Sunday, November 20, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Progress Report for Final Project: Group "Fantastic 3"
We have decided to explain and show how Gmail, Blogger, Smart Board, and Symbaloo (PLN) are great resources for current teachers and those to come. We will break down each program by using Debut to show our audience how the programs work and how they can be useful to teachers.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
C4K Summary Post for October
On the first week I was assigned to comment on a blog titled Little Voices, Little Scholars, the post was titled "Lanzie Wrote a Story About the New Zealand Flag." In my comment I told Lanzie that I thought he did a great job in his drawing of the New Zealand flag and also that I enjoy learning about the flags of different countries. On the second week I was assigned to comment on a blog titled Room 10 at Pt England School, the post was titled "Goodbye Kahui," the post contains a video of some of the students in the classroom saying goodbye to Kahui because he left Room 10 to go to another school. In my comment I said that if Kahui were to see the video then he would see how many great friends he had in Room 10. On the third week I was assigned to comment on Yesenia's Blog, in her post she was assigned to make a brainstorming list, which contained many words having to do with music. In my comment I said that after reading her list, I could tell that she really enjoyed music and that I also love listening to music. In her list she named many different artists that I usually listen to and I told her that she had great taste in music. On the fourth week I was assigned to comment on Room 17 at Pt England School, in the post Vivienne explains that she had been researching two countries, Fiji and South Africa, and she gave several facts about each, including climate and where they are located, as well as rugby. In my comment I said that rugby is one of my favorite sports to watch, that I enjoyed all of the interesting facts about both countries in her video, and that the video was put together well. I look forward to my C4Ks in November!
Blog Assignment #11
Ms. Kathy Cassidy of Moose Jaw, Canada, is a wonderful example of a technologically literate teacher! She is constantly researching new ways to use technology to benefit her first grade students. For example, she uses a classroom blog where her students can post writing assignments and other things, such as wikis and Skype.
After watching the Skype Interview conducted by Dr. Strange, I learned many ways to use technology in my future classroom. The first thing Ms. Cassidy suggests we do is think about what is best for our students? Since I am going to be a secondary social science teacher, I have been thinking of ways to use these different things that she suggested. When using blogs, a few of the things I plan to do are: 1. Post all homework assignments onto the classroom blog so that the students and their parents will be able to keep track of all due dates, 2. assign the students to post writing assignments, videos and other assigned projects to their own personal school blog, 3. have the students to post special assignments that they will do individually or in a group, this could be a video they make about research they did on a specific historical figure or event, 4. I would love to use blogs as much as possible because they are also a great way to keep the parents informed on different events going on in our classroom or even at the school. Another thing Ms. Cassidy does in her classroom is assign them "blogging buddies" to write to from all over the world; this would be great to do especially in a social science class, it would help them to better learn what is going on in different parts of the world, they could also Skype their "blogging buddies" which would make it even more interactive. Wikis are another thing that I think the students and myself would enjoy using because it would give them a chance to interact and learn from others, like Ms. Cassidy used the Wikis in her class to find out about traditions.
Some things that may impede us from using these different types of technology would be if the school administration or if the students' parents didn't encourage or allow it. I would try and assure the parents that I would educate the students on how to use the Internet in a safe way, for one, as Ms. Cassidy says in her interview 1. make sure they do not use their last name, no pictures of themselves, and also that we are digital citizens and not to say mean things to others on the Internet, 2. when they are playing a game not to click on any of the ads that surround it and to just stay in the middle because the ads will take them to another site that they may not want to go to, 3. they would need to know what to do if they do end up somewhere on the Internet that they do not want to be.
There are many benefits to using Ms. Cassidy's approaches. First, using a blog allows the parents to keep track of their child's work and also to keep track of other things such as due dates and classroom and school events that are going to take place. Second, having them post assignments on the Internet where many people all over the world can view and comment on will give them the encouragement to do a better job on all of their work. Finally, it will give them the opportunity to interact with other students from around the world and give them a better view of the world.
