Blog Post #14

For this blog I read Pseudoteaching: MIT Physics. The term pseudoteaching means teaching that looks good but doesn't really teach the students anything. Professor Lewin at MIT is a physics teacher. In the post was a video that showed a short clip of one lecture and he was very energetic and you could tell that he really loved what he was teaching. It was great to see so much excitement in the eyes of the professor because you know you are getting his best every time he is speaking. But just because he is a great lecturer doesn't mean that his students were learning anything. His class attendance and passing rate dropped as the class progressed through the semester. He learned that in order for his students to learn that they needed some interaction with the lesson he was trying to teach. After realizing this he broke his students up into small groups and let them talk and ask questions among themselves and things got better for them.

 I think that it doesn't have to be rocket science to get your students interactive in class. The one way that I believe that students can learn is by getting them involved in the classroom. If we just sit there and lecture our tails off and don't let the students respond or ask questions then how can we tell if they are getting it. One goal I have is to always make my students interact during class so I know they are understanding what is going on. I am glad that I was able to read this post because it shows that even MIT professors have trouble with their students learning.

Final PLN report

 For my last report on my Personal Learning Network, I love it!! I'm glad that we learned how to set one up in this class. I have things somewhat organized on my education sites such as Khan Academy and iTunesU. I also have a section for educational games and videos for my son. Also in my last section I have some sites that I use for entertainment purposes. All in all I really like using symbaloo and will spread the news of this technology to everyone that I know.

C4T #4

In my last Comments for Teachers I was assigned to the Learning is Messy bog by Brian Crosby. In my first post I commented on for Mr. Crosby it was about a science project that his fifth grade class participated in. They sent of a bag of cheetos and three balloons up with a high altitude balloon. Throughout the flight they had a camera mounted with the payload and it captured images from different altitudes. I commented on this post and said that this was an awesome experience for his class. Also that it would be a great project for any grade level to take part in. I thanked him for sharing these photos and the progress with us.
The second post I commented on was a quote that Mr. Crosby posted on his blog.
“What I wish people would realize is that “good” schools with high test scores don’t think of their instruction as some kind of reward for the test scores. They don’t focus on basic skills and then suddenly reach a point where they…develop deeper knowledge, enrich learning, engage students’ interests, etc. It’s not basics and then enrichment. The basics can be addressed more covertly, more authentically, and more effectively, when those skills are developed in a meaningful and motivational context. That type of environment shouldn’t be the exception, the unearned privilege of the children of privileged parents, and those lucky enough to attend schools that test well. That type of education is the birthright of every child.” - David B. Cohen
 What I got from this quote is that every child deserves the same education no matter where they live or what their parents income I commented on this post and told him that I loved this quote and will have it posted somewhere in my classroom one day after I graduated and had my own classroom. This quote does show what every teacher should strive for and that the perfect learning experience is when the students don't realize that they are learning and are having fun.

Final Project 16

Blog Post #13

Jose Picardo's Top Ten Tips for Using Technology in the Classroom was very interesting. A lot of his tips included the things that we are learning here in our EDM310 class. Using technology in the classroom is very beneficial to the students if it is used correctly. The world is always evolving into something bigger and better and so is the technology. If we do not continue to educate ourselves and our young ones on this technology then or society will meet its demise.

 A couple of Mr. Picardo's tips were pretty cool. The tip about using interactive exercises was pretty neat. In his video he had some kind of matching game on his website. Games like this could help students with their memory and visual recognition of images and help expand their vocabulary. Another tip I thought was really good was using music to our advantage. I haven't really thought much about music being used in the classroom as a tool to help with learning. I think that if we use music in the classroom it would help keep the student's attention and change up the pace a little bit and keep them entertained. One big factor that I think is extremely important is keeping the students entertained. This may sound bad but I believe that if our students are entertained and kept interested in the topics we are teaching then the information will stick with them better and they will actually learn it and not cram it.

Project #15

Blog Post 12

In our profession, as well as others, we will have days when we can't take it anymore. But to get through the day all we need is a good laugh to get us going back in the right direction. My assignment for you is to find a video that inspires you to keep your chin up and help you realize that things are not as bad as they seem. Also describe why this video helps make you smile or what message you gain from the video.



My inspirational video that helps get me through the day is about a puppy that was born into being a service dog for people with disabilities. As she grew older her natural instincts as a dog started kicking in and she became a hazard for the job they were training her for. Once they let her go she changed from a service dog to a SURFice dog. She started doing surfing shows as fundraisers for charitable events. The message I get from this video is this, no matter how bad things get or how difficult the task, we always have the ability to chose to make things better. We can either dwell on all the negatives or we can put all of our focus and energy into the positives in life to make a difference for others.

Progress Report on Final Project

I am in group with Emily Kinney and Kelsey Hayward. We haven't decided on a topic for our project yet but we are meeting in the morning to discuss it. From there we will meet as many times as needed to complete our project.

