Blog Post 10

I'm a Papermate. I'm a Ticonderoga.

Looking at this picture, it is clear that it is a comparison of better and worse. I looked up what Ticonderoga was and I found it was a more expensive type of pencil. In the comments from the author he writes about how he is mocking the PC. Obviously, if you spend the money on a Mac you end up with so many better programs. I experience this all the time since I am a PC owner and I always borrow my brother-in-laws Mac.

Why Were Your Kids Playing Games?

In the blog post Mr. Spencer writes about the conversation he has with the principal. While in the principal's office, the principal tells Mr. Spencer that he can not have the kids play games and he has to teach. Mr. Spencer explains that he was using advanced simulation with his students just like the doctors use in learning how to operate. The principal wants the students to have a "burp back" education, as Dr. Strange puts it, and the teacher is just not going to have it. He believes that students will be able to memorize better by playing games to learn rather than having to memorize text after text. Then, the principal suggested worksheets and algorithms to Mr. Spencer. Mr. Spencer's solution is "we'll create an algorithm factory and integrate it into our conflict-oriented reading and writing project" (A.K.A The Factory Game).

Another post I read was "Remember Pencil Quests?". I thought this post was different and exciting. The teacher leads the students on a pencil quest. I enjoyed that fact that with a simple pencil he was interacting the students and getting them excited. Students were asking questions about where their going or how many pages they will explore. The teacher was determed to get his students excited about learning. I feel as though he is saying that there should be no limit to learning. Even with a simple pencil, a student can go on a quest to reach their destination. Learning should be fun and should interact the students rather than just writing and memorizing with no purpose at all.

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?

For starters, I read Mr. Spencer's about me to learn a little more about him. He was an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky. Dr. McLeod also is the Founding Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education. Most of all, he is recognized as one of the nation’s leading academic experts on K-12 school technology leadership issues. He is very rooted in technology and all of its benefits.

In Dr. McLeod's post, Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?, his sense of humor really comes out. He makes fun of parents and educators that are technological illiterate. He tells people to not teach their kids this stuff, because he wants his kids to have a leg up. Our world is centered around technology and if you do not integrate it in your classrooms, they will be behind. As teachers, it is our goal to do what in the best interest for our students, weather we like it or not. If integrating technology in your classroom will help them succeed, then its a must do!

Green Screen Project 11

Smart Board Project 14

Post 9

Mr. McClung's Reflections

At the end of each school year, Joe McClung writes a blog post detailing what he learned during the year about himself as a teacher and how he can better his teaching skills. The first post I read was What I Learned This Year-Volume 4. In this post, Mr. McClung summarizes what he has learned after his 4th year of teaching. He gave two main points in his post, "You gotta dance with who you brought to the dance" and, "Challenge yourself." In "You gotta dance with who you brought to the dance", he writes about how he has fallen for the junior high issue of worrying about what his peers think of him. He goes on to say that after some thought, he realized that it does not matter what the other teachers think of him as long as the kids are having fun and learning along the way. In the second half of his post, "Challenge yourself", he talked about how he had become too comfortable with his teaching ways. He had always taught the same subjects each year, and he was using the same lesson plans each year. He found himself not being as effective of a teacher because of this. He has decided not to rely on his old lesson plans, and force himself to keep ideas new and fresh.

I think I will have a similar worry about what my peers think. When I begin teaching, I just hope I do not feel clueless. However, I am gaining more and more confidence in my teaching ability with every class I complete in college, so hopefully this will not be a problem. Like Mr. McClung says, as long as the kids are enjoying the lessons and learning from them, it does not matter what other teachers think. The second point he made is super important. Students can tell if a teacher does not care about what he or she is teaching. If the teacher is not enthusiastic about learning, how can the students be expected to be excited about the class? I believe that changing things up and challenging yourself can keep the teaching profession fresh and exciting. After all, this is our job! There is no need to be lazy.

The next blog post I read by Mr. McClung was, What I've Learned This Year. This post was he's very first reflection after his first year of teaching. First, he talked about reading the crowd, or making sure that students are comprehending a lesson. A teacher can always tell when the students and just sitting like lumps on a log, and not learning. He says he learned that not only is the delivery of a lesson important, but also student comprehension. It is so important for lessons to be student centered. The next thing he learned is to always be flexible with lessons. Any time you plan something for kids, you need to expect for it to not always go as planned, and that is okay. This will be something I will have to over come. I am a bit of a stickler when it comes to a set schedule. The very last point he makes, is to never stop learning. "It's never too late to change your way of thinking, learning, or style. We do everything short of beg students to learn on a daily basis, but sadly some of us refuse to learn and grow as professional educators." Mr. McClung is so very right! We should always be learning. The world is constantly changing, and we should be able to change with it when needed.