In conclusion, Ms. Cassidy's use of technology in her classroom in wonderful! More teachers should become more aware and use these different types of technology. Every day people are coming out with newer and better technology. As a future teacher I plan on learning as much as possible about all of these things so that my students will be able to benefit from them.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Project # 3: C4T # 2
For this project I was assigned to read and comment on Ms. Aviva Dunsiger's blog, A Primary Blog for the 21st Century.
The first post that I read and commented on was "The Need for Recording." In this post she explained how she uses recording to help her students help improve themselves and others. In my comment I told her that I really enjoyed her post and that it had truly given me some great ideas for my future classroom.
The second post that I read and commented on was "Equity is not Equality... And It Doesn't Have To Be!" In this post Ms. Dunsiger talks about how each child is their own person and they are all on different levels of learning. She also explains that it is important that we teach our students the important of equity. In my comment I wrote about a school that I recently observed at, Marietta Johnson School of Organic Education. I explained how their main goal was equity. They see each child as an individual and accept the fact that all of the children learn at a different rate and are at different levels of growth and development.
Ms. Aviva Dunsiger's blog is very informative and I have really enjoyed reading her posts! They have given me some great ideas about how to use different types of technology in my future classroom.
The first post that I read and commented on was "The Need for Recording." In this post she explained how she uses recording to help her students help improve themselves and others. In my comment I told her that I really enjoyed her post and that it had truly given me some great ideas for my future classroom.
The second post that I read and commented on was "Equity is not Equality... And It Doesn't Have To Be!" In this post Ms. Dunsiger talks about how each child is their own person and they are all on different levels of learning. She also explains that it is important that we teach our students the important of equity. In my comment I wrote about a school that I recently observed at, Marietta Johnson School of Organic Education. I explained how their main goal was equity. They see each child as an individual and accept the fact that all of the children learn at a different rate and are at different levels of growth and development.
Ms. Aviva Dunsiger's blog is very informative and I have really enjoyed reading her posts! They have given me some great ideas about how to use different types of technology in my future classroom.
Project # 10
Blog Assignment # 7
After watching Dr. Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture, I came to think of him as a man of great determination. I was in shock when he showed to scans of his ten tumors that he had in his liver! He seemed to be a perfectly healthy man and to show that he was in better shape than most of the people in the room he did a few push-ups. He never gave up on his dreams even though he had many hardships in his life and as he said “Don’t bail, the best gold is at the bottom of barrels of crap.”
He began his lecture by telling the audience about his childhood dreams, which included being in zero gravity, playing in the NFL, authoring an article in the World Book Encyclopedia, being Captain Kirk, winning stuffed animals, and being a Disney Imagineer. The amazing thing is, he achieved all of them! Except for playing in the NFL, but he says that what he did get to do when he was younger was much more important in his life than playing in the NFL. His childhood football coach taught him that when you screw up and no one critiques you, that means that they have given up on you and that is not a good thing, fortunately for him his coach made sure to tell him when he did something wrong so that he would be able to correct it.
Another one of his childhood dreams was being in zero gravity. This was a difficult dream to accomplish, but that did not stop Dr. Pausch. There was a competition being held where a group of students could win a ride in the “Vomit Comet”, which is a type of plane that is used to train astronauts and allows them to experience 25 seconds of weightlessness. When telling his story on how he achieved this dream he uses this quote “Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things.” There were several difficulties in achieving this certain dream, for one, when his team won the competition he was extremely excited until he was told that faculty was not allowed to participate in riding the “Vomit Comet”, but like always he showed his perseverance. He learned that faculty wasn’t allowed, but that the press was. So he found a way to get a press badge and in the end he was able to participate.
In conclusion, this video has shown me that even in tough times we must never give up! Dr. Randy Pausch never did and he accomplished all of his childhood dreams. To use my favorite quote by him again “Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want something” that quote, in my opinion, sums up Dr. Randy Pausch. He was a very unwavering man and even though he ran into many “brick walls” they never stopped him from achieving what he wanted most out of life!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
C4K Summary Post
The C4K assignments are something that I have thoroughly enjoyed doing! I loved reading the different blogs and learning about each student.