Project #14

Blog Post 11

Mrs. Cassidy's First Graders and Skype Interview with Mrs. Cassidy

Mrs. Cassidy has her first grade class using technology every day. This is amazing! These very young kids are using blogs, skype, and wikis. It is so impressive because there are a lot of older people in the world that have no clue on how to use them and quite a few that have ever heard of them. By using these sites it is helping the students learn to read and write and improve their grammatical skills. The most useful form of technology he students are using is probably the blogs. By using the blogs it allows their parents to see their work and give them praise. The praise they receive boosts their confidence and urges them to do more and keep advancing and improving their skills.
Another tool that is very cool is Skype. Skype lets you interact with other people that are as near as the next room or as far as across the world. I mean how many first grade students can say that they chatted with a person on the other side of the world through a video chat on the internet. I wish I could have had that opportunity as a child.
One of the biggest problems ,other than communication with the students, would have to be getting the parents to go along with teaching their young children how to use technology. The problem that I think that we would encounter is that a lot of parents are used to the old school way of teaching straight out of the text books and not the new school technology. This could be an easy fix if I could get the parents to help out with their child at home and then they could learn along with them. I think that once they saw how useful and how much it got every child involved they would be all for it. Just because it's new doesn't mean that it is bad because the world is ever evolving and we must kep up with the times or we will be left in the dust.

Special Assignment #2

PART A
Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a non-profit website that students can use as a great learning tool. This website has information in lectures and videos on many different subjects. Also to go along with the lectures and videos, they have problems that you can wok out and will give you step by step instructions if you need them. This website will keep track of your progress on any activities that you do and will let you know what you need to work on. To go along with the students, teachers can use this website as well. They can use the site to see what their students have been doing and see how they are faring on the assignments.

iTunesU

iTunesU is another website that teachers can use to post their lectures and assignments for their students. The students can view the assignments and lectures and download them to their home computer, iPod,iPad, or iPhone. The teachers can set these assignments and lectures to private for their class to see only or the can set the option to public so any and everybody can see if they want to look.

TED

TED was an annual Technology, Entertainment, and Design conference that was later developed into a website. The conferences are recorded and the videos of the speakers are posted on this site. The videos or subtitles in many different languages that way people from all over the world can view them and understand what is being said. This website was created to help individuals learn and change their lives and ideas.


PART B
Khan Academy
Khan Academy is a great learning tool for students and also a great tool for teachers. Their are tons of ways that students can learn using this website. There are lectures to watch and assignments that they can do to practice. This is a good tool for teachers because they can watch the progress of their students as the complete assignments. Also they can keep up with statistical scores of each student for each subject they work in.

iTunesU
iTunesU is also a fantastic tool for teachers. They can upload lectures to it and then can decide who can see them. They can limit them to their students only or for everyone to see. This can save teachers a lot of time and headache because they can post the lecture and then if the students have any questions about what was said they can just replay the video over and over as many times as they'd like. One advantage for students is that the videos can automatically download to their computer without them having to worry about it.

TED
TED could be useful depending on how the teacher decides to use it. They could send videos of other students that are not exactly to thrilled about school and could help their current students relate to issues they are having personally. One advantage to this process is that teachers can send each individual a different video that relates only to them. Also another advantage could be the fact that it would make talking to their students a little bit easier. If they find it difficult to speak to their student in person they could let the video do the talking for them.

PART C
 Khan Academy
I watched the Liar Truthteller Brainteaser  video from the Khan Academy website. In this video, we must chose the correct door to open to find all of our happiness. Choosing the incorrect door leads to agony and despair. But in order to choose the right door we must ask the doorkeeper one question and one question only. From this question we must decipher which doorkeeper is the liar and which is the truthteller. As I sat and thought about the question I was sure what to ask so I watched the rest of the video. The question that needed to be asked was "Which door would the other guy say to open?" Whatever the answer we were given it would always be incorrect so we should choose the opposite door. I thought this was a pretty cool video because it really made you think. Activities like these really help to get you thinking and help your logic.

iTunesU
My Class 2.0 by Marc Coleman is found in the K-12 section in iTunesU. During this video Marc discusses how to use the website Evernote. In this website you can create notes and then search for keywords in your notes to find your notes. This site also has another cool feature in that you can use pictures in your notes and they can key in on any words used in the picture for the keyword search. This would be extremely helpful in class because you can share these notes with whoever you need to and you can also sync these notes with your facebook or twitter accounts.

TED
  The hidden power of smiling by Ron Gutman was a great video. Growing up we always heard that smiling will make your happier and improve you life. Ron spoke in his video about how he did research on the power of smiling and how it improved our health and life. In his research he looked at old yearbook photos, baseball cards, and pictures of Hollywood actors. I thought this was awesome and we can use this in everyday life because I want to produce happy students and citizens. And if I can make my students happy and smile then it will make me smile and we can all live long happy lives.

