to do the research,  record it, and then share it with others.

Project #6 My Sentence

C4K February Summary

The Month of February

(http://blogwithhannah.edublogs.org/ ) Hanging with Hannah was my first C4K student. Obviously, I loved her name to begin with since it rhymes with mine [haha sorry I couldn't resist]. Hannah's blog was very cute and sassy. She was in a classroom competition for blogs and WON! [GO HANNAH!] Hannah also mentioned two of her Christmas gifts she received. Their names are Polie and Chillie; which are like beanie babies. She must have been a pretty good girl if Santa came to visit.

http://pestepuawaia.blogspot.com/ My next student was Te Puawai from PT England School. Te Puawai's blog is very colorful and fun! Te Puawai and Ms. King's class recently received new furniture and technology for their class. Ms. Bark's class seems to incorporate technology in their classroom a great deal. Each student has made a podcast about personal experiences. I think that it is great that she is introducing her students to technology at such a young age.

http://kidblog.org/MsEppelesClass/author/Jackson515/ My third student that I viewed was Jackson from Ms. Eppele's class. Jackson's blog seems to be more of a class notebook or a journal. Ms. Eppele assigns her students a topic or an assignment and then the students, using their blogs, comment/complete it. In some of Jackson's earlier posts, he uses his blog as a journal discussing what he will be for Halloween. In his most recent blog, he discusses bullying and its effects. I think Ms. Eppele does a good job of incorporating the blog into her classroom, but also by allowing her students to become individuals. 

http://y6.ferrylane.net/2012/02/27/joy-by-atifa/ My last blog was by Atz, Ferry Lane Year 6 Blog. Atz posted a beautiful poem about JOY! It was an extremely lovely poem. I was doing the rest of my assignments for EDM 310 and then my C4K for Atz. It was such a nice break to read such a lovely poem and escape in my thoughts about what makes me happy. I escaped to my "happy" place. At the end of the blog Atz asks what makes you joyous and if the reader can use emotions. I think it was a very unique and thoughtful way to end a blog. 

All in all I have been extremely lucky to have been assigned great, interesting, gifted kids! They are all scattered around the world, but they all have one thing in common. They all have teachers that seem to care and want to incorporate technology into their classrooms. My students that I have been observing seem to really enjoy their assignments, and I hope once I become a teacher...I can instill the joy these students seem to have from their technology and teachers.

Project #8 Prodcast

Blog Assignment #6

     Achieving Your Childhood Dreams Randy Pausch is a powerful and passionate speaker. His excitement and joy are extremely noticeable when he speaks. In his speech, Mr. Pausch is truthfully blunt about things people should strive to obtain in life. He is exceptionally forthright when it comes to speaking about anything in life and even the success and failures it possess.

    Mr. Randy illuminates peoples thoughts about specific goals we all have and personal reflection of thought. For example, I have a goal of being a teacher; however, I never thought about my specific goals of becoming a teacher. After his lecture I determined I want to be a teacher my students enjoy, that they truly learn from, and a successful one at that. After Mr. Pausch’s lecture, I have found the importance of educating my students in having goals and helping them obtain their specific goals they have. I think one of the most important aspects of this video was that goals are not concrete that they can be changed. We can tweak our childish dreams into adult realities, and still reach our goals of the past.

    Another portion of the video I enjoyed was the topic of the brick walls. Brick walls are obstacles to our goals. When we are trying to reach our goals, we run into “brick walls.” We are turned away by the dead end. The purpose of these walls, according to Randy, is to exterminate the people who do not truly want their dreams achieved.  When we reach these “brick walls” we are forced to exam our life and what we really want from it. If we want to sincerely reach our goals, then nothing will stand in our way. We figure out ways to break down those walls or overcome to their resistance. I want my students to understand and instill motivation into my students’ souls. I want to explain to my students that walls can be broken and rebuilt daily, but learning how to keep breaking those walls down is the key. I wish my teachers would have instilled this idea more strongly when I was in school.  

    From this video, I learned several lessons that I want to embed into my classroom. The first lesson is creating a bar for my students to strive for. When I create my bar, I hope my students succeed as Randy’s did in the first two week. The height of the bar is extremely important. If the bar is to low, it could possibly have negative effects on my students. I really want my students to set the bar on their own, but with the guidance of myself. By teaching students to properly set goal and have determination to reach them, then they can properly set their own bar at an appropriate height. Another thing that I think all teachers should remember and keep close to their thoughts is having fun. Mr. Pausch wants teachers to question whether “you are a Tigger or Eeyore?” I refuse to be an Eeyore. As Randy mentioned in the video, maintaining childish wonders is a key to success. If we can remember the feelings we had as children, then we might be able to teach in a more effective manner for our students.  

    The last things I want to mention about the video is, loyalty. Having loyalty to our students will hopefully create a two way loyalty street. Putting our students first and their interest is one of the most important things we can do as teachers. Never give up and never surrender.