Blog Post #15: My Reflection Video

Part 1: My Classroom

I would really love to teach children. I don't care what grade, although I prefer it to be younger. Maybe 2nd or 3rd grade. Literature or English would be my preferred subject. My classroom will be colorful and fun. We will do different assignments every day and I will put my children in groups. Technology in my classroom is a must. The SmartBoards are going to be so useful and I'm so excited to work with them. I will let my class learn all about it and how to use it so they can do short projects in groups. I plan to use books to develop a lot of my assignments. With all this new technology, books have been forgotten and I want to teach my children about all the different stories that have been written. I will have them do several projects on grammar. It is the base of a literate adult and the most important stepping stone. We will use iMovie in my classroom, for sure. They can all make videos and we will all come together as a classroom to make one video. Getting children working together young will keep them from being shy in the future, being able to collaborate in their future job, and hopefully get them comfortable speaking in front of people. I'm so excited to get my classroom up and having fun.



Part #2:Final Reflection Video

Project #13 Collaboration Among Groups

Some of the projects were much harder than others. Project #15 and #16 were much more time consuming. #15 was the hardest because we couldn't think of a lesson plan for like an hour but Bailey did a great job and putting everything together and coming up with a plan.  #16 was the best group project but definitely took the longest. Bailey organized meetings for these projects. The green screen project was a fun one, too. Kristy came up with the surfing idea. They decided I needed to be a sea monster. I'm not sure how I feel about it. However, I still had fun. I found the picture for the background. It was a great big wave. We had a pretty easy time meeting. If Kristy was out of town she made sure to make videos on her own and send them to us. We all worked really well together so if only two of us could meet up then that's what we did. I think Dr. Strange was smart to group everyone together depending on birth date. We were all similar so it made ideas and collaborating much easier. We used texting along with email to get in touch. I don't have an iPhone but Bailey and Kristy used theirs to much advantage in the group. We recorded a lot of videos on their phones. Grouping for projects was the most useful assignment in EDM310. I learned a lot with and from my partners.

April C4K

#9

Taylor E in Mrs. Geldes's 4th grade class in Nebraska wrote a quick informative story entitled "The Amazing Nebraska". His blog post taught me a few things I didn't know about Nebraska. They are the home of kool-aid and many museums I had no idea about. Who knew I could learn a thing of two from a 4th grader? (lol)

Taylor did a pretty good job in his post, which I made sure to tell him. I told him about USA and what our mascot was. I made sure to also tell him not to confuse some of his words. He put are where our should be and things like that.







#10
Georgia at Leopold Primary School in Victoria, Australia is in grade 5. At first glance, I loved Georgia's blog. She writes about her new teacher and new class in her blog. She added an attachment of her class blog. Her blog even had a mascot. I loved it. I told her to keep up the good work and that she was lucky to have a blog so she could look back on it later in life. I know I don't remember what my 5th grade class was like. 

Final Project

Blog Post #14

Are You Reading Your E-Book?

This article is about Dr. Adrian Guardia and the new technology produced by Pearson, McGraw-Hill, and others called "CourseSmart". The technology allows the teacher to view everything the student has done with the E-book. The teacher can see if the student has been taking notes, highlighting, and even how long he/she has been reading the book. The book is only in it's trial run at 8 universities but it's producers are hoping to soon make it world-wide. In our assignment, we must give the point of view from both a teacher and a student.

Teacher Point of View
As a teacher, I would be ecstatic. I would love to be able to see how much time my students are actually spending on his/her E-book. However, there is no way to know if he/she could be writing down notes on paper or in something else. I, as a student now, still use paper to take notes. Paper is my choice. Knowing this, there is no way I would be comfortable with giving out a grade for E-book learning. I would use a percentage of E-book information to grade a student along with another assignment but the E-book as a whole cannot be graded. There is only one way to know if a student has studied and taken notes and that is through tests, activities, and in class questions.

Student Point of View
As a student I would probably be a little irritated. Being made to spend a certain amount of time on any project or book is irritating. Some students preform faster than others and learn faster than others. That is fact. Who is to say as a student I wouldn't prefer to take notes on paper. I would want my teacher to collect all sorts of data available as proof of my studies, not just an E-book and online information. Every thing starts with pencil and paper.

Questions for Dr. Adrian Guardia:
What modifications can be made?
How do you know students are actually reading their E-books? They could just leave the page open.
Have any teachers disagreed with this development so far?
If so, what are the issues they had?
Do you think this would work on a grade school level?
What do you think students reaction will be to this type of monitoring?
How well is this program doing at other universities, specifically?

