Blog Post #15 Final Reflection

Project #13

Google Docs Collaboration for Project #15
For project #15, Amanda, Meredith, Windy, and I used Google Docs to create our presentation. We developed a lesson about the solar system to teach our "class." It didn't take us very long to come up with our final plan. The planets were evenly distributed between the four of us and we each gave four facts about our topic. We also created a game to go along with the lesson. We then met later to record our presentation.

Final Report On PLN

This is my final report on my PLN (personal learning network). I have worked very hard on my PLN making sure that I get all the sources and tools that I need. Having a PLN has helped me in many ways. It's so much easier now to use the internet without having ten different screens on your computer. I no longer have to type in the web address. I can just click on the icon on my PLN and there it is. It is very convenient. Now that I have one, I couldn't imagine not having one. A PLN is an amazing tool that you can customize to fit your own needs and definitely something everyone should have.

Blog Post #12

For this blog post assignment, we are supposed to create an assignment that Dr. Strange would have assigned for us to do himself. We also have to make sure that we incorporate our field of area such as Elementary Education. After creating the assignment, we are then supposed to do the assignment ourselves. So here it goes.

Assignment:
Watch the video University Students Talk About Why They Want To Be Teachers.(2:11) Students at the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education were asked why they wanted to enter the teaching profession. Listen to their answers and think about what your answer would be if you were asked. Think about what inspires you to become a teacher. Think about the reasons as to why out of all the professions in the world, you chose to enter into the teaching profession. Write two or more paragraphs explaining the reasons why you chose to become a teacher. Be sure you are following the requirements in Writing A Quality Blog Post.

Send Dr. Strange (@drjohnhadley) a thank you Tweet. Include #edm310 in the Tweet so that it will be seen.

Completion of Assignment (done by me):
Students at the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education were asked why they wanted to enter the teaching profession in a video that was posted on YouTube. Every student had a different reason and talked about different things that inspired them to become a teacher. Whenever I think back on all of the teachers that I've had during my years of school, each one was unique and affected me in a different way. Some teachers were mean and strict and others were nice and fun. Every teacher taught in a different way. That's the thing about teachers, no two are alike. The only thing that they all had in common was their love for education and the desire to learn more so that they could give more to their students.

Growing up, education has always been really important to my dad. He was a single parent of three children and struggled to take care of us. He always stressed the importance of education and told us that going to college was the best thing to do because of the many different opportunities that it brings. He said that we should not hate our job. We should wake up every morning excited about work because it's something that we love to do.

I love school. So of course it makes sense for me to want to become a teacher. I love learning and I always want to know more. I don't feel stupid or embarrassed when I have to ask questions because I know that it's an opportunity to expand my knowledge. I love watching others learn and seeing them feel accomplished when they have done something and understand something that they didn't before.

I have always wanted a job that would change people's lives. If I had an influence on just one person, that would be good enough for me. I know that I can do this through teaching. I chose elementary because that is my favorite age group. Children in that age group are eager to learn. They want to go to school and have that desire to want to know more. They are fun, creative, and very imaginative because the outside world hasn't had a chance to take that away from them. Everything is exciting and new to them.

That is my ultimate goal as a teacher. I want to make learning fun and exciting for my students in a way that inspires them. I want them to feel accomplished and successful by expanding their knowledge to the greatest of their capabilities. This is my dream. This will be my accomplishment and success. I am going to be and elementary teacher!

Final Project #16

Project #15 SmartBoard Instruction Part 2

C4K Summaries in November

C4K #7
Dr. Paige Vitulli and Dr. Susan Santoli went on a two week trip to Ireland for different conference workshops on education and kept a blog to write about their adventures. In the blog post, Now for the Conference, they talked about an International Conference that dealt with different types of adult education such as entrepreneurship and technical and vocational training. All of the conferences had different keynote speakers for each day. The keynote speaker on Monday was Dr. Cynthia Northington-Plurdie, a psychologist and life coach at William Paterson University in New Jersey, who titled her presentation The Evolution of Academic Integrity. Since technology has evolved tremendously, especially its use in education, should the concepts of cheating, plagerism, and academic integrity be rethought?

Tuesday's keynote speaker was Dr. Richard Cooper, the Director of Disability Services at Harcum College in Bryn Mawr, PA. He discussed the various ways that people process, perceive, and communicate and the implications for learning and instruction. Dr. Cooper does not like to speak of students who have learning disabilities, but rather refer to them as students who learn differently.

I commented and said that I couldn't even imagine what it would be like to go across the world and experience the cultures and traditions of another country. It seemed like they had a great time and really enjoyed the trip. I stated that I agreed with Dr. Cooper's way of thinking. No two people are alike in this world and everyone does learn differently. Therefore, I don't think that it's right to pinpoint on a select few and refer to the students as having a learning disability. Telling a student that he/she has a learning disability is going to do nothing but discourage them and put doubt into their heads. You are the one that is "disabling" their learning by doing this. I stated that I loved the idea that Dr. Cooper had of them being students who just learn differently because that is what's true. I thanked Dr. Vitulli and Dr. Santoli for taking everyone on their trip to Ireland.

C4K #8
In Mr. Boylen's 8th grade class, Elizabeth M. wrote a blog post entitled Summer of the Monkeys in her blog. She said that the book was slow to start. She said that she sort of liked it because she thought that most of the things that happened in the book really wouldn't happen in real life. She stated that the book was about a little boy who lives... She stopped after that.

After I introduced myself, I told her that I looked forward to hearing more about the book from her and her thoughts on it. I've never read Summer of the Monkeys, but the title definitely catches my eye and sparks interest. It seems to be fiction. I told Elizabeth that it's been my experience that most fiction books are slow to start but almost always get very interesting. I suggested that she keep on reading the book and might find that she was in for a real treat once the book got going. Then I wished her good luck!

C4K #9A
In Mr. Cometti's World History class, Hannah wrote a blog post entitled, My Veteran. Veteran's Day is on November 12th. She thanked her grandfather for serving in the military. Veteran's Day is about remembering our heroes and celebrating their safety, or their brave death. She said that she was thankful to say that she belonged in a family who has veterans that served in the army. She said that everyone should celebrate the courage of their friends and family that served in the military.

I commented and said that Veteran's Day is a very important day in our country, and everyone should celebrate it. Many men and women sacrificed their lives for our freedom and we should be grateful for that. I told her that I also have family in the military and that I am thankful for all that they have done. Then I told her that she did a great job on her post.

