Project #16

Tips and Tid-Bits for EDM Newbies


Since this semester in EDM places so much emphasis on our blogs, we decided to make our final project in the form of a blog post using three different tools that we came to know and appreciate in the course. The first being a video post, the second an iMovie, and the third a written post.

Introduction


There were so many new and interesting challenges, like making an iMovie:
This has become one of our favorite tools because it allows us to create anything we want.

Here are some tips we would like to offer those who are just entering EDM310.

• On the first class day of class count to see how many students are there, and then subtract a third from that number. That's about how many people will still be there in the end. Will you be one of them??
• You will have to have a gmail account so use a name that is suitable for class and check it often
• There are many links to follow when doing assignments for Dr. Strange, so we suggest bookmarking your blog, the class blog, the projects page, the activities page, and the blog post assignment page to save time. You will find these links in the instruction manual link from the class blog.
• Get to know the edm lab assistants, they are your friends!!!
• Be sure to give edm the time and effort that it requires. If you do not have 9 hrs a week to dedicate to the class, take it another time.
• Keep a positive "I can" attitude. Learning is half of the fun so try to enjoy the journey to becoming a tech literate educator.
• Good Luck, if we can do it, so can you!!!

Just for extra fun, here is a crossword puzzle. There will be plenty of "extra" fun assignments, so we wanted to add one also.
 

Surviving EDM 310 crossword puzzle game » make crossword

Project #13

Ahhh....The finish line is so close! The final project is in final tweaking and then it will be published. Once it is published that can only mean one thing, [drum roll [please], the end! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I said, "the end"! For project 16, we not only collaborated as a group on our project, but our technology as well. For our project, we used document sharing (google program), iMovie, Skype, Gmail (google email accounts), texting (iPhones), facetime (iphone), and etc. This project symbolizes a transitional phase for as a group. The Garnet Girls [Erica Roush, Kaitlin Boatman, and myself] entered into EDM310 with little to no knowledge of how to use or implement half of the technology or projects we learned about. When working on Project 16, we ran into a few speed bumps. Most of our speed bumps just came from daily life. Work, school, and balancing family seemed to be where most of our troubles were forming. It was difficult trying to set up facetime and skype sessions when none of our schedules seemed to align. However, we made it work. Somethings that we did very well on, in my opinion, was communicating details and delegating responsibilities to each other. By doing this, we made sure that everything maintained organization and that it did not overwhelm anyone more then the other. I feel our project is organized and explains its purpose. Without the different forms of collaboration, I do not feel like our project would have been successful or completed. Skype and doc sharing really saved our groups life, in a sense.

I just wanted to take the time and thank my other group members for all of their hard work and patience. Kaitlin and Erica, I know this project has been extremely stressful, but thank you both for help creating a great project! I will see you both soon. Have a great summer! Thank you both again!!

Blog Post #14

C4T #2

During this C4T assignment, I was assigned to Mr. Dean Shareski. I do not know all of the other choices that Dr. Strange had to choose from to assign to us, but I wish everyone could have read Mr. Shareski's blog! Mr. Dean is incredibly riveting with his writing. He covers updated issues with such honesty and openness that you feel like you are sitting face to face listening to him speak. He is also extremely, or at least convincingly, knowledgeable on classroom issues and technology in the classroom. Mr. Dean made me question topics that I had not really thought of. For example, in the first C4T I commented on for Mr. Dean, the topic was on life outside of textbooks. Mr. Dean questioned the use of textbook and researched other means for textbooks. I felt like this was a very closely related topic because I have not purchased a textbook throughout my entire college experience. I have only rented or downloaded textbooks using my iPad. I have saved $100s maybe $1000s of dollars by making this choice. Mr. Shareski mentions and suggests these types of resources. The second time I commented on Mr. Dean's blog, he seemed to be "ranting" about the unfairness on the bureaucratic decisions that seem to be made from political figures. In another comment/blog, he reflects on he, the world, and myself are spoiled by technology. He gave many forms of technology that I definitely know I could not survive without that I honestly do not give much thought to. It was really an eye opener. The last time I commented on Ideas and thoughts, Mr. Dean discussed how teachers can improve and become better through videoing and recording themselves while teaching. My parents are both teachers and they both use those suggestions that he was discussing. This blog really let me understand his point of view and suggest to other teachers the reasons why my parents use videos and recordings. 