PART D

Khan Academy
 I believe that this website can and will be extremely helpful to my future students. The use of the many lectures, activities, and videos will be a positive if used by my students. The activities can help students practice what we have been working on in class and I can keep track of how well they did and what they may need some help with. It can also help students that need an extra bit of guidance that I may not be able to give them at home. So they can just pull up the site and go to work.

iTunesU
 iTunesU can be very helpful also because almost everybody has an iPod or iPhone now a days. This will be helpful because I can post our class lectures and work on the website and they can access it from home. So whether the student is sick or just needs to refresh their memory of what we covered they can pull it up at home or on their mobile device. Another good thing about this that I can set it to private just so my students are the only ones that can access this material.

TED
 TED will probably be the least useful of the three. It has videos of speakers talking about many different topics. Some of these videos are pretty interesting but I'm not sure if I could incorporate it everyday like I could with Khan Academy and iTunesU.

PART E

 This assignment surprised the heck out of me. I had no idea about these sites and they were all pretty cool. Khan Academy was by far the best one we got to play with and check out. The amount of information and activities on this site is outstanding. It covers a broad array of topics and it has practice activities that students can work with. I actually showed my brother-in-law this website the other day to help him out with his high school algebra. Overall I was very impressed with all of the information.

C4T #3

 This go around my comments for teachers was for Steven Anderson. His blog is called Blogging About the Web 2.0 Classroom Connected. One post that I enjoyed was about the use of Twitter for schools and communities. In his post he discussed and stated how to go about starting a Twitter account and reasons behind starting one for a school or community. I think this was a great post because not everyone knows about Twitter and it can be a very useful tool for reaching out to students, parents, and the community. They can tweet about upcoming events and get their name out their for other students and fellow Tweeters to follow.

 The second post that I read from this blog was Making Connections. It started out with a video that had a man in a bear suit standing in the middle of a busy walkway. People just kept walking by laughing, pointing their fingers, or not even acknowledging him at all. Then one guy stepped out and "hugged the bear". After this everyone joined in. The man in the bear suit revealed himself at the end and turned out to be a man with a disability. You never know how stepping out of the crowd and a simple connection could change someones life. The rest of his post was about making a connection through social media such as Twitter or Facebook. Making connections are very important in our professional lives as well as our personal. If we never make a connection then we will spend our lives alone and our voices never heard. It is sad how many people are afraid to take that leap of faith and chance it and they were never heard. If you want your ideas to be spread or gain new ideas from others then we MUST make connections with others.

Blog Post 10

1. Do You Teach or Do You Educate was an amazing video. It told the difference by giving definitions of the words teach and educator. Then went on to say how important that an education was. It was really cool how they sped the tempo up when they started talking about educator because it kind of got you excited and your adrenaline pumping.
 When I enter my profession after I graduate, I want to be looked at as an Educator rather than a Teacher. Being a teacher is all fine and dandy but after watching this video it really puts into perspective what an educator really is. I plan on leading my students to their future and do everything within me to help them succeed not only in the classroom but also in their lives. Educators are people that you can trust and confide in and I want my students to see me in that light. I will try my best to always have an open door policy with my students and their parents so that we may work together to provide an excellent future for their child.

2. Don't Let Them Take The Pencils Home was a very interesting blog post. In this post Gertrude the "School Curriculum Instructional Interventionist Academic Specialist" confronted a teacher, Tom, at her school about letting his students take pencils home. Her argument was that students from low income areas don't use pencils and paper for educational purposes but for entertainment. Her proof to back this statement up is a journal article that says that students who take pencils and paper home from school have lower test scores. Now Tom had a point of view as well. He did not agree with Gertrude and stated that he had started a program with the students and had their parents sign a form that stated it was okay. In this program he foud entertaining ways to help his students learn and keep their attention.
 I believe that it is important as an educator or teacher, whichever you prefer, that we keep our students focused on the task at hand. How we go about doing that is where things get fun. Not all students can just come in and listen to you lecture and understand, but everybody has a way to learn. It might be tough at first to figure it out but once they do things start clicking and they feel good about themselves and want to continue learning. It is important that we keep our students entertained while teaching them. If you do not keep their attention then all of the information we are trying to get across will be lost and they will more than likely be discouraged. Games are a fun way to learn. Yes hangman is educational even if "Gertrude" doesn't think it is. It makes children think and use some deductive reasoning to figure out what the hidden word is. Plus it broadens their vocabulary. All in all I hope that when I get my own classroom I can keep all of my students entertained and educated.