The first blog that I had the pleasure of reading was created by Emily. It was called "Emily's Glogster", it was about a book called "Maniac Magee." The post contained different sections that explained the different characters, plot, summary, and setting. In my comment that I left I told her that she did a very good job in organizing her post and summarizing the book. Also I told her that after reading her post that I would be recommending the book to my two younger brothers because they would love to read this type of story!
The second blog that I was assigned to comment on was created by a child named Adam in Mrs. Kilgo's class. He wrote about how he would like to visit Disney World because he has never been before and has heard about how the rides are both scary and fun. In my comment I told him about my four favorite rides in the Magic Kingdom, including Space Mountain, It's a Small World, Peter Pan, and Splash Mountain. I also told him that I hope he gets to go soon!
The third blog that I commented on was the St. Elmo Explorers. This blog is about a school that received iPads because of a generous donation from Lucy Buffett. This post contained a slideshow with pictures of the students using their new gadgets. In my comment I said how lucky they were to receive such a wonderful gift and how wonderful it was for them to be learning about the different technology that we have in the world today.
The last blog that I commented on was called "Izzy's Blog." In her post titled "Weekly Challenge" she wrote about one place in the world that she would like to visit, Hawaii. She said that ever since her parents told her about their trip there she has wanted to go also. The beautiful beaches, the ability to surf, and visiting Pearl Harbor were some of the reasons that she gave for wanting to go there. In my comment I told her that I would also like to visit Hawaii for many of the same reasons. For one, learning to surf is one thing that I would love to do before I die!
I look forward to commenting on more blogs in the future. It has been one thing, among many others, that I have enjoyed doing in EDM 310.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Blog Assignment # 5
1. Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?, by Scott Mcleod is full of sarcasm and I loved it! In the post he talks about all of the negative things that go along with using technology. For example, he says "don't you know how much junk is out there? haven't you ever heard of sexting? of cyberbullying?" and "you know they're just going to look at porn and hook up with predators, we can't trust them."
I actually had to read it a couple of times to fully understand what was going on, but after reaching the last sentence he says "don't do any of it, please, really, 'cause I'm doing all of it with my kids, can't wait to see who has a leg up in a decade or two can you?", which I think is his main point. Teaching our children to use technology is extremely important and it will definitely give them a "leg up" in the future!
Dr. Mcleod is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky. He is also the founding director of CASTLE, which is the nation's only academic center devoted to technology needs of school administrators and he was aslo the co-creator of, in my opinion, the most interesting video on YouTube, "Did You Know".
2 . The iSchool Initiative, by Travis Allen. In this video a seventeen year old, Georgia student, argues that he has found a way to cut down the costs for our students, parents, and schools, and becoming "Green" in the process.
Allen explains how iPod Touches by Apple could replace meny thing that we use today in the classroom, including paper, pencils, pens, graphing calculators, textbooks, etc. He shows many educational apps that can be used to help in this process. For example, there are apps to learn about the presidents and space, apps to read textbooks and books, apps to take notes, for homework help, email, and many, many more.
I completely agree with his argument and I think that it is an amazing idea! There are so many different types of technology out in the world today and a lot of it can and should be used to help out in the student's education process!
3. Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir is an absolutely amazing video! After watching it I was in shock that it was even possible! He used 185 voices, 243 tracks, and all of the participants were from twelve different countries. Wow, this is an amazing use of technology!
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Blog Assignment # 4
1. The Eagle Nest Radio & Class Blog
After listening to the Eagles' Nest Radio Episode #3: Roamin' with the Ancient Romans, I learned so much about Ancient Rome. They were so organized with their information. The enthusiasm and excitement in all of their voices made me want to listen to more of their episodes. Using the students to record the podcast, I'm sure makes learning about the different topics so much more interesting than just reading a book. The music that accompanied their voices made it to where there were no dull moments throughout the entire podcast. I will definitely keep that in mind while doing my podcast!
