My Final Reflection

C4T #4 Mr. Miguel Guhlin

For my final C4T I had “Mr. Miguel Guhlin”. The first post I read by him was entitled “Podcasting Tool for K-3 Students with the Easi-Speak Microphone”. This post was about Learning Resources Easi-Speak digital audio recorder.
Here's a quick video overview of the device from Mr. Guhlin’s blog…
• Has 4 hours of "battery" power stored up by connecting to USB.
• You have 128 megabytes of storage space on the onboard USB drive
• Records directly to MP3 instead of WMA like other digital audio recorders, eliminating the need for audio conversion.
• The microphone comes with an introductory audio file and
• Includes the Windows version of Audacity free open source software
• You can get an Easi-Speak charging hub for multiple microphones
• Audio-playback immediately lets you hear what the recording was like
• Easy recording and playback buttons make it easy for 5 year olds to use

This new technology seems like a great tool to use in a classroom. It is a great way to get kids interacting and learning more. It is also great for kids to be introduced to kids at a young age.


The second post a read was entitled “Demotivating Staff-How to Avoid it”. In this post Mr. Guhlin posted a “video” by Mr. Jim Collins that outlined three ways to avoid de-motivating workers. But What demotivates workers? Mr. Collins says:
“Hype: a failure to acknowledge the real difficulties the organization faces.
Futurism: Always “pointing down the road” at distant goals and not at the tangible results of employees’ recent efforts.
False democracy: Inviting people’s input when you’ve already made up your mind.”

Mr. Guhlin states three ways to avoid demotivating your staff:
“1) Confront the brutal facts.
2) Disagree and Commit prior to making the decision
3) Show people what's working as it's happening.”

Even though this post and video was driven towards employers and employees, I feel it could also be used for a classroom setting. If a problem arises in your classroom, you should confront it when it happens. Teachers should stick to their first decisions and not change them, if possible. Also, as a teacher it is always important to let your students know they are doing a good job.

C4K Summary for November

1. My first C4K for November was “Amelie” and her post was entitled Coops Shot Tower-Melbourne Central. In it she talked about traveling to Melbourne Central on a train and visiting the tower there. I want to visit Melbourne so bad. I will definitely add Melbourne Central to my list of places to see now.

2. My second C4K was by “Mrs. Yollis” and was entitled Rock Collection. I loved her collection of rocks that look like hearts. I also collected rocks at one point in time. I also found her class blog very useful and fun.

3. My last C4K was by “Rocky V.” and was entitled One Trill Hill. In his post he talked about how he was playing outside on a big hill and fell. He mentioned that he also got some bruises. He also had a great picture of himself playing with his friend on the post too.

I really like the comments for kid’s assignments. I think it is great to see how children around the world are using technology and get a feel for how other people around the world live. I really enjoy reading about what kids are doing around the world through their education. In the wordle above, I combined all my C4Ks for the semester and the titles for their post.

My Final PLN

I have added a few more tiles to my Symbaloo since my first post. I have noticed how much more organized I am now that I have Symbaloo. I think being organized is very important, especially if you are a student. I love to be organized. Being organized and knowing where everything is is a good thing. I feel like I’m less stressed when I can just go to one site and see what I need to look at for the day. It is hard to have all of the sites I need saved up in my memory, but with Symbaloo they are all save in one convenient place.

On my "Amanda’s Webmix” through Symbaloo I have my basics like the EDM class blog, Blogger, my emails, Facebook, YouTube, Google news, Twitter, USA’s Homepage, and other miscellaneous sites I enjoy visiting. I also have a few educational sites like Mr. Scott McLeod’s blog, ALEX, Educational News, TimeToast, and iTunes U. I also added a calendar, weather, music, movies and TV, and holiday title for fun. My webmix may be small but it is constantly growing as the days go on.

Final Project #16

This is my groups Final Project for EDM 310. We chose to create a video in a classroom setting showing different technologies we have used in EDM 310 this semester. A main source we used was Blogger. We used Blogger to create the “High Speed History class blog” created by Lindsey Gipson. On that blog we uploaded assignments, notes and a “World War II Video” we got from YouTube just like a teacher would do. We also used “TimeToast” for the time line used created by Jill Lazzari and I.

I had a lot of fun with this project. I was never a 'tecky' person. I have never rerecorded something on a video camera, and it was great to do that and combine the clips in to a whole video. Now that I know how to do this I think I will definitely do some more videos in the future.