Project 12 Skype Interview

Blog Post 9

 In Mr. McClung's post What I've Learned This Year I felt like I was in the classroom with him and experienced it with him. He was very thorough  and descriptive. I learned that we all plan to teach that "perfect" lesson but almost never will. The most important thing of all when planning our lesson is that the information is taught to the students in a way that they grasp the concept and actually learn the information. Another great point he made was that communication is key to a great working environment. You must be able to communicate with your coworkers and be able to have that trust. Trust is a big key. It makes everything better because you know you have somebody there that will have your back or somebody just to talk to to get some extra insight on some troubling issues. It would only make sense that he had a topic on technology. He stated that teachers of today were afraid to learn how to use technology in our "microwave society". I know, from this class, that technology can enhance the lessons that you are trying to teach and make them that much better. Technology is not some big scary thing, it's nice and very helpful. But one of the biggest things as a teacher is we can never stop learning. Learning is the most important thing. How can we expect our students to learn new information if we won't learn new information? We can't. Nobody knows everything  so there is always something new to learn.

Blog Post 8

1. This is How We Dream Parts 1 and 2
  These videos were made by Dr. Richard Miller who is a professor at Rutgers University. These two videos were really great and opened my eyes to some possibilities of the future of teaching. In the past, we relied solely on pencil and paper as our source of writing. The old ways are slowly fading out with the advancements of technology. With pencil and paper you could only write with text on paper. These words could not make a sound nor could they give you a visual of the topic. With technology now we can write using word processing programs on our computers. To go along with this new for of text writing, we can also add visual and audio to the text which enhances the affect tremendously.
  I am somewhat prepared to write with multimedia. I am continuously learning something new every day, mostly thanks to this class. Now we can make our history, science, and research projects better with the multimedia that we have at our fingertips. We do not have to rely on text alone anymore. To enhance our text we can add video of current events or past speeches or audio clips of music of the era.
  I hope to be able to teach all of my students that pass through my doors to use this form of writing. There is nothing wrong with using pencil and paper and I don't think it will ever completely disappear.  But with the way the world is advancing, our young ones must learn how to use this multimedia to prosper to bright futures.

2. Blog Post #12
 Carly's Post was a great idea. She decided for "assignment" that everyone should make their own YouTube playlist. These playlist should consist of videos that describe our philosophies, how we can motivate our students, and our teaching styles among other things. I think this is exactly what Dr. Miller was speaking of when he talked about writing with multimedia. This assignment has us doing just that. We are writing with videos that describe us.
3. EDM310 is Different 
 In the videos Chipper and EDM310 for Dummies, they both portray similar messages. In the beginning of this class I believe all of my classmates, including myself, were overwhelmed by the amount of work and effort that this class needs. And as this class continues to progress things are becoming a bit easier as I become more familiar with the tasks.

 In The Chipper Series, Chipper decided that she didn't like the way that Dr. Strange was teaching his class. So she quit going to his class and started her own school. Things didn't work out to well for her and she ended up back in Dr. Strange's class. The EDM310 for Dummies video started out with all the students being flustered, but once they decided to read their books things became a lot easier for them. If I were to create a video I think the best possible thing to do is create a video that would help future students out. I would try to tell them how important it is to be dedicated to this class and put forth as much effort as they can because there is a ton of useful information to be learned and used in this class.
4. Learn to Change, Change to Learn
  This video makes you think of the ways and opportunities that we have available for learning today. Now we have chances to learn outside of the classrooms in our communities and  at our homes. Schooling as we know it consists of going to school inside of a classroom and sitting there for 8 hours a day and hearing a teacher lecture us and there isn't much room for creativity. In the new ways that were presented in this video, students now have the chance to learn in their own ways and collect information almost anywhere thanks to technology. I am grateful for these changes that are being made because as an educator it gives me more opportunities to help my students better themselves.

Project #7- Google Form

I did my Google Form on the types of sports that people like to watch and/or participate in. The most popular sport according to the results of my survey was football. Other responses to their favorite sport were ice skating, horseback riding, running, and basketball. I also asked which sport was their favorite and least favorite to watch on T.V. with the results being football as the majority favorite and golf took the prize for least favorite to watch on T.V. To go along with this question I also wanted to know what sport they would like to watch in person and which they would not. Once again, with no real surprise, football was the favorite with golf coming in as the least favorite once more. Now the big question, if you could attend a major sporting event, which would it be? We had three votes for the BCS National Championship game for college football, and one vote each for the Olympics, NBA Finals, and the Kentucky Derby. All but one person said that they liked sports and that comes as no surprise since we are in the south and for the most part sports are a way of life.