Dr. Strange and class of EDM310...Please read just a few of Mr. Shareski's blog! I know that you will enjoy his thoughts and writing just as much as I did, if not more! Dr. Strange, I would possibly brainstorm on an assignment that could be used to implement Mr. Shareski's blog.   

Final PLN

In the beginning, I used my iPhone apps as my only source of PLN. However, the more and more I kept using the same cites the more frustrated I became with constantly searching for those cites. I broke down and finally created a proper PLN using Symbaloo. Symbaloo has become a lifesaver! All of my favorite cites in one central location, what more could a girl in EDM 310 want? Nothing! Symbaloo has created organization and time management in (hopefully) improving my skills with technology and assignments for EDM. Oh Symbaloo, I will use you forever!

Blog Assignment #13

For blog assignment #13, we were asked to go without technology for a whole 24 hours! Initially I thought, piece of cake, but after the first couple of hours I thought I was going insane. A day without television or accessing a computer seemed simple enough, but my cellphone...my precious cell phone was another thing. I planned my day off from "technology/civilization" wisely. My mom visited this past Friday, and I stayed at her house. Now, my mother's house is very unorthodox compared to most homes. My mother does not have a television and when she is at the beach house does not have internet access. Knowing this going in, I knew this would be a perfect place for my 24 hours of technology freedom. The day before I went to my mom's house, I informed my boss, my friends, and family that I would not have my phone so I would not be tempted to look or answer it. This was a complete "success." I did not have any use of my phone, television, or computer. It was actually lovely! I think once a week, or so, unplugging from the world is very therapeutic. I know more than anything, this assignment made me appreciate the technology that we can easily access.  

Project #15

Curiosity Blog Assignment 12A

             

       (Q1) It would be too broad and sweeping a statement to say that ALL schools in the US destroy or inhibit the development of curiosity and creativity in students, but the demands of No Child Left Behind and the emphasis on standardized testing have certainly made it difficult for teachers to create opportunities for creativity and curiosity in students. Unfortunately, standardized tests and educational reform have propagated a “test mentality” on teachers and their lessons. However, some schools and some teachers certainly try to create opportunities for both creativity and curiosity. (Q2)   Curriculum can certainly be developed to increase curiosity in students; however, teachers must feel comfortable and confident enough to carry out lessons that develop curious students. Many teachers do not feel confident enough in their knowledge to encourage curiosity in their students because a curious student makes more demands on the teacher, particularly his or her knowledge of subject matter. One key component of a curriculum to develop curiosity would certainly be technology. Embracing all the information that technology affords this generation, usually at the “click of a mouse,” would encourage a student’s curiosity.  Finding ways to incorporate technology and its resources into a curriculum would be a simple way to allow students to “have questions” but also allow them to find a way to answer those questions, and possibly create more questions to keep the cycle in motion.(Q3)  A curriculum to increase creativity would be a much more difficult task because it is very difficult to assess creativity. Since today’s culture is so “grade conscious” and every assignment must be graded objectively, it is very difficult for teachers to find a balance between grading the content of an assignment and grading the creativity of the assignment. However, there are certainly ways for a curriculum to encourage creativity. For instance, in my Spanish class we were learning the basic vocabulary associated with clothing. We were assigned a project that was to demonstrate our mastery of the vocabulary in a creative way. Some of us chose the very “safe” power point presentations, but others felt comfortable “taking a risk” and choosing a creative way to approach the assignment. One group created a fashion catalog featuring descriptions of garments in Spanish; another produced a live fashion show with the models describing their clothing in Spanish. Because this project could be assessed for content knowledge in a very objective way, it allowed us to be creative and “think outside the box” without fear. 