Blog #14

I really enjoyed watching Joe Picardo's “Top Ten Tips for Using Technology in the Classroom” I was familiar with all but two of the tips he gave. I liked his tips about using podcasts and interactive whiteboards in the classroom. I personally think podcasts are great. I also liked how he had a tip about music. I love music and I know that music is one of the greatest arts forms to learn from and I agree that it is important to use it in the classroom. Mr. Picardo's last tip is another to consider for your classroom. I think incorporating personal devices, like cell phones or iPods, is really great idea and important. I think that everyone should follow Mr. Picardo's tips. They are all useful to the classroom.

There were two tips that Mr. Picardo mentioned that I was not familiar with. The first one was Tip #4. I have never heard of the websites he listed. I also never thought about creating interactive exercises, but I can see how they can be helpful especially when used with an interactive whiteboard. The second tip I was unfamiliar with was Tip #9. I thought I was familiar with the Internet, but I had no idea there are so many educational sites at my finger tips. I see myself using all of his tips in my classroom.

Special Assignment #1

“Dictionary.com” defines a metaphor as “a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance, something used, or regarded as being used, to represent something else; emblem; symbol. “ I definitely think that metaphors can be very tricky. I had to read Mr. John Spencer’s Post, “Don’t Let Them Take Pencils Home”, where he uses a metaphor of pencils in the place of computers. Many of the students in EDM 310 didn’t quite get this metaphor so Dr. Strange assigned this assignment to us based on whether or not we got the metaphor Mr. Spencer used. Dr. Strange wants us to answer these questions:

1. Why did you miss the metaphor in Tom Johnson's post, or, if you "hit the nail on the head," why do
    you think you understood the metaphor?
2. What metaphors have you encountered since I asked you to create a log of them? (Include in your
    list of metaphors all those that you encounter whether the source is oral, audio, video, print, or
    your own thoughts.
3. What other things can we do as educators to help our students to understand and to use
    metaphors?
4. Why do we use metaphors?

I did not get the metaphor right away. I knew it was a metaphor because why should kids take their pencils home?? The problem I had was deciding what the metaphor was relating the pencils to. By the time I read through it the third time I knew it was about computers. I knew the post wasn’t about pencils; it wouldn’t make any sense at all if it were. The class is primarily based on technology and how it is important to education and a classroom setting, and by putting two and two together, I figured out it was about computers.

I only encountered a few metaphors since we were told about this assignment. Here is my list:
1. "It’s raining cats and dogs"
2. "You are the sunshine of my life"
3. "The world is my oyster"
4. “She has a heart of gold.”
5. “Time flies when you’re having fun.”
6. “It’s cold as ice.”
7. "She stabbed me in the back."
8. "Money doesn't grow on trees."

How can we teach metaphors? That is a very good question. I think the best way to learn this is by example. This can be a challenge in its self though. Everyone uses metaphors every day. I know every time it rains I find myself saying, “It’s raining cats and dogs outside.” Everyone knows how to sue a metaphor, they just don’t know why or when to use one. I feel it comes down to the person’s mental capability. Teachers need to teach metaphors in a way that a student and comprehend and understand.

Metaphors are used to put a concept into terms that someone can understand better. Problems happen when a metaphor is not commonly used. I like a little mystery in my day and metaphors help with that. Why say exactly what we mean, when it's more interesting to use metaphor? Metaphors, as a writing device, are useful to reach many people. Metaphors are useful for making a topic that is hard to understand easier for someone to grasp if they can relate to it.

Metaphors are everywhere. They happen without us trying to use them. When a metaphor is used properly it can make many things clear to the readers. When it isn't use correctly it can lead to further confusion. When people misunderstand a metaphor is not due to the misuse of the metaphor itself, but merely to the expectations of the audience. More than likely they are thinking too hard, or not thinking enough. The cues are there it all depends on whether the person understand and sees the metaphor.

Blog #13

Twenty Four hours without using technology.  I there is no way I can do that.

That is all I could think about when I saw this option for this blog.  I really believed that there is no way I could do this.  Jill Lazzari and I were talking about it on Monday and she made it seem like it could actually be easy.  The only problem is I live on my phone.  It’s my alarm clock, it reminds me of when to go to class, club meetings, I get my e-mails, Facebook updates, and Twitter updates all on my phone.  No one really calls me on my phone so I knew that wouldn’t be a problem.  All I could think about was there was going to be some kind of emergency.  I decided to get on Facebook real quick and let all my friends and family know what I was doing. So, at 1 A.M. on Tuesday morning, I prayed that there wouldn’t be an emergency for the next 24 hours and then I started my technology free journey.    