SMARTboard Presentation

Short Movie Project 11

Blog Post 7

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

  First off Randy Pausch is a very inspirational man.  He accepts the fact that he is dying yet he does not feel sorry for himself or allow others to.  I know a lot of people who would be the exact opposite and want people to have pity for them.  This is a quality that many more people should hold.  I loved that he showed that no matter if he was dying he was capable of doing whatever and did push ups.  I am a well person and still could not do that.
  He stated a quote that I found very interesting, "Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want."  I had never heard this quote before, but this is probably a good thing because maybe I wouldn't had been able to relate to it like I am able to now.  As a child and up until now I never seen myself getting anything if I didn't get what I wanted.  When in all actuality you do get experience and knowledge of the event.  This is a good outlook so that you are able to be thankful so matter hat the outcome may be.  He is a very positive man and inspires me to be the same way.
  I like how he spoke about life and never giving up.  Life is definitely a challenge and everything will never go your way.  I know that I sometimes get very upset because challenges get in my way and I am not going to lie, I do pout and get mad, but I get through the challenges and they make me stronger as a person.  As he explained he was turned down for a job he wanted but he didn't give up and honestly this is the best way to be in life.   When life knocks you down or even kicks you when you are down you can't give up.  Just keep on with the plans you had originally come up with and when you succeed you will feel very accomplished.
  This lecture included a lot of great information from never giving up, to using groups projects and technology to show the students life skills.   He is a very great speaker and could influence everyone in one aspect or another.  His life stories and accomplishments are simply amazing and really touching.  Everyone he has spoken to or taught throughout his life will be able to carry out a quality that he has shown or taught is some form or fashion.

Project #10

I started my personal learning network today. I started out by watching the short videos that explained what a PLN is and how it can be helpful. I then went to symbaloo and created an account. Once there the website gives you a personal tour of how the website works and it is pretty easy from there. I have started out by trying to organize my tiles to what I find most useful and I am sure that I will be adding some more every day. Wish me luck!!

C4T #2

My comments for teachers post this time was on Joe Bower. He is a teacher in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. His first post was about teaching a child that struggles with math to add to ten. He offered this young boy a chance to play a game but it was a math game. At first he was hesitant but gave it a shot. His first time playing he was shooting the numbered balls wildly across the screen, so the teacher stopped him and helped him right out all the numbers that added up to 10. This was the aha moment that all educators search for. As he was writing the numbers out he realized that no matter the order he wrote the numbers they still added up to 10. After this the young boy loved playing the game and was upset when he had to quit playing to go to lunch.

The second post that I commented on was about teachers that expect their students to think only one way. I think this is the biggest problem with schooling today. It seems like in society and schools it is only acceptable to think in only one way and if you don't understand it then you are just out of luck. Teachers have to realize that not all students think the same and not all students are going to understand a topic the first go around. This issue that teachers face is what makes their job so important. They must learn to adapt to their students and figure out a way to teach the information so that all the students understand it in their own special way.

Project 8

Blog Post 6

The Networked Student!
In the networked student it showed us things similar to what we are doing in this class. We are networking with other teachers and students to get ideas, opinions and person insight on what is in store for us in the future. Learning through the network is something new for me but it has been very interesting and helpful. We need to be aware of what is out there for, and what will benefit us in the long run.
When the question "Why does the networked student even need a teacher?" was asked, I though to myself, to be a leader. In everything we do there will be someone who is there to lead and critique what we do. In this video she wanted the students to search and see all the things available to her students. The teacher is there when a student needs help, advice or simply doesn't understand. Some may think a teacher in this position isn't needed because you do not need them but in reality they are helping someone else and that is what they are there for.
I think being a teacher to a networked student would be a challenge especially for someone like myself. I am never really up to date on everything. As a child I was never taught about technology outside school. My parents didn't know anything about it either therefore they were unable to assist. Now that I have been in this class I have been trying harder to keep up with technology and the different things that are available. Maybe after this course I will be more acceptable to the idea of being a networked student's teacher.

A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment (or PLN)
This 7th grade student's skill to be organized is amazing. She knows exactly where things are and when things are to be turned in. She is very up to date with the technology and knows what is available to her and what to use. Once I get my new computer I hope to be able to keep all my documents organized like she had hers.

Critiques of Smartboards
I can see where Michael Staton, Bill Ferriter, and Keving McLaughlin are coming from because smartboards are expensive. Unless a teacher knows what they are doing they are useless but isn't why they are shown how to use them? In my own personal opinion I think smartboards are awesome. Teacher should incorporate lessons using the smartboard on a daily basis. It is a way for students to be a little more knowledgeable with technology and makes learning more fun. We can all go home and read what the book says but putting things on the smartboard makes it more hands on for our students. There are so many different things that can be done from making a simple lesson plan with pictures to making review games for our children to help them study for the upcoming test. I believe that all teachers should be taught everything there is to know about the smartboard so they can use them and know what they are doing. Yes this will take time and money but it will benefit both the teacher and the students.