            (Q4) In my opinion, a teacher who models curiosity will certainly encourage curiosity in his/her students. Any time I find something interesting and do personal research about something, I will try to share my experiences with my future students. If a student doesn't know a word by context, he/she is encouraged to look it up and share the information with the class. If an allusion or an analogy is made that isn't immediately recognized, we will research the allusion(analogy) and share the information, encouraging curiosity. (Q5) Along the same lines as question three, teachers have many opportunities to encourage creativity in students. By accepting that there are many different ways to learn content standards and embracing the different learning styles of students, teachers can certainly create opportunities for students to learn in creative ways. The Spanish vocabulary lesson (see above) is just one example. I once had a history teacher in my school who had us “act out” myths from mythology with a modern twist. Although this can be “risky” for the teacher to relinquish control, it is a lesson that I will always remember and enjoy. It came me and my class control of the learning experience and encouraged creativity.

         (Q6) As a teacher, I would feel more open to creativity if there was not the burden of testing and grading. If school systems would encourage  creativity in its teachers and administrators and NOT feel the pressure of the test scores or AYP (yearly progress reports for schools), teachers may feel more willing to take creative risks in their classrooms. Also, if teachers have an opportunity to collaborate with other teachers (in their building, their system, and even outside their systems), it would foster a sense of creativity. (Q7) I’m not certain that people can become curios. Curiosity seems to be something innate in a person or not. There are simply people (teachers and students) who are NOT curious. On the other hand, there are people who are naturally curious. The balance for teachers and schools would be to create opportunity to encourage the reluctant curiosity of some while nurturing the curiosity of the innately curious student. Probably the best thing a teacher or school could do would be to give opportunities for curiosity to be cultivated. And that is exactly what I plan on doing!

Blog Assignment #12

In my past blog assignments, I have mentioned that I want to become an elementary educator, but I also plan on getting my Master's degree in Spanish. In high school, I worked with Robertsdale Elementary School's first grade class in Robertsdale, Alabama. I worked with them on simple classroom object and the correct pronunciation. For my assignment, I thought about allowing my students to watch a video on the Spanish Alphabet and to hear the correct pronunciation of each letter. This assignment is for 1st graders and the subject is Spanish.

Step 1: Click on the link and watch the Spanish Alphabet video: Spanish Alphabet...ABC.

Step 2: Practice, practice, and practice.

Step 3: Once you have practiced, please schedule a time with Ms. Shartzer to create your video. In your video, you will video yourself saying the English letter and the Spanish letter. 

Step 4: Ms. Shartzer or one of her teacher aids will help and instruct you on how to embed the video on our class blog. 

Step 5: Continue to learn and have fun!

[My example video for this assignment will be posted tomorrow. My computer does not have a camera. Yes, I know my computer is ancient. Also, this is the video that I am asking my students to watch. ]

Final Project Summary

Not to brag, but my group is pretty amazing. We have been meeting once a week discussing how we will work on our projects. Right now, we are focusing on project 15. We plan on implementing text messaging and google docs for certain! Like I said, my group is pretty amazing. So keep your eyes out for us! (Erica Roush, Kaitlin Boatman, and myself!)

C4K April Summary

The C4K assignment has definitely become my favorite assignment of EDM 310. I love the idea of connecting my future classroom with other classrooms from around the world, and this assignment allowed me to practice. 

Week 11(April 1,2012): My student's name is Matt. Matt is from Canada. He seems to be such a GREAT kid. The first blog post I commented on was Do You Like To Read? In this post, Matt created a book trailer similar to the book trailers we were assigned to create. Matt decided to review the Hobbit. As I told Matt, I think his trailer is way better than mine. He seems to have a better clue on how to use technology in the classroom better than I do. 