C4K #9B
I left another comment on Hannah's blog post entitled, On Their Death Bed. Her assignment was to pick a historical character and explain what they were like on their death bed. What were they thinking? Who were they with? What were they saying? What did they do?

She chose Napolean Boneparte, a french emperor that was famous for winning many wars for France in the French Revolution. During the wars, his health started to dwindle and he got sicker and sicker. On his death bed, he was surrounded by his family and wife Joesphine. His last words were "France, armee, tete d'armee, Josephine." This meant France, army, head of the army, and Josephine. These were the things in which he dedicated his life to and spent his whole life trying to improve. The specific cause of his death was stomach cancer. Hannah said that she felt that Napolean wasn't sad at his death bed, but happy because he had a great life and was looked up to as a great military leader of France.

I told Hannah that I loved the way she described how Napolean Bonepart's family and wife was by his side in his last few moments. I would think that when you are surrounded by the ones you love, it might make things a little bit easier. It's good that he had a happy life and lived a good life too. His death seemed peaceful and it seemed as though he was at peace too. I told her she did a great job on her post.

C4K #10
Ms. Nelson and Ms. Yim's fourth grade class, at Daphne East Elementary, created four videos as part of their Montgomery Field Trip Project assignment. The video, The State House, discussed several different things that were important about Montgomery, Alabama. The House of Representatives is where laws are made for Alabama. The students also talked about how they were able to meet the Governor of Alabama Dr. Robert Bentley. They even got to shake the Governor's hand and take pictures. Lurleen Burns Wallace was mentioned in the video. She was the first lady Governor of Alabama. Montgomery is the state capitol of Alabama, and therefore, it's a big city. There are many different buildings and important sites in Montgomery. Regions Bank is the tallest building in Montgomery. There's a train station there that was built in 1898 and has six sets of tracks. Montgomery also has an old theatre that is across from the Rosa Parks Museum. It's called the Davis Theatre. That was the end of the video.

My comment was:

"Hello to Ms. Nelson's fourth grade class. My name is Ashley Zaworski and I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. I think that y'all did a great job on the videos for the Montgomery Field Trip Project that was assigned. I watched the video entitled 'The State House.' It was creative and very informative. I loved the little fun facts that was mentioned about the Governor's Mansion. That's a great way to keep your audience's attention and make them interested in wanting to know more. This video would definitely be a great video to use to introduce Montgomery to someone who has never been to the city before. I think that everyone deserves an A+. Y'all did a great job and just keep up the good work!!"

Summary Post C4T Teacher #4

First Comment
Beth Knittle was a middle school science teacher for 19 years. She is now a K-12 Technology Integration Specialist for a big school district in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Her blog, Beth's Thoughts on Technology in the Classroom, focuses on education, technology and learning.

On October 29, 2012, her blog post was entitled, Note Taking a Personal Choice. At some point, everyone has had a teacher that required you to write your notes a certain way. Beth stated that note taking should be a personal choice. There are several different strategies that can be used for taking notes, organizing and maximizing workflow. How you take notes should ultimately be your choice. As a teacher, it is important to discuss study skills and different note taking strategies with your students and review some of the tools that can be used to help. Encourage your students to try different methods before settling on one. If one doesn't work, try another. Learning is something that is very personal and how we keep track and organize that learning should be personal too.

In my comment, I of course introduced myself explaining who I was. I told Ms. Knittle that after reading her blog post, I completely agreed with her on the topic. Note taking should be a personal choice. Teachers should inform their students about the different strategies they can use to help them take notes and organize their work. As to which method they decide to use, it should definitely be the student's choice. Every student is different and they all learn in different ways. Therefore, one particular method for taking notes is not going to work for all of your students. Each student should be able to choose the strategy that works best for them to maximize their study skills. By allowing your students to do this, you are giving them the opportunity to make the best grade that they can possibly make. I never thought something so small as requiring your students to take notes a certain way could actually hinder their performance in class. I thanked her for her advice and told her that her blog post was very helpful.

Comment #2
On November 12, 2012, Ms. Knittle's blog post was entitled Tech Integration and Classroom Instruction. After reading a blog post by Andrew Vicars and an article written by Jeff Utecht about technology in classrooms, Ms. Knittle felt inspired to write a blog post about her own thoughts on the matter. She stated that as an educator, she has always thought of her role as to teach the underlying skills necessary for learning. Teachers do this through their content areas, but she feels that the following underlying skills are their most important goals:
*Research: Question, Search, Analyze, Evaluate
*Manage: Organize, Relate, Categorize, Sequence
*Collaborate: Communicate (written oral), Critique, Analyze, Evaluate, Advocate
*Create: Reflect, Organize, Write
*Share: Communicate, Publish

These skills can be accomplished by low tech means such as pencil, paper, note cards, files and folders. When mobile devices, the internet, cameras and youtube are being used, that is called high tech. Beth talked about a favorite memory she had of when she was in school in the third grade. Her class spent almost a week creating and decorating a diorama for a book report. They stopped learning the core content to learn the essential skills which was communicating their understanding through visual means. Technology gets in the way of that process and has become an obstacle instead of a tool to assist. She stated that standardize and state testing force a focus on specific content standards and teachers don't want to take time away from addressing them. That is why most teachers expect their students to already know how to use the internet, email and communicate properly online. That is also why many schools create classes for students to learn the skills needed so that they can use technology more efficiently.

Beth Knittle's ultimate goal is that students and teachers will learn and use the skills naturally occur using the learning process. The computer will be a tool to assist with learning, communicating, creating and sharing, and not be an obstacle.

I commented and told Ms. Knittle that after reading her blog post, there was a lot that we both agreed on. Even though technology is used everywhere and it helps us in our everyday day to day lives, it can sometimes be an obstacle and get in the way of how we want things to work. There are some skills that technology just can't teach and I think that's important that we remember that. Teachers should balance how much technology is used in their class with their everyday activities and assignments. I think that in order for a person to be the best teacher they could possibly be, every mean possible should be used in their teachings. I told Beth Knittle that I loved her blog post and thanked her for her thoughts on the subject.