Questions for Students of Dr. Adrian Guardia:
Do you prefer paper notes or typing?
Do you feel that this program is helpful to you? If not, why?
How have your study habits changed with this type of program?
Do you even use the E-book?
In what ways would you modify the "CourseSmart"?
How has Dr. Guardia's class changed since the "CourseSmart" program?
Do you think the E-book has made you a more responsible student?


My comment to this article might go something like this....


"My name is Samantha Spence and I am a student at the University of South Alabama in the Educatio program. I am taking EDM310 and was assigmned to write a post on my blog about your interesting article. As a student, I'm unsure about how I feel about this program. I think it is a good start to getting teachers more involved in their students study habits. I prefer hand-writing my notes to typing. They might make me old school but a prefer a pencil and paper from time to time. How would that change my grade in the E-book department? Never the less I hope this program takes off and finds itself to my future classroom. If you never try it, you can never be a true critic!"

Project #15 Smartboard

Project #9 Final Report on PLN

In the beginning of my PLN, I had a hard time figuring everything out but I was having a good time doing it.Symbaloo made everything a lot easier and faster to get to. Every website I may want to go to all on one page to choose from. Having this PLN has made browsing through the Internet much easier, getting where I need to go a lot faster, and opened my Internet world to many other different useful web pages. I'm very glad we were made to make a PLN, it has made me a lot more technologically literate and open minded to new websites.

C4T #4 Last C4T

#1 Larry Ferlazzo

Larry's blog consists of a lot of great thoughts and resources. He has everything from educational resources about classrooms around the world to nutritional value of the food we eat today. His blog Helping Students Make A Connection Between What They're Learning In School To Their Goals In Life explains his teaching techniques. He gives his students three sheets of paper to fill out. One sheet asks the students to list everything they had learned and how they had learned it in the prior week. The second sheet asked the students to write down their life goals, hobbies, ext. The third sheet then asked the students to use the last two sheets to explain how the things they have learned can help them complete their life goals and how they can be used in life. To me, this is a great exercise. I know when I was a kid in school I always complained that everything I learned in school would be useless to my everyday life when I grew up. Knowing that, I hardly paid attention to much of anything. If the students understand how the things they are learning in school will help them in their everyday life, they are more likely to take an interest and pay attention. Larry's blog is very helpful.

#2

Larry's blog post "Three Infographics of Malaria" contains facts all about Malaria. Everything from who is at risk, how you are at risk, and the statistics of Malaria is covered by Larry. Apparently, over 52% of the worlds population is risk. Every day 1800 children under the age of 5 die of Malaria. Over 90% of all deaths from Malaria occur in Africa.
Larry's blog contains many other facts about Malaria that I will recommend everyone check out. He has an awesome and informative blog. I thanked him for his contributions to education in my comment. If not for his blog and Dr. Strange's assignment, I would not know these new facts about Malaria. I'm sure to keep an eye out for it now.

Blog Post #13

Part #1 Learning is Messy

This is an interesting video created TEDxDenver of Mr. Brian Crosby and his awesome 4th grade class. In this video Mr. Crosby focuses on one balloon project that his students conducted. The best part about the video was when he showed the balloon going into the Earth's atmosphere. The kids even got to attach cameras to the balloons to get awesome arial shots! I'm so jealous.

Part #2

Mr. Paul Anderson created this video about Blended Learning Cycle and the cycle he created to do it with. We have learned about Blending Learning where teachers take online, mobile, and classroom all together. He tells us the best cycle he uses in his AP Science class is called Engage-Explore-Explain-Expand-Evaluate. He then goes saying he uses the acronym QUIVERS. QUIVERS stands for: Questions, Investigation/Inquiry, Video, Elaboration, Review, Summary quiz. He uses an oilers disc and a mirror as his example.

I think this is a great way to teach and to learn. EDM310 is a blended learning classroom even though we spend most of the time out of class teaching ourselves. I like using technology and I like being able to learn things my own way. I hope to do this in my future classroom. I believe technology is a great thing and every classroom should make it useful in an educational way. I love the new SmartBoards and iPads. Technology is taking over, we must take advantage of its' uses.

Progress Report for Final Project

My group, BSJK, has decided to do a video. We are planning to meet next week during class to record our video segments. Each person in the group has been assigned a certain topic to cover. I am doing a time management piece.