Week 12 (April 5,2012) Again, my student's name was Matt. Since he had not written a post since his, "Do you like to Read" post, I had to back track on his blog. On February 29th, he wrote about a program his school participates in to Put An End To Bullying. To put an end to bullying, Matt's school wears a pink shirt on the last Wednesday of February. Matt explains that the program began when a male student wore a pink shirt to school and was picked on for being gay. Some older students observed the teasing and decided to all wear pink shirts and take a stand to bullying. I thought this was such a neat program with a neat story behind it. 

Week 13 (April 10,2012) I can honestly say that if Matt was a bit older and lived a little closer, I could see us being great friends. Matt is a huge sports nut. He especially loves hockey, and more specifically he loves the Ottawa Senators. Since I am from Gulf Shores, Alabama, I am not a huge hockey player or a hockey fan; however, my mom is! This was a really fun post to comment on because I am a HUGE sports fan, and anything written about sports is interesting to read. Matt's team, at the time, was competing his league's peewee playoffs. He never posted if he won or not, but if he plays anything like he posts, I think he will do GREAT!  

Week 14 (April 22,2012) The last C4K in EDM 310! Oh yeah! The finish line is getting so close. My student, in this C4K, is named Aneelis. She is from New Zealand. Aneelis and her class have recently visited Butterfly Creek; which is a butterfly zoo or farm. She shares a picture of herself and the beautiful butterfly that landed on her. Aneelis seemed extremely happy and enjoying her class field trip. Also, Aneelis attached a video of her describing her Beautiful Butterfly. 

I have really enjoyed being apart of the C4K's this semester. I think all of the students and teachers I have commented on are great! They all are excellent examples on how technology should be used and implemented into classrooms. I strive to be like the teachers that these students are lucky enough to have! Thank you Dr. Strange and look for Ms. Shartzer's class in a couple of years to add to your C4K list. 

Blog Assignment #11

Little Kids...BIG potential!  
Size/age doesn't matter in the eyes of technology.In this video, Ms. Cassidy has a very energetic approach to the use of technology. EDM 310 has really opened my eyes to incorporating technology into my future classroom and the endless possibilities my students can have. Even though I am still a little skeptical about blogging, I believe that is an fascinating utilization of technology.One of the most influential things about blogging is that it can help invigorate the students' abilities to write, and gives them access to many world wide opinions/issues, all by a click of a mouse.I have noticed that more and more elementary schools are incorporating computers into their lessons, some as early as kindergarten. I think this would be an interesting way to display forms of work for my future kindergarten classes. Another technology that I like and hope to implement, is the use of Skype. I would love to steal the idea of skyping with a geologist or possibly a class from China. I would love to somehow set up a weekly Skype session in my own classroom! I think to keep kids excited about learning, we have to throw out the old and come barging in with the new. After watching Ms. Cassidy's video and hearing her excitement, I can not help but be excited and anxious to have my own classroom. I can not wait to walk into my classroom one day and say, "Good Morning class. Today we are going to Skype with Ms. Blank's Kindergarten class from China!" I can already see and hear the excitement now!

Blog Assignment #10

Do you teach or do you educate?         When I was in kindergarten, I had an educator named Ms. Neidrach. Ms. Neidrach was simply amazing and one of the key influences in my decision to become an educator. She was very supportive, patient, exciting, and everything I feel an elementary teacher should be. In my opinion, she is the ultimate teacher. An educator is someone how inspires and empowers, which is exactly what Ms. Neidrach does. She is the model I hope to emulate in my future classroom. An educator's influence affects people, many for a lifetime. Every educator is a piece of a child’s life puzzle.          My aspiration is to educate my students, instead of just teaching them. I hope to immediately instill insightful thinking and beliefs in every single one of them. For example, I wanted to be a singer one day. Yes, I said a singer. I can’t sing to save my life, but Ms. Neidrach allowed me and the other “aspiring singers” time to “perform” for the class. She always allowed us to be ourselves and think outside of the everyday norm. When we were learning the alphabet and to read, she devoted an entire week to each letter and provided many activities and "teachable moments" relating to the letter being studied. Although we didn't understand it at the time, we were learning cross-curricular concepts in a fun and exciting way. I hope to inspire my students to aspire. Since I want to teach Kindergarten, I would find out what my students aspire to become and possibly invite guest speakers to talk to them. I want to create interesting projects and use new/updated technology to catch the attention of my students. Being an educator is so much more than memorizing rote facts; it is inspiring them to learn and to teach others.