My first attempt failed. Tuesday is my busiest day.  I have class all day long so I had no problem going to my classes without using any technology all day.  After class, I decided to go to Wal*Mart. I got half was there and realized that I had been singing along to the radio the whole time.  I was so upset.  Thirteen hours without technology and I have to start all over? It is an understatement to say I was not happy.  So, I got back to my dorm at 2 o’clock and started all over again.

Thankfully my roommate was at work so I didn’t have to worry about the TV being on when I arrived home.  First I decided to clean our dorm.  This was hard because I always listen my iPod when I clean, and I got bored real quick.  I still cleaned the whole place top to bottom which took two hours.  I was really hoping that it had been longer when I looked at my watch, but sadly, it wasn’t.

Now I’m wandering around my dorm trying to find something to do.  I wanted to write in my journal, but my journal is on my computer, so I wasn’t able to do that.  Then I realized that I have a whole book case of books I have barely touched this semester.  I picked up my half finished book and read. And read, and read.  Thankfully I’m a slow reader cause when I finished the book it was 8 o’clock.  I decided to take a shower, get something to eat, and go to bed; which is weird in itself, because I never get to bed before 12 A.M. these days.  

I woke up at 8 o’clock the next morning.  I went to bed at 10 the night before, so that’s 10 hours. I can’t even remember the last time I got 10 hours of sleep in one night.  I am so thankful for those 10 hours though.  Now I only have 9 hours left.  I am in the home stretch, and so happy about it.   

After my morning class I went to the library.  I was planning of studying for physics by doing some problems from the book, but I can’t use my calculator.  I read over my physics notes for about 30 minutes and got so bored I had to do something else.  I decided to move to some homework for my second class.  Forth-five minutes later I realized that I was staring out the huge widow in front of me, and had barely even looked at the book in front of me.  I looked up at the clock behind me and realized I had five minutes to get across campus for my next class.  I wasn’t too happy about that.  I tend to lose myself all the time when I’m studying, listening to music, or randomly staring out the window, so I have an alarm on my phone to remind me to go to class.  

Being without was phone and computer was really hard.  I can live without the TV and radio, but my music is really important to me.  It was really hard to go without my music.  I use music to lift me up and make me happy when I feel down.  Being without my computer was just as hard.  I’m not sure what I would do if I didn’t have my own computer.  Being without my phone was the hardest.  I live on my phone.  I have so many calendar reminders on my phone to remind me of things I have to do daily, and I can never remember them all without my phone.

After my last class I only had two hours left.  When I got back to the dorm, my roommate was home and she had the TV on.  For a brief second I freaked out.  I did not make it 22 hours to just have to start over.  Then I realized that she turned the TV on, not me so I’m all good.  The funny thing is I didn’t even watch the TV; I picked up another book and started reading again.  I don’t think I would have even realized that it was 3 o’clock, if my roommate hadn’t started a countdown, haha. 

I’m glad that I made it though.  I had a feeling that I could always do it, I just knew it would be difficult.  I don’t feel like I take advantage my technology at all.  I do feel that some people wouldn’t be able to function without their phones, iPods, radio, computers or even their gaming systems.  I think it would be very hard for students these days to take an e-media fast.  As the years go on we use more and more technology in our daily lives.  As the years go on we will rely more and more on technology.  I hope that we never see the day where we are completely dependent on technology we use.  

I think it would be a fun activity for everyone to try.  I know that not everyone would succeed-especially on the first try like me.  I think that everyone could benefit from not using any technology for a day.

Project 15: SmartBoard Part 2

Blog #12

My Blog Assignment

Blog Post Assignment

Read Mr. Scott McLeod blog: "We Can't Let Our Educators Off The Hook".
Read and summarize Mr. McLeod’s blog then answer the following question in two to three paragraphs. “Do you think it is really okay to allow teachers to choose whether or not they incorporate digital technologies into their instruction?”

My Blog Post

"We Can't Let Out Educators Off The Hook"

This blog by Mr. McLeod is about how he feels educators can’t reject technology or choose not to take advantage of the new tools for education. I agree with Mr. McLeod when he says “I think most teachers don’t even realize that there’s a decision to be made.” Some teachers might not even know about the new technologies that they can use in their classroom. Many teachers have probably never been introduced to the amazing technologies available to them now-a-days. More than likely they don’t follow blogs or listen to podcasts either. Most of the teachers out there are your average educators who “aren’t aware that there’s a whole other world that they have easy access to.”