Timetoast(Instructional)

Timetoast

Blog Post 5

 The first video that I watched was The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom by Joe Dale. In this video I learned that podcasting can be used as an extremely helpful tool in the classroom. It showed how it can incorporate students into the lesson ad get them more involved and excited about learning. Not only for students in the classroom, but if someone is out sick they can listen to the podcasts at home and still get the information that they need almost as if they were there.
 The next article that I read was Langwitches. This was about a first grade class using podcasts to lead them during reading. Each student was recorded reading a script and then once they were all recorded it was played aloud for the students to read along. I think this is a great idea and think that I could incorporate it into my classroom. One beneficial thing that could be gained from this is the children could hear themselves read and hear what they are struggling with or what they are improving on. It could be a real encouragement to hear their own voices reading and be proud of themselves.
 In Judy Scharf Podcast Collection explains to you what a podcast is. Also, it gives you a step-by-step guide on how to create a podcast. To go along with this information, she gives examples on what topics students could use to create a podcast of their own. This website is very useful because it explains what all you need to do to create your own podcast.
 All three of these sites have been very informing. With the information that I have been able to take from them, it should help me and my group create a successful podcast.

My Sentence Video

Blog Post 4

1) Dr. Mcleod's post Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please? was very interesting. From the way it was outlined to the way it was worded was just different. But it was a good different. He was asking parents not to teach their children about technology and to get rid of it altogether. At the end he told them that he was going to be teaching his kids about technology and how to use it and to check with him in the future to see who is better off. I agreed with him because if we do not teach our young people how to use technology then they are more than likely going to have a rough future ahead of them.
Dr. Mcleod is an Associate Professor at Iowa State University. He is also the director of CASTLE, which stands for Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education. CASTLE is the nation's only academic center dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators. Dr.Mcleod is a brilliant mind in the world of technology and I would love to meet him one day.

2) The iSchool Initiative is a great idea, but I am not sure it is feasible. This student from a public high school in Georgia is trying to find a way to help out his school system since they are having budget problems. I believe we all can relate to this topic because of the budget issues our own public school system is having. His argument is that it would be cheaper and more environmentally friendly by reducing the carbon footprint.
I honestly don't see this happening. It really is a great idea but I believe there would be to many complications in this process. You wouldn't any accountability for the devices once they left the school premises. They would more than likely get broken or lost pretty regularly which means there would have to be two or three replacements per student. If it was two to three replacements per student then the cost would be the same as it normally is. There are just to many issues or kinks that would have to be worked out before any of this would happen. It is something that I would definitely support and like to see at least attempted in the future.

3) The You Can't Be My Teacher video was pretty interesting. It was a video starring a young boy asking if the watcher (me) if I was going to be his teacher. He asked several different questions such as: do you know how to use the internet?, have you ever been on facebook?, and have you ever been on twitter? This young boy has a great perspective on how the world will soon be as he grows older.
He understands that if you do not understand how to use the internet or a computer then you obviously can't teach him how to use it. If you can't teach him how to use it, then how can we expect him to prosper in the world that is advancing in technology so fast. I understand and agree that in order to make it in the near future we are going to have to be technology savvy. Technology is something that is going to start being incorporated in all classrooms across the world and if are teachers are not prepared then our students are destined for turmoil.

4) Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir was neat. The way that he had all of those people synced together and singing altogether without any lag was truly amazing. Only in todays society are we able to do things like this. It all stems back to knowing how to use the technology that surrounds us or having someone there to teach us how to use it.
I for one have no idea what is going on with a computer when compared to some of these people. It completely blows my mind on the things that we are able to do now with the use of technology. You can group up a hundred people or so and make it seem like they are all in the same room. Hopefully one day I will be able to do some of these things on my own without step-by-step instructions.

5) Teaching in the 21st Century was an interesting video made by Kevin Roberts. In the video it presented many different questions that students and teachers face today. All are relevant questions because the teacher is not the center of learning anymore because of technology.
The phrase to teach in the 21st century means to use all of the resources available to help students reach their goals. The resources I am referring to is the internet and new hand held devices such as the iPhone. This new technology gives the students access to most of the worlds information with just a few keystrokes and a click of a mouse. Teachers can benefit from the internet and these devices as long as the know how to use them and think outside the box.

Special Assignment #1

1. Did you know about WolframAlpha? No
2. Did you know about Google Squared? No
3. What percentage of China's population is the population of the United States? about 23%
4. What percentage of India's population is the population of the United States? about 25%
5. Now what do you think of the facts reported in Do You Know? I think that it's crazy how fast that information became outdated.
6. Do you think WolframAlpha and Google Squared will be useful for you? for your students? Why or why not? I do not think it will be very useful for me in a teaching aspect because I plan on teaching first grade but if I do get older students then it will be helpful then. It could be helpful for older students that are able to use the computer so they could check it out for themselves and see how large the world really is.