Adventures of Pencils

          Mr. Johnson is simply dazzling. Tom Johnson's Adventures in Pencil Integration is very clever in his use of technology as metaphors. For example, Gertrude, an academic specialist, explains to Mr. Johnson that pencils should not be taken home because students will use them for entertainment rather than for school work. By allowing students to take their pencils home, not only will they not be used in the desired way, but their tests scores will steadily lower. In my education classes (especially in EDM 310), technology plays an important role in becoming an effective educator for our future classrooms. Students are sneaky and smart, which can be a difficult predicament for teachers to handle. Students often misuse their technology resources for games and chatting with friends, rather than using it for school work. I can not lie; I have been one of those sneaky students. In my opinion, this is what Gertrude is referring to with the use of pencils. Even though students are playing games and chatting with friends using their pencils, they are unintentionally learning. They are playing games that are requiring a thought process, spelling, word association, and much more. I like how they contradict the statement above about test scores automatically lowering because students are learning with their computers, even if it is not used in the appropriate form. It is not an automatic response that students will necessarily do poorly on tests. Mr. Johnson does an excellent job when he does little to highlight this concern. He is continuously suggesting new solutions for students and their “pencils.” As I consider my own future classroom, I want my students to bring home their pencils/computers . Yes, classrooms are made for learning, but so is the world. Anyone, everything, and everyone can teach us something new. Why just allow students to learn at school? Shouldn’t students continue their learning above and outside the walls of the classroom?

C4K March Summary

February 27- March 4, 2012,

During the last week of February and beginning of March, I was assigned to Ferry Lane Primary School Year 6 class blog;  I was assigned to the first blog,  which was a beautiful poem about Joy. Atifa penned a poem that created  a nice visualization of the  characteristics  associated with spring and joy. For being a year 6 student, Atifa has captured a magical time of the year and expresses her feelings beautifully with words,  which is not always an easy task at any age.  She really does an exceptional job at personifying Joy, giving it the animate characteristics of  an actual object or person. The best part of the poem was how Atifa ended the poem with a question. The question compels the reader  to  focus on things that make  him/her feel joyous and visualize some favorite things to evoke truly pleasurable feelings. 

March 5-March 9, 20012

This week was Spring Break and we were not assigned a C4K.

March 19-March 25, 2012

For this C4K, I was assigned to Ms. Stone’s  class at Bradford School. The post I commented on was the “100 Word Challenge-Week 25.” Ms. Stone and Ms. Skinner decided to challenge the students to work on their conversational writing. The prompt the teachers assigned was, “How can I help you?” Even though this prompt is extremely vague, I thought this was a very creative way to motivate students to incorporate “how can I help you” into their conversational writing and use a limited amount of words to get their points across to the reader. The concept of this blog emphasizes succinct and thoughtful writing for students. More importantly, this was a good project  for me to actually observe how educators are implementing blogs into the classroom in a meaningful and  thought-provoking way for students, without neglecting content standards. Additionally, this is an excellent example of  how to properly manage all of the students’  blogs and comments so that the teacher is not overwhelmed by the posts but able to effectively interact with students in a way that the students find engaging. 