Progress Report on Final Project

For Project #16, the Final project, my group has chosen option B. We have decided to create a 10-15 minute movie that will help future students prepare for EDM310. It will also give them some tips on how to survive EDM310. Since the main focus of the movie will be on how to survive EDM310, we have chosen a survivor theme. I don't know if anyone has ever seen the reality show 'Survivor' on t.v. before. We are using that kind of a theme. It's something different and definitely creative and interesting. We have completed the filming part. We have just a little more editing to do and then it will be complete. I think that it's gonna turn out great. It's also nice to know that it is the Final project and that we are close to the end.

Blog Post #11

Little Kids....Big Potential

Before EDM310, I have always had a negative outlook on technology, especially the use of it in classrooms. Watching the videos of Ms. Cassidy's first graders and the Skype interview with Dr. Strange, gave me an inside look and a new perspective of students using technology.

Ms. Cassidy started using technology in her classroom 10 years ago when she was given five computers. She couldn't put programs on them, but knew she had to find some kind of way her students could use them. She started by creating a class web page which eventually led to student blogs. Since her students are only in the first grade, Ms. Cassidy is sure to take all precautions necessary to keep her students safe while using the internet. She sends a form home with every student every year asking parents for their permission for their child to participate in technology usage in her class such as creating student blogs and being online. She tells her students to never give out their last names. She also uses Class Blogmeister to see who has been viewing her students' blogs.

Ms. Cassidy also uses Skype which enables her students to learn from experts and interact with other students and teachers. With the use of wikis, her students are able to get their questions answered from different people all around the world. They also use videos to talk to others in different places. Her students really enjoy using technology in all its different ways because it makes learning fun for them.

When I think about what I would use in my classroom, the webpage and student blogs come to mind. My class webpage would be great because parents could see what their child is doing in class. I could use the webpage to post homework assignments, notes on what was done in class that day, and introduce the next day's lesson. I could have a forum for parents and students to ask questions if needed. I could also have extra practice assignments for students who want or need extra help, which would be optional. I could include different educational links for references if needed. A class webpage would also be great if a student was absent in class one day, everything they missed would be online for them.

I think that student blogs are definitely a good way to use technology as well. With the use of blogs, students become better writers, readers, and learners. They are able to practice their comprehension skills, and as the old saying goes, practice makes perfect. The more they blog, the better their writing skills will become. Family and friends would be able to post comments and give them feedback. I think that by using blogs, this will make learning fun and exciting for my students. I think the learning process will be more personal for them and they won't see it as a "I have to" learn kind of a thing. Of course there will be parents and maybe even other teachers that will not agree with the use of technology in the classroom because of all the negatives that it can have. But I do believe that the benefits of technology definitely outweigh its negatives.

C4K October Summaries

C4K #3
In Ms. Dunlop's fourth grade class, Kate wrote about her trip to New York in her blog. She said that they went on a train to get to New York. When they got there, they went upstairs on a glass elevator. You could see everything. That night, they went to a play called Mary Poppins. The next day, her family took her to the American Girl Doll Store. She said it was three stories high. When they got back to the hotel, it was time to go home. Going to New York was her birthday present and she really enjoyed it.

I told Kate that I had never been to New York, but wanted to go someday soon. I said that Mary Poppins was one of my favorite stories, and that when I was younger, I also collected dolls. I told her that I was glad she had fun on her trip and wished her a happy belated birthday!

C4K #4
This post is a critique on politics done by a girl taking a fully online 10th-12th grade Global Issues Course at the Online School for Girls in Oregon. In the beginning of the post, two people meet who seem to have a lot in common. They enjoy the same things and it becomes clear that they are a good match. As the conversation continues on to socially heavier matters, there's a bump in the road. They have opposing views and both begin to wonder if they could really live with someone whom they felt was wrong.

In today's society, people let their political differences get in the way of their respect for each other. We allow our political views to dictate our opinion of a person's morality and intelligence. We become so focused on the differences that we forget what we are trying to do. This is a problem called blind partisianship. It turns politics into an endless competition and generates a win/lose mentality that does not allow for compromise. This is a big issue because most of today's problems require compromise. It's not a matter of who is right and who is wrong, but how can we fix the problem? The goal of politics is to find a solution. But because of differing views, a solution is never found. Maybe if people would stop associating their beliefs with truth, then more controversial issues could be resolved. We have to realize that there is more than one way to look at a problem and look beyond the differences in our values and beliefs. If we do this, we might see that we have more in common than what we thought and are able to find a solution that everyone can live with.
The two people that met in the beginning learned to tolerate their differences and celebrate their commonalities. They have been happily married for over 23 years and are living proof that blind partisianship can be overcome.

I commented and told her that I completely agreed with her. My dad is very opinionated and speaks his mind, especially about politics. Therefore, I grew up to be very opinionated as well. I said that I do think that in people's political views, we focus too much on the differences and who we think is right and what is wrong. That is why nothing gets done, and problems are never solved. Our country is still in tons of debt, many people are still unemployed, taxes are still high, and the rich are still getting richer while the poor sink into poverty. If we took a step back to look at the big picture of needing a solution and what can we do to fix this, things might be resolved.

C4K #5
Daniel is in the fifth grade and lives in Chicago. He did a blog post on the Eiffel Tower. It was built in 1889, and held in celebration of The French Revolution in 1789. It stands 300 meters tall, which is taller than a 90 story building. It was the tallest structure in the world until it was beat by the Chrysler building built in 1930. Gustave Eiffel is the man that came up with the Eiffel Tower and also constructed the Statue of Liberty's framework. It was made from wrought iron only and weighs 10,100 tons. Daniel included a link in his post to the site where he found his information from.

I told Daniel that the Eiffel Tower is definitely one of my favorite landmarks in the world. It's always been a dream of mine to one day go to Paris and see the Eiffel Tower. I told Daniel that his blog post was very informative the link was helpful. I didn't know that the man who came up with the Eiffel Tower also constructed the Statue of Liberty. I learned something new. I told Daniel that he did a great job on his blog post, and that I really enjoyed reading it.

C4K #6
Elizabeth lives in Canada and wrote a blog post about Alberta. She lives in Alberta,Canada in the Rocky Mountains. She said people like to do winter sports there like hockey skiing and snowboarding. She said that she loves to do gymnastics and enjoys reading. Elizabeth doesn't have any brothers or sisters.