Project 12

Blog Post 8

This is How We Dream

While watching This is How We Dream Parts 1 and 2 I was fascinated by all the points Dr. Richard Miller made. He discusses the growing world of technology and all of its many incredible uses in education. Writing has changed so much since the beginning. Dr. Miller starts by saying "we're living at the moment of the greatest change in human communicate in human community". Dr. Miller spent his time writing and understanding writing as a solitaire activity. He was raised in a house full with book and feel in love with Literature. Dr. Miller makes a point about how the internet allows us to work at a distance. You don't have to be in the same place with another person to communicate with them.

In part 2, Dr. Miller explains how our methods of research have changed. It can take a long period of time for new information to be put in our libraries, but moments to put resources on websites such as Alabama Virtual Library. Through the videos, Dr. Miller tries to get the point across to educators that they shouldn't be teaching only through reading or writing information, but through videos, and presentations, and audio clips. This also opens up the opportunity to mold your lesson plan to benefit all types of learning styles.

I feel that it is important to incorporate as many different medias while teaching that you can. Doing this can truly enrich your lesson. Dr. Miller made a quote "Limits and restrictions are largely ones we place on ourselves". We should put ourselves to keep a open mind and look beyond the obvious.

Carly Pugh

Carly Pugh writes in her blog about ways to get students more interested in the teachings. Finding something engaging will get a lot of students involve. Carly presents writing with multi-media by being creative and using the resource on the web to teach. Modern technology can assist in the education and growth of our youth, and there is more out there available than videos. Youtube is the perfect example. I have watched many videos that have helped me in my classes. I think that Carly did a great job of writing with media. Her media playlist was intriguing. Many of the videos really got me to think. Carly challenges us to be the best teacher we can be.

EDM 310 HELP!

The videos for this portion of the assignment were great. I watched them when the class first started and they really helped me. Time management is the key to success in EDM 310. It just takes a dedication and you will be fine. The Chipper Series is about a student who dropped out of college because they thought it was too hard and time consuming. The student later became a garbage collector and from watching this video, its shows that things will not come easy. To succeed, you have to want it and, of course, work for it!

Learning to Change, Change to Learn

In Learning to Change, Change to Learn the statement is made that children do not learn solely at school, but in many places. Children's brains are like sponges. They are absorbing everything they see and hear. With technology constantly changing, students need to learn how to work up to it. The point is made that students should be learning, in school, how to retrieve information from the world outside of the classroom, and to be able to use that information in the correct way to solve problems. It is important as teachers, we teach our students how to differ between reliable and unreliable information. I feel it is important as a 21st century educator to show those children how to use computers meaningfully, in a way to further their educations.

Scavenger Hunt

Part 1. For a social network similar to Facebook and Twitter, I chose Edmodo. Edmodo helps connect all learners with the people and resources needed to reach their full potential. You can create groups, and give out a code for the students to enter in the site in order to become a part of the group. It is a great way for students to interact with their teacher if they happen to have any questions after school hours. It is also a way for their parents to interact with them and the teacher.
Part 2. To make my own comic I used Make Belief Comics. I could not figure out how to post my comic so here is the link: My Comic.
Part 3. I have never used Animoto before, and was very interested in it. I was attracted to it because it is made specifically for use in the classroom. It is an easy way for teachers to comprise a video for their lesson without having to put forth a ton of effort. Animoto takes all of your pictures and music and automatically makes it into a video, so all you have to worry with is adding audio, if you want it. I think this is a great tool to use in the classroom that doesn't take a lot of time.
Part 4. Poll Everywhere is where I went to make my very first poll. Here is the link to my poll: My poll.

C4T February

Post 3

The second teacher I was assigned for C4T was Principal Vincentsen. She is an Elementary school principal in Massachusetts. The first blog post I commented on was Capturing Struggling Readers. In this blog, Principal Vincentsen informs her readers about the benefits of audio books. "Audio books allow us to foster a love for literature separately from the mechanics of reading. This is essential in motivating struggling readers. Audio books also allow children to read independently and enjoy the same titles as their peers.", Principal Vincentsen. She also lists many sources for audio books in her blog including the public library, BookShare, Learning Ally, and more. I expressed to her that I had not realized before reading her blog how beneficial audio books could be. Especially for children with disabilities. With her resources I did a little digging and found some free sites that I have added to my "teaching" binder. It is filled with ideas and resources that I had found over the past few semesters that will benefit my future classroom.