Blog Assignment #9

 Mr. McClung’s blog First Year, he discusses attention abandonment from students and others. He states this is a major issue with beginning teachers. Mr. McClung states that his mindset in college and internship was all about teachers and being assessed by peers and educators. He credits those factors for his lack of focus pertaining to his audience. Maintaining the focus on the students and remaining flexible are some of the main keys to becoming a successful educator. Mr. McClung says, “NO LESSON IS EVER PERFECT. THE LESSON YOU TEACH AND THE ONE YOU PLAN ARE ALWAYS DIFFERENT.” Educators must maintain flexibility. Rolling with the punches and being a chameleon. Flexibility and the ability to take on many roles are other aspects of becoming an effective educator. Communication is another key to being a successful teacher and faculty member. Being an effective communicator can not only benefit the teacher in the classroom, but with faculty relationships. Creating bridges with others can create more resources and possibilities for yourself, your classroom, and your students. Another good piece of advice seems simple: Set reasonable and obtainable goals for students and yourself. Sometimes creating unreachable or unrealistic goals can be harmful or discouraging to students. Another suggestion Mr. McClung makes is listening to the opinions of students, faculty, and others. The last point from Mr. McClung’s first year is continual learning as an educator. With technology constantly evolving and resources becoming more available and effective, teachers should never lose the desire to improve and learn. 

In Mr. McClung's Third year, he discusses his experiences and reflections. Similar to his experiences in the first year, he reiterates that teachers should never forget that students are the main focus. Constantly keeping the students in mind is still the main way to be effective. Mr. McClung mentions teacher’s crossing over to the "dark-side." The "dark-side" is when educators ignore students and do not consider the opinions of others. I refuse to ever cross into the "dark-side" of teaching. I really admire the teachers who sit with their students at lunch and appropriately communicate/relate to their students. Also, teachers should teach their students to do activities, not just how to do it. Mr. McClung identifies teachers as being "movers and shakers," continuing to always move forward and shaking the normality. Educators should never become comfortable with their teaching strategies. Keep moving and shaking as well as learning and growing! 

Project Assignment #14

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.  

Blog Assignment #5

1.Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?
This post made me really evaluate what type of teacher I want to become. This post really explains the problems that can be associated with students using technology as a learning source. The main concern was the dangers that the internet can have; however, the post also mentions the pros of using the internet/computers. Computers make students think, share, learn, and be creative more. Isn’t this the main goal of teaching students? Don’t we want our students to learn in as many dimensions as possible? Pencil and paper has become an outdated source of teaching. Our world is quickly evolving into a technology savvy world and we must keep our kids up to date. Dr. Scott McLeod, associate professor at the University of Kentucky, is the founding director of CASTLE; which is the only center dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators. [CASTLE stands for Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education.]

2.The iSchool Initiative
Travis, a student from Georgia, portrays how effective teaching can be created without having loads of books, papers, pencils, and funds. With technology, apps and other programs can be purchased at little or no cost. iPads and tablets have many interactive apps; which can increase students to become more motivated in learning. In Travis’ second video, he discusses the revolution of iSchool Initiative. I really enjoyed this video because it shows the opinion of an actual high school student. Travis, who is a student, is helping educate teachers on how teachers should approach the future classrooms. As Travis stated, the revolution of technology in education has already begun and we need to be nothing but positive and helpful. 

3. Virtual Choir
This video was amazing! It was a video compiled of 185 strangers virtually interactively singing. This video is clearly a work of passion because it had to have taken a great deal of time. A video like this just show how helpful and how many options are available using the internet. Being the fact that the internet is worldwide there are so many users. This video and my EDM 310 class make me want to incorporate worldwide interaction with other students in my classroom. The most interesting part of this video is that 185 strangers “came together” to create a beautiful video that can be viewed globally.

4.Teaching in the 21st Century
Have you watched teaching in the 21st century? If not please click on the link immediately and watch this video. It is truly amazing! This video is a perfect display to fight people who are against integrating technology into classroom. Teaching should involve information that is relevant, engaging, and challenging to students. When I begin planning my future lessons, I will be sure to keep those three words in mind. Making lessons and learning relevant motivates students to want to learn the information. Students want to know how and why lessons learned apply to the real world, and making lessons relevant answers that question. Entertaining should be used when using technology or videos, never for learning material. I really want my students to be challenged rather than entertained with the lesson. By making the material challenging, the students must critically think and apply the material appropriately. Kevin Roberts and I seem to view teaching as more of a guide for students to move closer to the right direction. Teaching is evolving from just programming students with information to actually instructing teachers how to retain the information in students. By guiding the student, instead of just telling the students directly, the students are learning what to do with knowledge and information that is learned. The age of teachers is changing and even though there will always be a need for educators, the methods of teaching are changing with the times.