Google Presentation

C4T

In my first Comment 4 Teachers blog, I commented on Arvind Grover's post about libraries across the nation allowing books to be taken out on kindles or kindle apps. Over 11,000 libraries across the country are now allowing books to be taken out on mobile devices that have access to kindle apps and kindles themselves. I commented on this post and stated that I personally do not like the reading books using technology. I am very easily distracted to I tend to use multiple applications on my iPhone at once and hardly ever focus on one thing at a time. I am sure that for those people that have a kindle it will be a great thing. I know that it will be easier to access the books and carry them around with you because you can carry it around in your pocket, if on a mobile phone, or in you backpack and have several books on each device versus having to carry around five or six different books.

For my second post on his blog, I commented on a video he uploaded. It was a bookshelf filled with many different books of all sizes and colors. During the video the books were moved around as if they were free flowing on their own up and down, across, and designated by colors on the bookshelf. To end the video all of the books vacated the bookshelf exiting to the right with one tiny book straggling behind. I thought this was neat because of the way that people can manipulate inanimate objects to seem as if they have a life and mind of their own. I suppose that if we are going to start reading using our portable devices then this is still a good way to make use of our books.

Blog Post 3

1) A Vision of Students Today was a very interesting video. It captured many different statements made by students that were attending college at Kansas State University. The students made individual cards that described what they did during the day, how much time it took up, whether or not it was relevant to school, and what they did while they were in class. I think it accurately depicted the lives of almost all college students. In some way or another we can all relate to what they were saying.
    Some of the statements reflected my college life. Such as I spend 2 hours a day on my cell phone. Almost everyone can relate to that because cell phones are a huge part of our every day life. Also when the students said they brought their laptops into class but did not use them for class, I see it every day. It may not be on a laptop but the cell phone is one in the same. Technology is taking over the world as we know it and it isn't necessarily a bad thing. Just like everything else it has its pros and cons.

2) Mrs. Hines post It's Not About the Technology was very interesting. It showed some perspective into how technology is not always a good thing. In her post she stated that if the teachers were not willing to learn how to use the technology correctly then it is useless. In order to be a good teacher you need to be a good learner and be willing to continue learning throughout your career. Those teachers who think they know all of what they need to know they are never going to adapt to the new technology that is being developed every day.
   I commented on Mrs. Hines post and stated to her that I thought that technology was a great thing. It is only a great thing if the teachers utilize it properly. If the technology is not learned by the teacher and taught to the students correctly, it could set them behind for their future endeavors in school and life. I never really thought about teachers being learners before until I read her post. Now that I have read this, I hope that it will help me out in my future as an educator.

3) Mr. Karl Fisch's Is It Okaye to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher? post was very true from my point of view. He gave a set of standards that all educators should go by. Teachers that are technologically illiterate should not be proud of it. How are students supposed to feel comfortable about trying to learn a subject from a teacher that does not know themselves?? Todays society makes it seem like it is okay not to know everything about technology but it is beginning to become more and more difficult to succeed.
   I believe that teachers should have to go through some sort testing to hold them accountable for what they are teaching to students. I mean if a teacher doesn't fully understand what they are teaching, then how can they expect their students to understand it. If teachers that are not doing their job then they should be reprimanded for not willingly learn what they need to learn. This may affect my future as an educator but I am willing to learn what ever it is that I need to so my students can have a successful future.

4) After checking out and watching Gary Hayes' Social Media Counter, I realized just how much technology is advancing and becoming a bigger part of our everyday lives. No matter what the topic, whether it be gaming, social networking, or mobile phones, technology is constantly and rapidly advancing. Our futures seem to be headed into a more technological age. As we head in that direction, less and less people understand how to use the new gadgets.
   As for my professional career as a teacher, I must continue to learn and evolve with the new technology. I am far away from understanding all there is to know about computers and the programs they use, but I am learning something new every single day. I believe to be successful as an educator you must be open and willing to continue to learn every day. If ever comes a day when I decide that I no longer want to learn any more of a new topic, I feel that will be the last day as an educator. If we are not capable in teaching our students the new information that they need to be successful, then we need to find a replacement for us in the classroom.

Blog Post 2

 1.)  The video, Did you know? 3.0, was pretty amazing.  I loved the beat that was going and all the information was very interesting. It give different information about technological advancements throughout the world over an extended period of time. All the facts were random but somehow all went together.  It also included a few facts about population all over the world and how the advancement of certain things were tripling over the period of a year.
    I loved the fact that the top jobs of 2010 did not even exist in 2004 and that we as educators are preparing students for jobs that do not yet exist.  This is a wake up call for the advancement that we are in store for.  A few of the technological things that we learn today will also be changed as we graduate just like those who tech majors.  It is also amazing that if Myspace could use its users as a population it would be the 5th largest country in the world.  These facts were are crazy and had I not seen numbers it wouldn't have seemed as real.