I introduced myself to Elizabeth. I gave her my name, age, where I was from, where I went to school and what I was in school for. I told her that it hardly ever snows here. It's hot here all the time, so I've never had the chance to go skiing or snowboarding. I've never done gymnastics before, but I have always wanted to. I asked Elizabeth if it was hard to learn. I told her that I really enjoyed going to the beach and warm weather and that's why I could never live in the mountains with snow. I love shopping and spending time with my family and friends. I have one brother and his name is Jeff. My two sisters are Heather and Linda. I told Elizabeth that my sister Heather is my best friend. We are the closest, but probably because we are so close in age. I gave her the address to my blog and told her to come visit it.

Summary Post C4T Teacher #3

Teacher #3, Comment #1

Mr. Arvind S. Grover, Dean of Faculty at Grace Church School in New York City, posted a photo collage in his post entitled, "A Photo Collage of My Learning."He said that last year he learned from many different sources and he created a visual out of all the different places he had gone to learn.

I commented and told him that I thought the collage he had made was a very creative way to display a visual of the different resources that assisted him in his learning. I told him that I liked to keep small things as well because they remind me of the journeys I've been through and the amount of progress I've made towards my goal. You did a great job on your representation.

Comment #2




In Mr. Grove's post, "Ellen Degeneras Takes BIC Pens For Women To Task," he posts a YouTube video of Ellen Degeneras. Ellen uses her sharp wit to critique BIC pen's new line for women. She was shocked that even though for years, women fought for equality and finally women became equal to men, a big company, such as BIC pens, would be so stereotypical of a man's place and a woman's place in society. When BIC asked her to do a commercial for them, she said that she would never do one for them due to view on gender roles. Then Ellen decided that she would create her own commercial for BIC and see what they said. Ellen Degeneras' commercial did a great job in critiquing BIC pen's new line of pens for her. Mr. Grover said that one of his favorite things was how Ellen uses video and social media for social critique and change. He then asked if our students were prepared to do the same things to combat stereotypes?

I commented and stated that I loved Ellen Degeneras's critique on BIC pen's new line for women. I think she did a great job of criticizing and calling BIC our for their sexist and undermining view of women in a very witty and comical way. In today's society, we still have issues to overcome because people still stereotype and label others based on their race, gender, and sexual orientation. It's our job as educators to give our students the knowledge they need and prepare them so that they know how to combat stereotype in a positive way. Using social media to promote social change is a great example of how to do this. It's good to see that media can be used in a positive way too. I think that if there was more positive media in the world, maybe some things could change for the better.

Special Blog Assignment

A World Where Grades Will Be Left Behind

Mary Beth Marklein wrote an article titled "A World Where Grades Will Be Left Behind," that was published in USA Today. This article gave a sneak peak of what education could look like in thirty years. Today, technology allows educators to personalize education and make it better. Sebastian Thrun, a google vice president and Stanford research professor says that, "you want learning to be as much fun as it is to play a video game." He founded an education company called Udacity after teaching a free online artificial intelligence course. Thrun's vision is to develop a catalog of free online courses taught by star professors from around the world. Across Silicon Valley, start-ups such as New Charter University and University Now, aim to make an online education as affordable as a cellphone bill.

With all the change that is going on now in education, how will education look in thirty years?

Learning and instruction will be free and available to anyone who wants it. No one is late for class and failure is not an option. A single class might enroll hundreds or even thousands of students. Classes will involve a series of increasingly more challenging exercises and quizzes aimed at helping students master a particular concept or skill. In this world, grades don't exist. Students will have as much time as they need to demonstrate mastery of a particular concept or skill.

Thrun says that just as film enabled people all over the world to access movies, the Internet will democratize education, which today reaches a tiny fraction of people who actually wants to learn. His vision of the future he says, offers "a message of hope and aspiration--not of destruction."

After reading this article, I can see the positives and negatives in Sebastian Thrun's vision of the future of education. College can be quite expensive, especially in today's economy. More often than not, students put themselves into thousands of dollars of debt with student loans. So before you even find a job with your degree and start working, you already have this huge stress of how you are going to pay back all of your loans and how long it will take. Thrun's vision of affordable college or maybe even free college is definitely positive. This means that anyone who wants to learn and further their education has the opportunity to do so. I also like the idea that classes will have activities that progressively challenge but also help students master a particular concept or skill. Part of the problem in today's education is that students aren't being challenged. If there is no challenge, are your students actually learning anything? Students must be challenged on different levels to demonstrate that they fully comprehend a particular concept or skill and know how to apply it. Thrun says that the Internet will make education accessible to everyone. I feel that if all of a student's classes are being taught online, then where are the hands-on experiences coming from? Seeing your teacher demonstrate how something is done and the ability of trying to do it yourself are parts of the learning process. By doing everything online and using the Internet as your only resource, you loose the hands-on experience. With online courses, you are basically teaching yourself. You have to ask questions through e-mail only and find out many answers on your own. Many people can not learn that way. Some people are visual learners. Some are auditory learners that need to hear the teacher lecture to better understand it. Others are more tactile learners who need to do it themselves. The Internet can not accomedate to everyone's learning styles.

Grades are a must in education. I really do not see how giving a students a grade won't exist in future education. There has to be some way to measure what your students have learned. There has to be a scale to measure each student's comprehension level and compare it with other students. Grades help you find each student's weak points and their strong points. They allow you to focus on the needs of each individual student so that you can strengthen their weaknesses. I think that it would be very chaotic and confusing if there wasn't a grading scale in education.

I hope that education looks different from this in thirty years. If this is what people are aiming for, then I am in the wrong profession. With everything being online, there is no need for teachers. We are being eliminated from the education system.

Blog Post # 10

1. I'm a PAPERMATE. I'm a TICONDEROGA.

John T. Spencer posted a picture of his cartoon in his blog "Adventures in Pencil Integration." After looking at the cartoon and trying to figure out what it means, I think I've come to a conclusion. It's a comparison of papermate, which is a type of pencil, to a ticonderoga, which is a computer. Pencils are cheaper, but they also break all the time. A ticonderoga may be the most expensive purchase a student will ever make, but it is more beneficial to the student to use. This cartoon is a representation of how important it is for technology to be used in education.

2. Why Were Your Kids Playing Games?
In this post, Mr. Spencer was called into the principal's office to discuss his methods of teaching. The principal accused him of playing games with students instead of teaching. Mr. Spencer said that he had his students drawing pictures, reading various scenarios, and describing their solutions in text. It was interactive and his students were engaged in the activity. The principal told him that he needed to focus on rote memorization skills so that the students can pass the rote memorization test.