2. The Beneļ¬ts of Podcasting in the Classroom by Joe Dale
This shows how podcasting and vodcasting in the classroom can further enhance the students' learning experience. There are many benefits that come along with podcasting in the classroom. For example, a podcast could be used as a review for an upcoming test, especially if a student were to miss class before the test they would have the opportunity to listen to the podcast which would help them to better understand the information that they had missed. I really liked how the social studies teacher in the video used his podcast by incorporating other teachers and students to be the characters which made the lessons much more interesting.
Podcasting in the classroom is such a great idea and I will definitely incorporate this into my future classes. I think that if my past teachers used podcasts it would have made learning so much more engaging and fun!
3. Langwitches
In 1st Graders Create Their Own Read-Along Audiobook, it shows how a podcast can be accompanied by a audiobook, this allows for the student to read as well as listen to the information given or in this case the book that they were reading. I found this to be very informative and helpful. When I was in elementary and middle school, comprehension was a big problem for me, but when we had the audio to go along with the readings I always did so much better on the activities or quizes that followed. When doing my group podcast, I will definitely keep this in mind and try and incorporate it into our project.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Blog Assignment # 3
"It's Not About the Technology"
In Kelly Hine's post entitled "It's Not About the Technology", she gives her opinion on how teachers should use the technology that is becoming more and more available to them and that the teachers who are given the opportunity to have something like a Smartboard, for example, they should learn how to properly use it in a way that will help the students learn.
I completely agree with her 100 percent! The teachers who went through the schooling process and didn't have the opportunities to learn how to use the technology that we have today have indeed learned how to use other tools that were available to them at the time and they have become exceptionally good at what they do. So as the teachers of the future, we should become just as good, but with the technology and tools that we have accessible to us. Learning how to use these thing will in the end benefit our students and help them to better understand what exactly we are teaching them.
Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
In Karl Fisch's award winning post, he asks "Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?", well I for one completely agree with him that no it is definitely not okay. As teachers we must be willing to learn these new technologies that are becoming available to us. If we are willing to learn how to use them, then it shows our students that they should also be willing to learn it to. He uses a great example of when he was a math teacher and he would have parent-teacher conferences with the parents of the students who were struggling, most of the time a parent would say "Well I was never any good at math either.", but the parents would say it in a way that they seemed almost proud of that statement. It's okay to not understand computers, but we all must be willing to learn how to use them and one day we will understand them!
Gary Hayes Social Media Count
Watching the numbers grow on Gary Hayes Social Media Count is amazing to me! Nowadays everyone and there mother has a Facebook and a Twitter account, but I remember when none of this social media stuff even existed. I wasn't even allowed to have a Facebook until about a year ago. Everyone has a cellphone these days, even my ten year old brother. I didn't have one until I was about 15 and that was only because my parents were divorced so I was going back and forth between their houses and having a cell phone made it easier for us to talk to each other.
This social media count shows us that technology is growing at a very fast rate and as up-and-coming teachers we need to know and understand how to use everything that is available to us that can better help us teach our students. This is so exciting to me! Ever since my father gave me my first computer I have tried to learn as much as possible about how to use it. I am so fortunate to be in EDM310 and be able to actually learn how to properly make a blog, use twitter in an affective way, use Google Docs (which, by the way, is amazing), and there is so much more to come!
A Vision of Students Today
This video, A Vision of Students Today, shows that students today use technology in a way that is not very helpful. Facebooking in class doesn't help us to learn. If teachers would integrate the use of technology in their classrooms, I believe that it would make the students want to do the work assigned to them.
Technology can either hurt or help us! I plan on finding better ways to use all of these new technologies to help me teach. When I graduate and have a classroom of my own, I would really love to incorporate using computers and other technology that can work in my favor and create a better learning environment for my students.
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