Blog Post #12

The Idea
I'm interested to know the statistics of pros and cons of technology being integrated in the classroom. Kids have developed slang and words to replace some language. Text messaging is the main cause of this. How does this new slang affect kids in the classroom? There are many classrooms around the world that have taken in technology well before others have even considered it. What classrooms are the most advanced?

Whos's #1
I went to bing.com to find out. I have recently been using bing compared to google because I hear great things about it. I find that it sends several more websites my way I can use compared to The U.S News Compass had several things I could use. In fact, this website was the main source of research. In 2009 the U.S news surveyed schools and got 301 responses. There is a complete list of schools that made the cut. Sanford, FL was the #1 which I was surprised to see. People put down the south all too much on here we are coming out on top to be these most technical.

Texting? What's that?

Until the last several years, most teachers did not have a cell phone, use text messaging or know what social media even was. I remember when Myspace.com was the big thing! Now we have Facebook.com, Twitter, Tumblr, and several others. The way students are communicating with each other cannot be the same way they communicate with their teachers, bosses, ext. The new terms: IDK, BTW, BRB, OTW, and others are unknown to some in previous generations. Because of this, our generation has made a rapid decline in spelling efficiently, being able to send legible emails, or even writing papers correctly. In fact, my phone basically spells everything for me. If I didn't read so much and enjoy writing then grammar would probably be the least important thing on my list. Our generation is beginning to sound like robots. We use symbols for every single word we can. It's pathetic and lazy. I'm all for technology in the classroom, but everyone in this world is in such a rush to get connected these days they are forgetting the basics of education. Without the basics, like reading and writing and spelling CORRECTLY, we cannot expect to be efficient in other topics. We must learn to walk before we can run, and everyone around the world is trying for a marathon!

I recommend anyone reading my blog to check out the statistics in this article How Slang Affects the Classroom. Change IS necessary, I absolutely agree. But we cannot let language in social media integrate into the classroom. That is my main concern. I don't believe Twitter or Tumblr or any other social network is needed in the classroom for that simple fact.

C4T #3

Lee Kolbert: A Geeky Mommas Blog

Lee Kolbert explains her thoughts on bullying in the work place in her blog entitled "Bullying: Not Just For Children Anymore".  Her blog is extremely interesting. Within it, there is a video or a prank where a man is being killed in an elevator, others walk up on the scene. The prank is to study human behavior, basically, they producers want to see what bystanders will do. Will they help? Walk away? Call someone? Her blog informs me and holds links to many other articles explains the statistics or these results. For some unknown reason, people are less likely to do something heroic (aka help) when others are around. The more people around, the less likely someone in that crowd is to act given a certain situation. I don't know what I would do , but there is no way I could watch, take a picture or run away from walking up on someone being killed. I can't be sure exactly what I would do, but I'm certain my instincts would not lead me to run away and allow the murder or careless act to take place.

Less's blog contains many quotes about workplace bullying, all very enlightening. She defines workplace bullying and gives advice and an outreach service to those who may be being bullied at their job. I'm glad to see these issues are being discussed and thought about. Her blog was beyond eye opening!


#2

Lee Kolbert had not posted anything since I last commented on her bullying blog so I scrolled down to see what else she had been writing about. Her other blog entitled "Why I'm Celebrating National Grammar Day and Why You Should, Too caught my eye. I am so glad to see she tackled the your/you're issue. In her blog, she exclaimed the need for good grammar. She had a list of all the does and don'ts which also included the words some people have an issue with. I am a grammar freak and it really bothers me when people do not know the difference between there, their, and they're. Grammar should NOT be an issue. With all the social networking and blogging out there today, people NEED to know the correct use of grammar. One misused word can teach the wrong child. If a child is looking at their teacher's blog and that blog has a your where there is supposed to be a you're that child is doomed. That child will forever think they should use your when you're is needed. National Grammar Day should be pushed as a holiday within the classrooms. It is the only way the make the grammar world right again!

Blog Post #11

Skype Interview with Ms. Cassidy

Ms. Cassidy's approach with technology with first graders is a great surprise. These young children are diving into the world of technology at such a young age. When I was young, I only had a book and some crayons in my classroom. These children are really getting a head start. The use of a signed permission slip is a great rule to keep. It is also a great way to give the parents a heads up. Some parents have no idea what their children do in the classroom and this way they can see what their children do every single day.