That seems about right. Today's education system revolves around state testing. All teachers are expected to teach their students are good memorization skills. Students just need to know what's on the state tests. It really is sad. Maybe that's what is wrong with kids today. Maybe that is why teen pregnancy is high and why the high school dropout percentage is high. We are teaching students the bare minimum and still expect them to become successful adults.

Capturing Reality

John T. Spencer explains in his blog post "Capturing Reality," why he never takes pictures. He took a picture one day of his wife and kids in front of a water fall. Before he snapped the picture, his daughter asked him why was he taking a picture. His response was so that he could capture the moment and keep it forever. She asked him why he had to capture it, couldn't the moment run free?

In John Spencer's post, he explains that the picture wasn't of his wife and kids, but it was a picture of him. He was detached, looking through a lens, hiding behind a cloud of smoke. Since then, he doesn't take pictures. He states that he doesn't want to miss a minute of life. Technology makes it easy to capture reality in ways that we miss it. That means that we become recorders instead of participants. We don't use our memories anymore because we feel that they aren't as accurate. We allow medium to get in the way instead of being present in that very moment and living life. It's not about "what is best?", it's about "what is best for me in this current context?"

I completely agree with Mr. Spencer on this matter. We really have become the recorders in life instead of living in that moment. We have become so wrapped up in what technology can do, that I think that we have lost our way. We spend so much time editing and enhancing our photos and videos, that we completely forget about what it was that we wanted to capture. People aren't living life and making memories anymore. Instead, we snap pictures and record videos, hiding behind technology. We really have become detached from reality.

3. Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?
Dr. Scott McLeod used sarcasm to tell parents, teachers, administrators, and board members what not to teach their kids. He said not to teach kids about social networking, blogs, email, and the internet. He said not to teach them about writing in the web or how to read RSS. Don't allow your kids to have cell phones or text. Dr. McLeod said these thinks are evil. They don't need to hyperlink, make videos, audio, or Flash. He says that there are bad things out there such as sexting and cyberbullying. Do not allow them to create, share, think, or learn. Don't do any of it. Then Dr. McLeod states that he will be doing all of it with his students. He then makes a very smart comment and says that he can't wait to see who has a leg up in a decade or two.

I love Dr. Scott McLeod's sarcastic tone in his blog post. He uses it to make a point about how important technology is in education. He also explains how technology can be dangerous and the negatives of students using technology. We can eliminate those problems though if we teach our students how to properly and professionally use technology. Teachers should not allow the fear of technology to discourage them from using it in their teachings. Technology is extremely important in today's education system and also in the world. If teachers choose not to acknowledge it or use it in their teachings, then students will fall behind not only in education but in society also. The world is advancing everyday, and we need to be sure that the next generation will be knowledgeable of it and ready for it.

Green Screen Movie Project # 11

SmartBoard Project # 14

Project # 10

Progress Report On My PLN

For project # 10, I am supposed to start the process of developing my PLN or personal learning network. I have decided to use iGoogle to create my PLN. It definitely took me a while to figure out how I was supposed to do it. After watching videos and looking at examples, I was finally able to get it started. Of course it is not finished, but I am slowly adding the tools that I will be using. So far, I have added the essentials. I have added Facebook, Twitter, Google, Google Maps, CNN news, my email, Skype, and many others. These are all different communication tools that I use on a daily basis. As I use other tools, I will add them to my PLN. It should be interesting to see everything I have by the end of the semester.

Blog Post # 9

What I've Learned This Year--Mr. Joe McClung

2008-2009

After his first year of teaching, Mr. Joe McClung wrote a blog post reflecting on his adventures, accomplishments, and learnings of the year. He stated that being young and inexperienced, he didn't fully know what to expect from being an elementary school teacher in his first year. In his blog post, he discussed everything he learned that year. There were seven main things that he discussed.

1. How to read a crowd. Many teachers are so worried about what their supervisors think about the delivery of their lessons that they forget about their audience. Teachers need to check for student comprehension. He stated that in order to be effective, you have to be able to let your audience drive your instruction.

2. Be flexible. Teachers need to remember that your lessons will not always go as you plan. They won't be perfect. So, there is no need to beat yourself up if the lesson did not go in the direct direction you wanted it to.

3. Communicate. Communication is the best way to resolve any issue at work and build strong relationships with your students and co-workers.

4. Be reasonable. Do not set extreme expectations for your students. It is our job as teachers to set goals for our students, but set them within their reach. And if they fail, be there to pick them up and encourage them to try again.

5. Don't be afraid of technology. Technology can be overwhelming at times, but don't give up before you even try. No one masters it with the first attempt. The use of technology may seem difficult at first, but eventually you will get the hang of it.

6. Listen to your students. He states that you may be the only person that does listen. It's important to develop a good student teacher relationship and take interest in the lives of our students.

7. Never stop learning. Teachers need to learn and grow as professional educators. It's never too late to change your way of thinking, learning, or style.

After reading Mr. Joe McClung's first blog post, I feel the need to print out his list of things he learned after his first year of teaching. They are all great things to keep in mind during your first year of teaching because you really don't know what to expect. I know that even just thinking about what my first year of teaching will be like, I get a nervous and excited feeling. Mr. McClung's blog post definitely gave me a great insight on what it will be like. I can't wait to be able to experience teaching myself.

2011-2012
Mr. McClung received such great feedback after his first blog post that he continued on to year two, year three, and year four. In his reflective blog post after his fourth year of teaching, he stated that two underlining themes really stuck out.

1. You gotta dance with who you came to the dance with. This means that you can not worry with how your peers view you as an educator. Their perception does not matter. Follow one rule, and that is are the kids having fun? Make sure that your kids are taken care of and enjoying the class. Remember who you are really working for.

2. Challenge yourself. It's easy to fall into a routine when you are teaching the same thing year after year. You get too comfortable and become lazy which causes your lessons to suck. You should try teaching a different grade level or maybe an accelerated class. This will give you the opportunity to challenge yourself to become a better teacher.

After reading this blog post, I completely agree with Mr. McClung. It does seem that after years of teaching the same thing, it would be easy to fall into a routine. I think that it is our job as educators to be able to grab the attention of our students so that they will pay attention. In order to do that, we must keep learning fun and interesting. We must give our students motivation, spark creativity, and give them inspiration. Therefore, we can not afford to be lazy. We are there to set good examples and be role models.