5.Reading Rockets

Reading is becoming a lost art form with the use of television and things being visually available. Reading needs to be rocketed back into our world! The Reading Rockets website was very overwhelming. The website provided many links and information on the entire page. At first glance, the website is sort of confusing, but once you begin exploring the website it becomes more understandable. On the teaching tab, there is a classroom strategies link. This link explains some beginning strategies for teaching reading to students. The topics are explained how to be broken down and how/when to approach the certain sections. Top 10 Things You Should Know About Reading is a great resource that is available to help those students who are still struggling with reading. The best part of this website is the section that is a list of recommended books. By selecting the type of subject or topic, it recommends different books that students may enjoy. My softball girls are always asking me if I know of any good books and now I can now recommend a great website for them to continue their excitement of reading.

Blog Post Assignment #4

The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom Until this video, I never really understood or knew what a podcast could be used for. This video explained to me that podcast has two main purposes. One way, allows the teacher to record the podcast and make it available for students to review on material or to visually see the material once again. I really love this point because it allows students to review even if they are sick or absent. The other aspect I enjoyed with podcast is, students can use a hands on experience. The students could create scripts and add on to the podcast. I think what I'll take from this video, for my own podcast, is making my podcast entertaining and creative. I really do not want my students to have to listen to a monotone zombie. I want them to be entertained as equally enough as a television show to an extent.

Podcast Selection Somewhere out in the world, is probably a book called “Podcasting for dummies,” but if you cannot find a book like that then this video is for you! Judy Scharf did a phenomenal job on explaining what a podcast is. She also gave ample amount of examples on how to do a podcast and methods to assign. On Ms. Scharf’s video, was a link to TeacherTube; which is a great podcast about podcasts. The best tip I received from this video was make the viewers actually want to finish the podcast. Make it exciting and enjoyable, not just facts and lectures.

 1st Graders Create Their Own Read Along Audio Book In this podcast, a classroom of first graders were divided up to create a script for a chapter book that they were reading. The thing about this podcast that was most visible was the excitement that the students had on creating the video. Until now, I never really thought about how much the students would enjoy creating one, only about how they would like watching one. The students really were interested in tweaking their voices and scripts on the Smart Board. I love when there are hands on activities for students! Anytime a child is excited about learning is something that should be repeated! When I create my own podcast, I want to play around with some of the effects that these students got to do and be better acquainted with the skills required. From the information received from the other podcasts, since I am excited about my future with podcasts, the podcast itself was a great podcast (because it made me excited and was creative).

Video About Me :)

C4T #1 Post

I was assigned to comment on the Blend My Learning Blog. One of the post's that I commented on was about "Lessons Learned from a Blended Learning Pilot." This blog was on a study on how blended learning really works in the real world. In this blog, he discusses the change in the teacher's role in the classroom, perspectives from students, classroom space, results, and several feedbacks from different sources. In the study, the students who learned in a Blended Classroom scored higher than those who were in the traditional classroom setting. However; the results are hard to depict success on just the implication of technology because of how skilled the teacher was and the motivation that the students seemed to have. Also, in the studied students are changing their forms of questions from "What is the answer?" to "How do I do this;" which is making students learn something new besides trying to just finish the work assigned. Some takeaways for me on this post were embedding learning, students seem to pay more attention to technology, and student's who seem to be disengaged with learning suddenly become intrigued with the technological educational games.
In the second post that I commented on, was the results on Blended Learning. The results stated that the "treated" classroom, that I mentioned above were successful on more correct answers. The Blended Learning used the Khan Academy out of California to study the students. The study was covered over a 5 week time span and the "treatment" teacher was extremely skilled. Also, the Khan Academy did not include the pre-algebra scores in the testing; which could effect the results of the study of improvement. Some questions that are still present in this research are would the pre-algebra scoring change the results dramatically, would the results continue with a less skilled teacher, and would the improvements in learning continue throughout through the entire school year. 