Blogging, to me, is useless. However, in a classroom blogging can be useful. Watching Ms. Cassidy's video opened my eyes to what blogging can do for a child in school. It's great for a child to get some confidence and for their parents to be able to see what they are doing every day. Everyone around the world can help that child learn by leaving comments on their blog on how to improve their writing skills. Knowing these things now, I would use the blogging for my children in class. Personally, I wouldn't type a blog about what I do in my classroom and what I've learned throughout my years of teaching just because I don't feel the need to write everyday down. BUT, for my children, blogging may be a great way to help them learn.

Some teachers are not going to accept the use of technology and that it is necessary in the new world. The truth is technology is the new way of teaching. If we all ban together we can teach our children faster, better, and open their minds. Every one's mind is different and if we put all of our minds together to help one child it can open their mind to new things they would have never known other wise. One teacher can make a difference in a child's life right? So what about a million teachers coming together? That is bound to make more than just a difference.

Ms. Cassidy is right. Finding something that works for you and your classroom is the only way to be successful in the use of technology. We must use technology one way or another in the new world and in the classrooms, but if we can't make it our own as teachers then how are we going to show our children and our students to make it their own?

I love Twitter as a personal social network. However, I don't care what anyone says. Twitter is useless in the classroom. There is a 150 character limit for God's sake. Blogging, Facebook, or other social networks that allow conversations to develop can be useful, yes. But Twitter is useless for me other than to write a quick idea or a Thank You.

C4K comments for March

#6

My student,  William, is a middle schooler in Atlanta, GA in Dr. Kelley Theodocian's classroom. William has a meeting in the gym where they did an adult exercise. In this activity, they showed William what it would be like to be an adult. They gave him money, a child, and a job. He had to decide what to do with his money. They also showed him that each of his paychecks would be tax deducted.

I told William what a great job he was doing, while exclaiming that he try to stay as young as he can for as long as he can. I also reminded him to break his sentences up so that he did not have run-on sentences.


#7

My student, Logan , in Ms. King's class in room 15 at Pt. England School wrote a short story about a boy Sam and his dog, Nike. Nike was an amazing dog that learned how to surf. After surfing, Nike became famous on T.V and everyone loved him. Logan did a really good job, he is in grade 8 and coming along very nicely with his education. I told him what a great story he developed and gave him a congrats. Logan's favorite subject is art, I'm assuming he drew this dog surfing himself. I was impressed, I could never draw anything that well. I made sure to tell him to keep it up.

#8

My student, Zoey F, in Mr. Boylen's 8th grade Language Arts class in Iowa wrote a very short summary on this book "Old Magic". She did not state who the author was so I know very little about the book; only what she states in her summary. Her summary wasn't too bad, she just needed a little more detail and to proofread. I told her exactly that in my comment. The story was about a boy and a girl. Jarrod and Kate. Jarrod is new in school and Kate likes him. The story seemed like a spin off of "Twilight" by her summary. 

Project #14

Project #12

Project #11

Blog Post #10

This is an interesting picture. I wasn't sure what a Ticonderoga was or why it was better than a papermat so I had to do some research. I found out that a Ticonderoga is a thicker wooden pencil and it is almost a little more expensice. I think that this picture illustrates that the quality of a Papermate is less than the quality of a Ticonderoga. When I first looked at and read the picture, I wasn't sure what it meant. Now, I still am unsure. Maybe it's just a sarcastic little skit. A little confuse, I started reading through all the comments and found out that this particular blog post is a spoof on the different between a MAC and a PC. I am a little unsure which pencil they are trying to symbolize as the MAC and the PC, though. Maybe I'm just not getting it.

Why Were Your Kids Playing Games?

I can tell Mr. Spencer has a great new mind. He knows kids love games, however; games can also be used for learning purposes. There are several games and Internet sites made strictly for games to exercise the brain. The principal, like most, is older. I can tell just by the discussion between the two. The principal has certain standards he/she must meet and make sure that his/her school meets, however; the ideas are old and outdated. It's okay to try new ways and techniques to teach children. We as educators can never know what will and won't work unless we try. Mr. Spencer cannot argue with his boss, unless he wants to get on the bosses bad side. What he can do and what he does is take his boss's words and use them to make him/her see that the game his students are playing are indeed useful in the exact way he/she wants the students to learn.