Blog Post #8

1. Richard Miller: This Is How We Dream

In part one of Richard Miller's video, This Is How We Dream, he talks about how writing in the academy has changed and how writing in culture has changed. We have the capability to communicate globally instantly. He states that this is the greatest change in communication in human history. Richard Miller talks about growing up in a time where writing was a solitary activity that took place amongst the companion of books. Books are print based documents that are solo-authored and usually found in libraries. Now, books are virtual. He talks about change that has happened over time. Where and how we work used to consist of pencil and paper. Now, we carry our laptops everywhere and work in word processing. Now, not only do we have the library to use, but we also have everything we need to know on the web to do our research.

Richard Miller also talks about how he was asked to write an article in response to the one year anniversary of the killings at Virginia Tech., and how he wrote the entire article without ever stepping foot into a library. He connected his own thoughts and reflections about the certainty that campus violence remains with us to the cultural and social commitments to violence that was recorded in government documents and in the voting patterns of presidential candidates that year. This article is in print and can also be found on the web. It is freely available and can not be removed. This gives us the possibilities to share knowledge infinitely. Another change is the ability we have to compose with film, images, and audio from the web. We now have the ability to create visual documents.

In part two of Richard Miller's video, he states that in a digital environment, we are confronted with new material. It changes before our own eyes and is updated instantly. It can be composed with education productions and even iTunesU. Not only can we look at and use this material, but we can go inside and see how it is put together. We can create and produce alternative versions and stories and distribute that information globally and freely. There are no limitations or restrictions with this material. He states that people are starting to realize that ideas do not belong to us individually, but as a culture. We as educators or future educators, must be in the business of sharing ideas freely.

Richard Miller states that he foresees a time when students will compose not with word processors, but will compose digitally. This idea is already in motion because there are people now composing with the web itself instead of using images. This is a way to push ideas into our culture. This is visual literacy and he and his team are working on a way to make this digital network available in our educational system.

After watching both videos, my reaction was wow!! The idea that my students will be possibly using this kind of multimedia in their everyday learning completely amazes me. Richard Miller definitely states a true fact when he says that we live in a moment in which this is the greatest change in communication in all of human history. The way we communicate with one another and communicate globally should show that we live in a world of endless possibilities. Communication is extremely important in our culture, so of course we are going to try to find new ways to improve it.

This idea of visual literacy and students composing digitally with this new multimedia seems amazing, but it does raise a few concerns for me. If students are able to manipulate the web in such a way, then are they actually learning anything? The use of pencil and paper has already been reduced drastically in schools today. If we eliminate paper and pencil completely, how do we know if the information being taught to the students will actually stick? For many students, information is more easily remembered when written down.

I think that we are becoming too dependent on technology. This multimedia is a prime example. I don't understand why we need this in our education system and why students need to compose this way. I don't understand how my students will actually retain any of the information being taught if they are constantly in front of a computer. I'm trying to have an open mind with the use of all this technology in my future classrooms, but I'm having a difficult time doing that. I just feel like what's the point in becoming a teacher if technology is doing almost all of the teaching for me!

2. Carly Pugh's Blog Post #12 Assignment

In Carly Pugh's Blog Post #12, her assignment is to create an assignment that she feels is a good enough idea that Dr. Strange himself should have assigned it. She stated that as future educators, we should all be thinking about our philosophies as teachers. In the assignment that she created, her instructions were to create a YouTube playlist with at least ten videos that:
1. Describe the kind of teacher you would like to be.
2. Show ways you can motivate your students.
3. Offer tips on classroom management.
4. Offer tutorials on programs you have learned about in this class that you would like to use (podcast, iPods, PLN's, ect.).
5. Are on topics related to your field of study.
6. Describe what a good teacher is and what a bad teacher is.
7. Ways to improve modern education as we know it.
8. Have been used in other blog posts from this semester.
9. Center around creativity.
10. Advocate challenging, motivating, encouraging, and supporting students (but still maintain professionalism).
Include at least five of these topics. Explain how these videos describe your teaching philosophy and relate to things you have learned in this class. What could you do with them in your teaching environment?

Carly then created her own playlist and followed the instructions she had given for her own assignment. She stated that good teachers teach by example. She described what each video meant to her teaching philosophy and how she could use them in her teaching environment. She stated that modern technology can assist in the education and growth of our youth, and that more is available out there other than videos. We need to use these available resources to keep the attention of our digital learners.

I thought that the assignment that Carly created was brilliant. It was extremely creative and you could definitely tell that she put a lot of thought and effort into it. Carly's post seemed like it was right on track to Dr. Miller's description of his hopes for writing with multimedia. She composed an assignment that was written in a blog post that contained several different digital videos. Each video assisted in the explanation of her teaching philosophies in a fun and interesting way that text would not. The videos were funny and kept the attention of her audience or digital learners. Carly's post is the perfect example of what it means to write with multimedia. She did an excellent job.

I read the comments on Carly's blog post in search of an explanation of why this was an assignment. I came to the conclusion that this was an assignment to help us see all the benefits EDM310 offers us on our journey to become educators. When we leave EDM310, we will have a better understanding of the different types of technology used in education and how to use each one to assist us so that we are the best teachers we can possibly be.

3. EDM310 is Different

The Chipper Series is a student produced video that demonstrates how hard life can be when you do not do what you are supposed to do. Chipper is a student in college and thought that she could turn in her work late, procrastinate, and just be taught so that she didn't have to learn, and would still pass college. With this thinking, college became very hard for her and she dropped out of school. She started her own college and was quickly shut down because she was letting her students choose when and how long they had to go to school. Chipper bounced around from job to job getting fired from each one. She had a change of heart and decided that she would go back to school. But this time, she would do her work right and on time.

The primary message in this video is that you will not be successful if you don't do what you are supposed to do and do your assignments on time. It is your responsibility to do your work in enough time that it will not be submitted late. You are in school to better yourself and be successful in the career that you have chosen. So do the right thing now!

In EDM310 for Dummies, another student produced video, two students are driven crazy due to EDM310. They do not understand twitter, skype, delicious, and google docs or how they are to be used. They purchase a book that saves their lives. EDM310 for Dummies has all the tutorials needed to explain everything in EDM310 and how it works. The students are now stress free and have a better understanding of their class.