Since that was the first time I have heard of the Khan Academy. I would like to research it further so I can form a better opinion. However, what I have read so far, the Khan Academy’s way of teaching/learning gives students the ability to learn at their own speed. The benefits are extremely helpful for students who are still unsure of material that was covered in class. Sometimes students who listen closely and take adequate notes still need further assistance in grasping the information. As a student, I have experienced that problem first hand. Most of the time, that one lecture I seem to struggle on always seems to be the lecture that is covered mostly on the exam. A system like this will give students the opportunity to review until they get it. I am curious to see what the results of the year round test will show. I really wish that there was a program like this for some of my college courses, but as a future educator knowing that this is an issue, maybe I can conquer it before it becomes a problem.

Blog Assignment #3

Tutorial Peer Editing

View more PowerPoint from Adriana Zardini


Technology in Special Education

    After the YouTube video Technology in Special Education, I came to realize how vital technology is in the classroom. In Ms. Cook's class, she expressed in realistic detail how technology improved and saved her student's education. Ms. Cook mentioned that a major hurdle she faced with her students were communication barriers. With technology, relationships and barriers are being smashed down. 

    In the video, Ms. Cook uses some of her students to show how technology in the classroom improves their learning experience. Corbin uses an audio book to read during quite hour. Before this, he had to have a staff member read to him. Kris, who seemed to communicate with blinking, and Sherea used their computers to fully communicate in a more advanced fashion. Hopefully, with more technology, will come more efficient learning for students with special needs, and will allow educators to better understand what their students need.

Educational Apps

   With technology becoming the main way to educate students; it is only natural that technology is becoming more dominant in schools. Special need students are using technology more in more in schools and at home to better improve their lives and education. Computers are the more popular forms of technology that special needs teachers/students are using to communicate and complete work faster. Thanks to the iPad, iTouch, and iPhone learning is becoming more accessible without having to tote a full size computer around. 

     The application that I found for special needs children is called Dexteria. Dexteria is used to improve motor skills and handwriting. This app is easy to use and is for basically all ages. Dexteria is not only for the student, but therapists and parents are being able to monitor/view improvements and areas that need more assistance. The app is also reasonably cheap ($9.99) which is a huge positive note for parents. This game is bright and easy to use. I plan on teaching Kindergarten and I think this would be great to use even if the student is not special needs.

Gary's Social Media Count

    On Gary's Social Media Count, in the time 1 second occurs media technologies can increase by 1,000s. The world is filled with 6.8 BILLION people and a majority of those people are connected to some sort of technology. We are seeing technology improve life in the real world, but what does technology really mean for educators? How will this change the teaching norms?

    Well in my opinion, this increasing use of technology means educators need to keep up with times. If students are spending more time on the computer or phones then they are in the classroom then maybe we should use that as a resource for learning. With that being said, educators need to become more familiar with how technology is used and at least the main programs in them. 

     Like I said, the times are changing and every second their are more people using technology and everyday there is an increase in technologies. We must keep the old teaching techniques, but implement and blend the new technology techniques. The sooner the better too because with every second we sit twittering our thumbs the more people are logging into some sort of technology. 

 A Vision of Students Today

   Wow! After watching, A Vision of Students Today, I am completely shocked. I live the student life that the students expressed in the video. The college student day lasting 26.6 hours instead of 24. Above this section, I watched and commented on many other videos about technology, and I supported it. However, after watching this video I am starting to understand technology from the view point of an educator. 

   Technology can be helpful and beneficial, but it can also be very distracting! As a student, I am constantly pulled away from schoolwork to be distracted by a silly iPhone app, but as an educator I can see how technology can improve and assist in learning. That is the million dollar question I suppose...how can technology be balanced in the classroom?