Acceptable Use Committee

Mr. Spencer joins the Acceptable Use Policy of the district. In this blog, he discussing his conversation with the leader. He says the leader misses his point completely, even after his nice little speech. Mr. Spencer makes a lot of sense. Some subjects are run by a sort of code, the does and don'ts. Basically, this means there is a limit to what the educator can and cannot use in his/her classroom. If teachers sculpt creative and realistic minds, most limits would not be needed. If a child grows up learning what is acceptable and right, then everything else won't be so much of an issue.



Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?

Who is Scott McLeod? His blog is definitely interesting to say the least. I have to agree with him to an extent, though. Social networking and collaboration with everyone in the world is useless in the classroom. We do not need cell phones or Ipads to teach our students. A student cannot watch a video some other student their age made or read a blog from 2 years ago to learn about history, a book, or anything else. That is what the teacher is for. The teacher, in my opinion, should be able to use any materials necessary for educational purposes. Technology, to the teacher, can be useful in several ways, however; a 12 year old student has no business getting on a personal computer during class time to look up whatever he/she wants instead of paying attention to a chalkboard or smart board. The teacher is there for teaching, if we replace him/her with Internet then we will all be out of a job. If we allow a classroom to be run by blogging and collaborating with others throughout the world, then we will replace our teachers with people who only monitor the students while they surf the web all day.

Blog Post #9

Mr. McClung Posts

Mr. McClung has some pretty good advice. In his post "What I Learned This Year- Volume 4" , he states 2 things. You cannot base your teaching methods on the need to satisfy your colleagues, as a teacher you must base what you do in the classroom on your students. If your students are having fun, enjoy your class and learn as they go along then you as a teacher are doing everything you need to do.
As a teacher you must challenge yourself, if you get too comfortable teaching the same lessons over and over again you will begin to get lazy. Mr. McClung says that getting too comfortable in teaching the same subject can have a serious effect on your actions as a teacher. He says to always challenge yourself as a teacher. Teach a new subject when given the chance or change the grade in which you are teaching.

In Mr. McClung's second post I read entitled "Lessons Learned", he writes about a snow day the school has. Other schools around his had closed, making his class very meek. He says he rambled with his students about Facebook and pet peeves all day in class, which made his students more comfortable around him. It's always good to get along with your students at times.

His advice was very good! It was also really nice to see he had been blogging throughout his entire career. This is a good idea, to me, because he can look back on his career. He can reflect on things he has already done, what he has learned. Almost like it's his own personal diary.. except the entire world can read it.

Blog Post #8

This is How We Dream

Structure is a major part of any language. It is the foundation in which we all speak, write and learn. The ecoluation of a foundatin has matured for years and years, the value of literatue has reached a level and time period for which it could be taught and learned on a basis that everyone can learn. Now that it is accessible to anyone who wants to take the time to learn and fully understand what this will mean for the future. One indicidual taking in this specific knowledge can make it possible to be passes on from person to person. Curiosity gives the world ideas and willingness to want to know more, it helps individuals separate themselves from the "Average Society". Technology is infulecned by education today an anyother social outlet. In Part 2, of This is How We Dream Dr. Miller  touches base on the rapidness of how information is being update and that the information itself may be written by us but does not solely belong to us.

I share his opinion, educators being required to share ideas freely with students.My only concern is that different teachers have different teaching techniques and we all interpret things in a different way. How do you know if your information is current and correct? However, Technology is the key!

Carly's Blog Post #12

I have to say what a great assignment. Carly's ideas were awesome. Dr. Miller and her share the most intimate ideas about the multimedia. I love how passionate they both are. I hate to follow rules about what I can and can not write about. I feel as though it kills the creative mind that flows within us all. As a future eduator, I plan to shine a positive light on this just like Carly did in her blog.


EDM 310 For Dummies

I can say that this is a truly interesting YouTube video. I personally did not find it very helpful; however, it might help a few of my classmates. I would suggest an illustration about how to help with some of the problems students are having instead of just talking about it. This is my first time taking EDM 310 although there are many people in my class that are on their 2nd or 3rd try. I am trying my very best to take this seriously the first time around so I don't end up with a D like most of my classmates did that had to  retake it. I think that I would make a kind of survival guide for this class. The dos and don'ts of EDM310.






Learn to Change, Change to Learn.