2.)  Mr. Winkle Wakes was about a man who feel asleep and woke 100 years later to a completely different world.  He was lost and didn't know how to take in all the changes and seemed a bit overwhelmed.  His favorite part of the change was school because all he had to do was sit and listen versus working with technology he knew nothing about.  He couldn't believe all the changes that had been made while he was sleeping.
     If I were in Mr. Winkles position I would completely freak out.  Technology is changing everyday and you have to stay up to date so that you aren't left behind.  I don't know everything there is to know about technology but I do try to learn as much as possible so that I am not lost when something newer and better comes about.  It is amazing on how much has changed from the early 1900's and will change even more in the next 89 years.  If people do not try to learn now they will be lost in the next ten years.  My parents are not into technology but I try to keep them updated as much as possible so that they have a general idea.

3.)  I seen Sir Ken Robinson's video in Dr. Baggets class and I really enjoyed watching it again.  He is a very bright man and I like his output on life and the creativity of children.  We as educators have to watch what we do and encourage children no matter what their interests are.  We should encourage them and not discourage them.  Everyone has their opinions on being creative and that is what makes us an "individual".
   My goal as an educator is to encourage creativity.  It can come in different forms such as art, theater, dance and music and I would like to cover them all in the classroom in some way.  The children we teach are our feature so why not have them do something they are interested versus something they don't like.  We shouldn't tell them they have to do something one certain way.  Instead we should let them show us how they like to do something and determine if in fact it is right or wrong based on what they are doing and not "our" way of doing it.  A quote that I will put out in my classroom from this video will be "If you aren't prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original."  This is a quote that is yet true and amazing!

4.)  In Cecilia Gault's interview with Sir Ken Robinson she asked him about the three myths of creativity. Most societies today present their young ones with the theories that the only important subjects in school are the core subjects. I do not find this to be true. Most people learn more when they are doing things that they like and are not restricted to doing things by the book and are given some leeway.
     As for the technological advances, I believe we should keep our young ones up to date with the times. Because as teachers, we are preparing them to be successful in their future endeavors and if we do not start them at an early age then they might miss out on something that could help them later on. I for one know that if I was the reason that one child was not successful in their future then I would feel that I did not do my job.

5.) Vicki Davis's video was amazing! It is so awesome that there are teachers out there that are helping students learn how to use technology. Most of these skills would have never been learned if it was not for the class she was teaching. Also, I thought it was great when she said that you do not have to know everything about a topic before you try to teach it. If she did not know it she learned along with her students or her students taught her.
    The blog that was set-up to link children from around the world was also a great idea. It opens the eyes of young people to different cultures around the world and how they think. It is amazing how teens across the world, no matter what the culture, have the same perspective or opinion on certain topics. I think this is something that I would definitely like to incorporate into my classroom.

project 2 wordle

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image below is screen image.

Blog Post 1

About Me 

 I am Christy Hayes, and I have lived in Mobile all my life.  My major interests include mostly summer activities.  I love riding the jet ski, tube, knee-board and wake-board.  I have been raised on the water and love spending my summers at Presley's.  I love doing this because it is family oriented and what I enjoy most.  I am attending South because it is the nearest school that has an education program. I tend to do better in a classroom versus online.
  My parents worked a lot as a child to provide for my sister, brother and myself.  Therefore, we weren't able to do many sports or activities.  My mom got a job at the school board and was able to be with us more which was awesome.   The schedule of a school teacher is amazing when you have children because you are off when they are and don't have to work late at the office.  I love children and want to help in any way possible.  Most children just want to have someone there to help them and I want to help them succeed in anyway possible.  As a high school student I volunteered a lot at my mom's school and helped teachers in every way possible with the students and I truly enjoyed it.
  I was currently engaged last December and will be getting married the end of June this year.  Luckily I have most of the planning done because it seems as if this class will consume the majority of my summer.  I have a two-year old little boy named Brodie who is my motivation for everything.  I have an amazing and supportive family and would not have made it this far if it weren't for them.  My fiancé is truly amazing and supports me in whatever decisions I may make and I have been truly blessed to have such a great support system.  To me family is everything!!

Procrastination

  Procrastination is what catches up with me most.  I find that I put off everything until last minute which causes me to stress even more in the end.  I definitely agree that I procrastinate because I have poor time management.  It is very hard to go to school full-time, work part-time, be a mommy and do other daily tasks so I find myself very tired at the end of the day.  I put things off because I am easily distracted and it is very hard for me to concentrate on one thing.  There were several helpful tips given in this exercise.  Some of the tips were things I would do, like getting to comfortable while studying, that I shouldn't have been doing.  I would get to comfortable and then I would start daydreaming, therefore further delaying the task at hand.  With everything I have going on I just need to break everything down into small chunks so that accomplishing them will seam a little more realistic.

 

Practice Post

My first post.