The primary message in this video is that if you don't understand how to do something in your assignments, don't get stressed out. Just go buy the book and it will explain everything you need to know.

Since EDM310 has so many assignments that need to be completed every week, I would like to create a video demonstrating how to manage your time and assignments wisely. By completing at least one of your assignments due for the week every night, you won't have all your work piled up on you. Therefore, you will not have to rush to complete it all on time.

4. Learn to Change, Change to Learn

The video, Learn to Change, Change to Learn, was about the change that needs to take place in our education system. Teachers from all around made their own personal thoughts and opinions about today's education system. It was stated in the beginning that the U.S. Department of Commerce ranked fifty-five industry sectors on their level of intensiveness. Education was ranked number fifty-five. Someone said that children have a much more stimulating environment outside of school than they are inside school. Everyday they are texting, emailing, updating Facebook statuses, and making connections with other people all around the world. This isn't allowed in schools. Their main source of communication is being taken away. Educators need to realize the importance of technology and its use in the classrooms. Technology builds bridges that connects students to what is going on all around the world. It gives students the opportunity to expand their knowledge and better prepares them for not only college, but for life as well.

Right now a student's knowledge is based solely on standardized and state testing. Every student must be on the same standardized level. This is what teachers are told to teach. With this way of learning, genius and creativity goes right out the door. By having standardized and state testing, the only thing we are accomplishing is a student's memorization skills.

Many teachers aren't comfortable with technology because they do not know how to use it and apply it themselves. If teachers were given the tools needed to communicate with other teachers globally to exchange ideas and ask questions, they might view technology differently. With technology, 21st century learning is going to be based on what you can do with information. Do you know how to find information and do you know how to validate it? Do you know how to synthasize information, leverage information, and communicate it? Do you know how to collaborate information and problem solve with it? This is the 21st century of literacies that will soon be taught in all education systems around the world.

After watching this video, I am realizing that the more I learn about how technology can be used in education, the more I am realizing that there are actually a lot of positives about it. I completely agreed with a lot of what the teachers in the video were saying. I think that standardized testing needs to be changed or done away with completely. Why do we want every student to be on the exact same level? I understand the idea behind "No Child Left Behind." But a huge downfall of that idea is that we no longer have genius students who could possibly be the next Einstein. We no longer have creative or artistic students. Their talents and true capabilities are suppressed because their knowledge is on a standard level. This is where technology comes in and the importance of its use in education becomes acknowledged. There are so many different types of technology and so many different ways that it can be used, that it tests a students level of thinking in every way possible. Technology can reach into your mind and expose hidden talents and creativeness and show everyone what you are truly capable of.

The students of today are going to be our future leaders in this world. They are our future doctors, lawyers, educators, and politicians. Don't you think it's important for them to have the knowledge, understanding, and capabilities of technology so that they will be able to communicate globally in the future? This is why it is so important that students learn how to use technology and exchange information now. We live in a fast-paced world and technology changes everyday. Therefore, we need to teach students how to use technology properly and in a professional manner to better prepare them for the future.

5. Scavenger Hunt 2.0

Discovery Education's WEB 20.11 website had several different educational tools that can be used by teachers and students. I found three of them.

1. Create a comic using makebeliefscomix.com. This is my comic.

2. I found a video tool using Animoto. This video tool can be used by teachers, students, and classroom audiences. It is specifically designed to help bring your lessons to life. One of its many special features is that it automatically organizes a custom video for you. It does this by automatically analyzing your music, photos, and video clips. This leaves you plenty of free time to focus on the content and narratives of your video. I love this feature because organizing music, photos, and video clips in a video can be extremely time consuming. Therefore, you lose focus on the content and why it's important. With the use of this tool, that problem is solved.

3. By using the presentation tool Prezi, you can create presentations and slideshows. This program offers you a 30 day free trail. When your free trial ends, you must purchase this program if you wish to continue using it. Prezi offers a special price for students and teachers. It is $0 per year if you purchase Prezi EDU Enjoy. If you decided to purchase Prezi EDU PRO, it is $4.92 a month. That is significantly cheaper than the normal price of $13.25 a month. By being a student or teacher, you get a much better price.

C4T #2

The Nuts and Bolts of Flipping

Amanda Ooten, a science teacher, describes in her post how she makes her videos that her students watch on their own time in her flipped classroom. She states that the end goal in the idea, flipping the classroom, is to have more class time, one on one, with students to dig deeper into the material through activities, labs, and real-world problem solving. So what is exactly is a flipped classroom? A flipped class consists of videos, made by student's teachers, that have the next day's lecture on them. Students watch these videos at home so that there is less lecture time in class and more one on one with students and teachers. The videos are usually 10-15 minutes in length and include everything students need to know about each chapter. Tasks and assignments are assigned during the video that the students will discuss the next day in class. Assignments help the students become more involved with the material besides just reading and watching the videos.
Many different programs are used to create the videos such as Screenflow, Camtasia, Screenium, Jing, CamStudio, and iShowU. It usually takes a total of three hours per screencast for preparation, recording, and editing. Amanda states that the product is well worth the time and hopefully the videos can be used for many years.

Comment #1

I commented and said that I have read articles and watched videos about how to flip a classroom and what exactly that meant. After learning what it means to flip a classroom, I wasn't sure if I wanted to do it in my future classrooms. I guess I feel that if the students are watching a video at home and in class, students have group activities, then what is my role as a teacher?
But after reading her post, I told her that flipping the classroom seems like a great idea. I now see the benefits and different opportunities students and teachers have when the classroom is flipped. I gave her a big thank you for helping me to see that this is a more efficient way of teaching and that by flipping your classroom, your students will learn more.

My Flipped Classroom, Part 2

After two months in her flipped classroom, Amanda Ooten wrote a reflection describing the impact this new way of learning had on her and her students. She said at first, her students were overwhelmed with this new concept. They were spending more time on their "at-home" assignments and videos and weren't fully understanding all the concepts that they needed to. They were asking more questions in class, therefore, Amanda was spending more time lecturing. She did some rethinking and flipped her classrooms only 50%. She realized that some concepts need direct instruction at such an advanced level of learning. Her students still watched videos and had "at-home" assignments, but there was also lecture time and in-class discussions. She felt that she was a better teacher because of the flip. She was finally teaching her class the way she wanted to instead of the way the College Board tells you to teach.