If the student is the hub  of education then why is education such an open and shut institution? Someone should develop a group discussion so we can all sit and discuss why this is, maybe then we can all figure it out. School systems are shitting down the avenues to the very reason that students connect with and are comfortable with as a learning tool. When a teacher gives out assignments that require resources, what do students go to first? The internet of course. The library only has so many books to choose from, where else are they to look. When are the leaders of education going to realize that we need media and technology in schools?

Project #9 My PLN!

My PLN is doing awesome! I use it for everything I do when exploring through the web now. I am able to have the websites that I need and all my classroom websites for homework at the touch of a finger. I have really enjoyed using it. It stays on my computer whether I'm doing school work or just trying to find some music on the web. I plan to use in the figure out the new information about teaching that is out there. Teaching is forever changing and it is our responsibility to keep up. When you clock on Symbaloo, you find links to the websites that we often use in EDM310, like YouTube, Twitter, GMail, ext. The organization of it all keeps me up to date.
 

Blog Post #7

REALLY ACHIEVING YOUR CHILDHOOD DREAMS

What a great video! During his life as a professor, he encourages students to follow his/her childhood dreams. After overcoming many obstacles, it is safe to say that Rand Pausch lived an amazing life! In this youtube video of his last lecture, Dr. Pausch teaches what he learned over his many years on how to be an effective teacher. 

BREAK WALLS

Brick walls are not there to keep you out or slow you down, they are there to encourage you to continue to fight for what you want in life. Walls are the only obstacles that can be overcome. As an up-and-coming teacher, my path will be difficult. With all these different classes, assignments, and exams along with work I have a busy life. I have to overcome waiting to always be with my friends for the sake of my career and my goals.

DON'T BAIL

As I said earlier, I have to get pass wanting to always have a social life. It is hard not wanting to give up when times get hard but that is where I do my best work. Pushing myself to do what I know in my head cant be done. I plan on passing this to my students. Bailing out on something you need for your future will get you nowhere fast.

GET A FEEDBACK LOOP 

Feedback is always important. It is how we understand our problems and what we are doing wrong. The comments we make on each other's blogs let you get an understanding of how others view your work. This is the only way to improve your work. If i tell a classmate that his/her work was great and it wasn't, then neither of us have improved a thing. 

SHOW GRATITUDE

Know that you didn't get where you are today without the help of someone else. Those people can be a parent, friend, relative, family friend, anyone. The point is that you did not do it alone. Everyone needs help. I know that if it weren't for my friends and family then I could not be where I am today. My parents pay for my education and my friends are there to help me study through it.The main point is just to realize who those people are that have helped you along the way and show appreciation for them. Make sure they know you are thankful. 

Dr. Paush was an excellent example of a humble man. He was an enthusiastic person in his video, an attitude I'm sure he caries with him. His points were clear yet he was fun to listen to. He didn't mind making a joke of himself. I greatly admire him for that. I truly enjoyed watching his video, it was well worth the hour sit. 

Project #8 BSJK Podcast

Project #10

Finding The Right Tool

After looking all around the web I found Edublog. It is made specifically for teachers, school districts, and students. I can monitor everything that my students say and do. Parents of my students can also get involved. It allows the students to get together with one another in the classroom and with people from all around the world. It is for educational purposes and educational purposes only.

"My Sentence Video"

Blog Post #6

Wendy Drexler: The Networked Student

The 21st century student has a lot more going on than I ever thought possible when I was in high school. All the new possibilities and access points we have using the internet brings another world into the classroom. It also allows the student to have the classroom right in front of them at all times. Using technology and search engines to navigate through the internet allows the 21st century student to access people's thoughts and ideas freely. 

Back when I was in high school I hardly knew how to use my Ipod, now students are being taught to do everything through the internet. It's surprising to see what good can come out of this. Using new technology allows our students to communicate with scholars and educators and people all around the world they never knew existed. Being able to access these people and their knowledge is great; we can all learn from one another. 

So, why do we need teachers? Teachers guide us, whenever we as students need help with our assignments (assignments our TEACHERS have given us) we go to our educators. We look up to them for an answer. Without our educators, or learners have no one to follow, no one to look out for them and make sure what they are reading and soaking in is the right information to remember. Our educators already know what is factual and what isn't, usually. Without someone to help lead us in the right direction, how do we as students know we're going in the wrong direction?