Post 4

For my C4T post 4, I commented on another blog post of Principal Vincentsen. This post was an email that she sent out to the parents of her school. In her email "Thank you Dr. King", she writes about how powerful looking back on our past can be. As a country and as people we have come so far in 59 years. "It is astonishing to me that it was only 58 years ago (1954) that the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Bd. of Education that the doctrine of “separate but equal” has no place in the sphere of public education.", Principal Vincentsen, January 16, 2012. I have posted a video Principal Vincentsen posted on her blog. It truly gave me chills when I watched it. She is right. I could not be more proud of how far we have come as a nation and I know we are still moving forward! We are extremely fortunate to live in a society that is striving for progression of all things. She ended her email with a powerful quote, "“What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must the community want for all its children.” John Dewey".



I have also decided to add another video thanks to the oh so great Carly Pugh. I watched this as part of our Blog Post 7 assignment and thought it would benefit my readers! Enjoy!

Blog Post 7

Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture

Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture is truly inspirational. He speaks about achieving your childhood dreams. I was completely amazed by the enthusiasm Randy exhibited throughout the entire lecture, especially for a man on his death bed. Throughout the lecture Randy speaks about how important fundamentals are for anything you do in life. You can’t play football without first learning the rules and you can not tell your students to chase their dreams without first teaching them how to do so. Therefore, as educators it is important for us to correct our students when their actions are less than satisfactory. Randy says it best when he says “if you’re screwing up and no one is telling you, then they have stopped caring.”

You will hit brick walls. They are there for a reason. The walls let us prove how badly we want to achieve our dreams. They are also there to stop the people that don't want it badly enough. We must teach this to our students. Randy said, "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.". We shouldn't shatter the dreams of our impressionable students, but make them dream even bigger. Be persistent, brush yourself off and try again. My classroom will be a gateway for hope and possibility to is unending. Dr. Pausch stressed the importance of inspiring our youth.

Randy also says as educators we should never set the bar too low for our students. We should never underestimate their ability. Being positive and up for any challenge, you can do anything you set your mind to. Its amazing how your mind set can make a huge difference. It is one thing to dream to be a teacher, but it's another thing to become a teacher who reaches students and inspires people the way Dr. Pausch did during and after his life. It is extremely important not to hold children back from learning and creativity. "If your kids wants to paint their bedroom, let them. Don't worry about resale value of the house.", Dr. Pausch.

Dr. Pausch's Last Lecture has set fire to my desire to help students and make a difference in their lives. I will certainly strive to take the characteristics Randy mentions into my classroom. It is now part of my dream to enable others dreams. Although Randy Pausch achieved some amazing dreams, he also had some incredible teaching methods. He gives exceptional points that will allow us as teachers to strive in the classroom. He showed us that no matter what the circumstances may be we must never give up on our dreams.

February C4K

February 8th, Post 1

For this week I was assigned a 9th grade student of Fairhope High school World History. My student Clara, wrote about WWI and the badges the soldiers deserved. She described the men and women deserving badges of honor for surviving the war and risking their lives. Clara's blog was very well written. I told my student that I loved her idea of sending the family of fallen soldiers a badge too. This was very thoughtful of her.

February 15, Post 2

My student Jasmin wrote about homework, and how much she likes it. She only likes it though, because her teacher does not assign that much homework. In her post, she also talked about how she enjoys to read. She enjoys reading out loud because it makes her feel like a teacher and that is what she wants to be when she grows up. I love that she has that passion so young in life! I commented on her blog expressing my passion for reading and teaching as well. Passion is what sparks dreams and fuels goals. I could tell from her post this will be a life goal for her.

February 20, Post 3

This week I was assigned a 6th grade student from Pt England School. Marama's blog post was about her Wednesday, and a very eventful Wednesday it was. She descriptively wrote about her day at the beach. She blogged about her "hot boiling day where she was sweating like a warthog". Her Mum took her to the beach to cool off and there were "heaps of kids bombing of the rocks". I commented on Marama's blog telling her how well descriptive her writing was. I also told her that I live at the beach too and how it is one of my favorite places to go.

February 26, Post 4

My last student I was assigned this month was a 9th grade student at Baldwin County High School. This students post was only a few lines, but it got across what he wanted to say. "i express myself through the clothes i wear. also through i hard i play and work during sports. express myself through they type of haircuts i get. have lots of ways that i express myself." I commented telling him that it is important to be able to express of selves. I also told him a few ways I express my self. And for a good giggle I had to tell him "Go Bears" since he plays sports and he plays against my alumni. #3

Project 9

Personal Learning Network

For my Personal Learning Network I use Symbaloo. From Symbaloo I have access to learning tools such as, EDM class blog, Moodle, Alabama Virtual Library, and many more resources. This is just the start of my PLN. Although, it is not enough to simply create a foundation for this structure of knowledge. It will continue to grow as I continue to learn for the rest of my life. I am slowly expanding my personal learning network on step at a time! I really enjoyed this project and discovering new tools that can help me as a future educator.