Comment #2

I commented and said that I was really glad that she did some rethinking and decided to flip her classroom only 50%. I told her that she was definitely right. Some concepts are difficult to understand at certain learning levels and need to be taught by direct instruction from the teacher. I gave her credit for acknowledging the fact that there needs to be a balance between the amount of lecture time needed and the amount of "at-home" assignments students need to complete. It seemed as though her students really enjoyed this way of learning and so did she. I then congratulated her on her success.

C4K September Summary

C4K #1

In C4K assignment #1, I commented on a teacher's class blog. Anthony Capps is a third grade teacher at Gulf Shores Elementary School. In his blog post, "The Buzz About Jobs," he discusses how his class has been studying the elements that make a successful community. They have also been discussing what makes a community member productive. As a class, they decided that productive community members work together, practice patience, encourage each other, help each other understand, follow directions, and lead each other. They also created a wordle using a list of jobs that the class thought was most important in their community. Some of these jobs were firemen, doctors, engineers, bank tellers, teachers, and repair men. There were several other jobs listed as well.

I commented and stated that I agreed with them on their thoughts about productive community members. When community members come together and work as a team, they can be extremely productive and accomplish many thoughts, ideas, and goals. I mentioned that I was going to school to be a teacher, which was one of the jobs that was listed. I stated that I thought that being a teacher is probably one of the most important jobs in a community, and that I couldn't wait to become a part of that.

C4K #2

In C4K assignment #2, I commented on Mason's blog, a student in Mrs. Krebs science class in Iowa. His blog post was entitled, "Finding Out About the Kentucky Coffee Tree." He talked about how he found a dichotomous key from Iowa State University. He stated that he learned that a Kentucky Coffee Tree had opposite leaves and not alternate leaves. Mason also included a link where he found his information from.

I commented and told Mason that I didn't know that trees had different types of leaves. I also told him that his link to Iowa's Trees was very informative and interesting. I gave him some positive feedback and told Mason that I enjoyed reading his blog post. I even asked him a question to give him a chance to respond back. I asked him if Kentucky Coffee Trees really did produce coffee beans.

Blog Post #7

The Networked Student

The Networked Student, created by Wendy Drexler, depicts an actual project completed by her own high school students. In her video, she tries to give parents, teachers, colleagues, and students a better understanding of how networked learning works.

The video starts off with a 21st century high school student studying American Psychology. He meets in class three days a week and two days online. There are no books and the teacher hardly ever lectures. She is a student of connectivism.

So what is connectivism? "Connectivism is a theory that presumes learning occurs as part of a social network of many diverse connections and ties." The student uses many different resources and communication tools to collect facts and create his/her own thoughts and reflections about his/her topic on a blog he/she creates. Tools such as google search, wikis, blogs, and rss makes it easier for students to connect with new contacts and to learn effectively with the ones he already knows. What a great way to integrate technology in the classrooms!

So the question is asked "Why does a networked student even need a teacher?"

According to Wendy Drexler's video, the following is a list of reasons why a networked student needs a teacher:
1. His teacher is the one that teaches him how to build these networks and take advantage of learning opportunities.
2. She offers guidance when he gets stuck.
3. She shows him how to communicate properly and ask respectively for help from the experts.
4. She shows him how to differentiate between good information and not so good information.
5. She shows him how to vent a resource.
6. She shows him how to turn a web search into a scavenger hunt, and to get excited when he finds that pearl of content.
7. She helps him organize those mountains of information.
8. In her heart, she hopes that when he leaves her class, he will maintain his learning network and use it to navigate his future and creatively solve the world's problems.

After watching the video, the same question, "Why does the networked student even need a teacher?," popped into my mind. I understand that technology is extremely important in the classrooms because teachers need to be up to date on today's technology and how it is used. But why? The answer to that question is because we live in a fast-paced world that is in a state of constant change mainly due to the advancements of technology everyday.

As a future educator, I'm worried that one day teachers will become completely obsolete as a result of technology and will then be replaced and no longer needed. If you really sit and think about it, technology is already starting to take over. Schools now are starting to replace textbooks with ebooks. Students have a computerized tablet that they connect to the school's network and download the reading material that they need for that particular class. White boards and chalk boards are slowly being replaced with SMART boards. This SMART board is connected to a computer.

I have recently learned that teachers are no longer teaching students cursive handwriting. Cursive handwriting was such a big deal with teachers when I was in grade school. I remember hating my teachers in fourth, fifth, and sixth grade because all written work, which was just about everything we did, had to be written in cursive handwriting.

In schools today, even first and second graders are required to have flash drives so that their assignments done on the computer can be saved. This is already starting to eliminate the amount of actual writing, pencil to paper, that students do. When everything has to be typed and done on the computer, there is no need for actual writing. At this rate, schools will soon just omit learning how to write so that students will have more computer time.

I'm not bashing technology being used in classrooms nor am I saying that technology in education is a bad idea. There are several advantages and positive thoughts I have about integrating technology in the classrooms. But does anyone ever look at the negatives about this transformation in the education system? Everyone is different and processes information in a different way. Technology is not going to adhere to everyone's unique learning process. This is why we need excellent teachers so that no student is left behind.

So NO, I don't want to be a networked teacher. I want to be more involved than that with my students. After all, aren't teachers supposed to teach their students instead of sticking them in front of a computer and trying to make them learn something they don't know on their own?


2. A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment(PLE)

In the video, a 7th grader demonstrated how she uses her Personal Learning Environment every day in her science class. She discusses how every morning she checks the science agenda to see what she will be doing in class that day. Sometimes she has a video to watch and sometimes it's just assignments that need to be completed. She created a blog in which she post assignments and writes her reflections about what she did in class that day. She says that she really enjoys this way of learning because she has so much freedom. She is able to choose when and how she completes her assignments. She says that everything is done online, so there aren't any books, and everything is neat and organized. She says that she loves networked learning.

This 7th grade student's PLE seems almost identical to my Personal Learning Environment for EDM 310. There are no books because everything is done online. I have to check to see what assignments and projects I have for that week. Sometimes there are videos that I have to watch and post my reflections in my blog for class. This class is definitely unlike any other that I've ever taken before. It's a completely different way of learning because you aren't sitting in front of your teacher everyday. As of right now, I think that I'm a little undecided on whether or not I like this networked learning. I guess I will just have to see how the rest of the semester goes.