7th Grader's PLE (PLN)

Wendy's7th grade studentsget to learn in a way I never had a chance to and that makes me feel super excited for her students! I wish I had the freedom to create and search using the web in my classes, maybe I would have liked school a little more. Obviously, Wendy's students have grown up using new technologies, so it's not a learning process for them. They already know how to use and search through the internet, easily. However, this is a learning process for me. Yes, I use social networks and I'm not totally technologically illiterate but I have never used anything like podcasting and blogging before. I'm not a composer of any sorts, either. Maybe Wendy's 7th graders could teach me a thing or two.

Project #5

Blog Post #5

If I Build A School

Krissy Venosdale is a creative genius! I would absolutely love to climb in her mind and live in that treehouse she has envisioned. While reading her more than interesting idea of her own school, my thoughts began to swirl with imaginative ideas. I am; however, less creative and more playful. I think I would keep her library idea, how could you not? My classrooms would be outside. Well, maybe not outside, perhaps my classrooms would be made with class walls. The cafeteria would be one huge table, all the children and teachers would sit together. Collaborating ideas and activities would be key. Teachers would change rooms, not students. I believe the environment in which a student learns can be a huge part of their success.

I have also been hearing that play-time is being taken away from some schools. This, to me, is insane. A child needs to get out and stretch, play, and just have time to be a kid. My school would have a huge collaboration of jungle gyms coming to and from the playground surrounding the school. Every activity a teacher gave to their student would involve fun and group work. Children should work together, by working together we can learn together. Learning together is the best way for a student to get a grasp on the idea of the working world they will one day be in.

My school would be plain and boring on the outside, the windows and glass walls would be tinted so no one could see inside. Walking through the front doors, you'd see bright colors covering the hallways. Children's painting and drawings would cover the walls. My ideas may be insane, and of course this will probably never be an actual school. However, image what a different atmosphere like this would bring. More fun in education, enthusiasm, maybe even more success?

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir

The idea to take 18 people's videos singing the same song and making it into a wonderful chorus is amazing. Everyone was matched up so perfectly and their style of singing, sopranos, altos, ect. was quite impressive. I couldn't imagine taking the time to make this video myself. Mr. Whitacre is an incredible composer that did a great job. The internet has so many amazing possibilities, Eric's video was only one example of everything you can do.

NPR interview with Eric Whitacre

Eric had some incredible ideas and I was really inspired. To hear about a woman who couldn't get our much because of her living situation who escaped using virtual choirs is just astounding. What a great way to give people such a fun way to get out of reality. 

Teaching in the 21st Century

My eyes have been opened! This video really can make someone think, especially up and coming teachers. Technology really is taking over in this day and age. Children honestly have every way possible to research just about anything. Roberts is right saying it is no longer about entertaining in the classroom, but engaging the student. I support that because getting a child engaged and attentive in a subject and including in the classroom is the best way of learning and entertaining. By engaging the student, you have their full attention and that usually means they are willing to learn everything you're trying to teach them. Sure, they could easily learn the information on their own using the Internet, but like the video also says, teachers are merely filters. We as teachers are able to feed the children the information in the best way because we already understand the information. The video was so incredible, I wish I could download it into my blog. The world should see this video, maybe our next assignment we will learn how. 

Fizz Flipping the Classroom

I love this idea! Watching videos of a classroom lesson plan the night before while you're at home is a wonderful new technology. If a teacher posts what is going to happen and basically teaches the lesson ahead of time the children will be fully prepared for what is to come. If a student is struggling in class, it gives them a chance to catch up or review. Parents could also help children at home because the parents would actually be able to see exactly what their child is learning. When I was in school I was always having trouble with certain things that my parents just couldn't help with because they didn't know what I was doing in the classroom. "Flipping the classroom" could help the parents refresh their minds and get involved with their child's schoolwork. This is one of the most innovative and useful sources we have seen so far! For sure!

C4K Blog Comments for Feburary

C4K Assignment #1

Mr. Cometti's class from Fairhope wrote a small summary about what they learned from his WW1 slide show presentation. My student, McClean02, did great at understanding the overall pros and cons of the war. He/she knew all the stats: how many people were killed, the cities destroyed, family devastation, ext. I made sure to tell him/her what a great job he/she was doing and to keep up the great work. The summary contained many errors, of course, but overall it wasn't a terrible read. I made sure to inform him/her not to forget their commas!
 

C4K #2
Ms.Sapia's class or "Superstars" were assigned to write what seemed like a paragraph about the way they felt about homework. My student, Seth, explained his hate and love for homework. He said he likes homework when he's bored; however, when something happens and he can't get his homework done he feels bad. His father was put in the hospital and it caused him to miss out on completing his daily homework. Seth, on the other hand, is happy about his teacher's homework load. He says compared to some of the other classes or grades his teacher doesn't give out too much.
I supported Seth by telling him what a great job he was doing. I also told him not to feel so bad, because everyone hates homework. He had a problem with run-on sentences, though. I explained to him if he threw out a few of his extra words like 'because' he would be able to fix that problem.

C4K#3

My assignment this week was to look into Ms. King's 6th grade class Rm 17 at Pt England School. Hiwarau, the student I was assigned, summarized a story about 2 tribes fighting over a cherry seed. He did a great job with complete sentences, which I made sure to tell him, and a great job on his painting. If you click the link, you can see it for yourself. Honestly, it made me giggle (lol). His vocabulary was great to see since we have been reading younger grades so far. His summarization was pretty complete and he seemed to be doing well. I made sure to give him advice about starting his sentences with the word and but other than that he was great!

C4K #4

My assignment this week was Ms. Martin's 10th grade class at Baldwin County High. My student, Nicholas, and another student collarborated a video. This video was basically an interview in which they both asked each other simple questions like "how old are you", "where do you see yourself in the future", "how long have you lived in Baldwin County". They were both 16, which made this assignment a lot easier because I didn't have to correct him on much. He seemed a little awkward on camera, like most people, so I made sure to inform him to get used to it. Being on camera and creating videos are part of the future. I made sure to inform him that if he planned on being in college that he might as well get used to the camera. Technology is taking over and this is how most people will communicate in the future.

C4T Blog Post #1

Primary Preoccupation 

Kathy Cassidy's "The Use and Abuse of Technology in the Classroom" discusses the does and don'ts of teaching while using technology with children. Most classrooms these days have Ipads and computers to help children learn with exercises on the Internet. She is very passionate about using technology to help the children actually learn and have fun doing it. She says that some teachers use technology as a crutch, having children play games on the Internet just to keep them busy. In her post, she explains some techniques in using technology in positive, educational ways.

When leaving a comment, I explained my passion for her thoughts. I agree with her a hundred percent. I also thanked Kathy for the advice and for the future lesson plan. 

C4T #2

Mike Prater's Grow Through Learning is an intriguing read. He understands that children need some kind of healthy reinforcement for their work; however, a piece of candy won't lead to long term changes. He states 3 different methods in reinforcement that may change this: Show genuine care for your students, demonstrate a constant excitement about personal learning, and finally introduce appropriate challenges. His views on showing genuine care for your students is self explanatory, show your students you care about them.  Express love and interest in their lives and their learning. In his demonstrate a constant excitement about personal learning topic, Mike explains that we as teachers must be excited about learning to be able to get our little learners excited. I looked around the web for different activities we as teachers can do within the classroom to get our students involved and I'd recommend everyone take a look at Kristina' Robertson's '5 Things'. She has a few good ideas.

Introducing appropriate challenges is the only way a student is going to learn. Challenging a student is the best way for progress. Mike states that in order for a student to succeed they must be challenged. Instead of giving your student too much to do, or frustrating them with knowledge they may not be ready for, Mike says  it's smart to let a student choose which activity they want to do. I think Mike has some great points, which I proceeded to tell him in my follow up comment. I will, no doubt, be taking his words of wisdom with me to my future classroom.

Blog Post #4

Listening-Comprehension-Podcasting

The children were adorable! From reading this blog, I learned about working together, perfecting speech, and gaining better comprehension skills. Astoundingly, adding emotions to words actually makes learning easier. The ending in Hebrew through me off a little bit but I could really tell the kids were excited and it was obvious that they had worked very hard and practiced! The podcast was great!

Langwitches-Flat Stanley Podcast

Flat Stanley's are a great way for kids to learn. It's awesome they got to be so creative and use flat versions of themselves to learn about all the different places in the world. Their stories were great, too, and they showed they were having a great time with it. Podcasts are a great and fun way for children to learn, I hope teachers continue to use these techniques because the kids really seem to enjoy it.

"The Benefits of Podcasting in a Classroom" By:Joe Dale

Watching this video really opened my eyes, I didn't realize how many classrooms are already using things like podcasting. It was great to see the children working on their own to create podcasts. Getting the teachers involved in developing podcasts and uploading them can be great for any student that falls behind or misses class. I know that I'll be using these techniques in my future classroom. It's a great idea!