He goes on to say that since many educators haven’t used or possibly seen this technology, how are they supposed to understand and have conversations on the impact of these technologies that their student’s need. He says that the educators that do know about the technologies only represent a very small portion of the all the educators out there. He says, “We’re the minority, the outsiders, the ones who talk using strange terms involving words with far too many missing vowels.”

Mr. McLeod believes that we cannot let educators off the hook. He says

“teachers or administrators or librarians or education professors, they have a
voluntarily-assumed, paid responsibility to be relevant to the needs of
children and education TODAY and to prepare graduates as best they are able
for TOMORROW. Otherwise, what are educators there for?”

He also says that with the new technology available today there is no excuse for being ‘unable’ to learn and use technology in the classroom. He states that technology and social media tools are very simple to use in this day and age. This is very true. Everyone can blog, or create a wiki, or podcast just as easy as it is to create a facebook status or post. Mr. McLeod then says that the reason most educators do ‘get it’ is because we know the world is changing and we want to change with it. He says that learning to use new technologies in the classroom is “what life-long learns do. That’s what effective educators do. That’s what we owe our children.” He even says that we are all still learning when it comes to technology. Mr. McLeod then states that it is up to us to prepare our students. Our students deserve to be prepared for a world with the technologies they will be faced with.

I could not agree more with Mr. McLeod. There are so many new technologies out there today and so many outlets on how to learn to use them. As an educator I feel that by using these technologies I am helping and preparing my students for their future, and by not using technology I am disabling my students. I believe that teachers should have available to them new teaching technologies, and that they should definitely use the technology given to them and not let it collect dust in their classroom. By using technology in our classrooms we are enhancing our teaching as well as better preparing our students.

C4K: Mrs. Yollis' Class Blog

I really enjoyed reading "Mrs. Yollis' Class Blog". She has her blog set up in a very organized and helpful way. I found all the links she posted helpful. The "HTML Codes" link was the most helpful for me. I actually used this page early in semester. She has the important codes listed you can use within a blog like the hyperlink code and how to make your text italicize or bold. She also posted some codes for fun shapes like ♥ , ★ , ☆ and ♔; these were my favorite.

She also has links that take you to her website and to her student’s blogs. It is really awesome to see all of her student’s work. I like how her students can post their work on the site and can also communicate with students around the world through the class blog. Mrs. Yollis also has a list of educational blogs that her class follows. I enjoyed looking through the ones she has listed. They can be helpful for teachers. I liked the little animations she had on the side also. The "joke of the day" and “photo of the day” was a fun and nice touch.


I feel I have gained a lot of knowledge about the benefits of blogging for students, parents, and teachers while visiting her blog. I love her motto, "Learning and Sharing Together." Her classroom seems like a great place any child would be lucky to be in. I really love the fact that she has involved the parents in the blog as well. I believe parents will be more inclined to interact with their students for many reasons with the added links for them. It is easy for parents to look at the blog while at work and see the work done by their child, or even get a heads up on a up and coming project. Also, on Mrs. Yollis' blog, there is a link to Mrs. Yollis' website which has games, homework pages, help for homework, and other fun links for parents and children to enjoy.

I loved the"link" created for teachers who are interested in finding out how to blog. This wiki is filled with tons of different resources that would are useful to teachers who want to start blogging. Mrs. Yollis' blog has had over 72,000 visitors from all around the world in just a year and a half. It’s great to see that her blog is being read and use by so many people.

My Progress Report for the Final Project

For the final project, I am in a group Lindsey Gipson and Jill Lazzari. We are making a short movie demonstrating how to use technology in the classroom. The purpose of this movie will be to show future teachers how use different technology in their classroom every day. We each will play a part in the movie. Lindsey will play the part of the teacher, and Jill and I will be students. We will use a SmartBoard, an iPhone, Twitter, Google, and Podcast in the video.

I'm really excited to see how this project will turn out. I know it will be a lot of fun and I can't wait to have it all put together.

Blog Post #11

First Graders In Ms. Cassidy’s Class

In the video about the First Graders in Ms. Cassidy's class entitled ‘Little Kids…Big Potential, it is great to see all the kids working with the different technology available to them in the classroom. I also love the fact that they are all like little experts now. The kids seemed to really enjoy the using the technology too. Seeing how the kids work with technology really encourages and inspires me to use it in my classroom. In the video, Ms. Cassidy has her students use many different programs to help her students learn better. Some of the different things her students create are wikis and blogs. Ms. Cassidy also had a blog for her students and parents to look at. This is a great way for parents to see what their children are learning.

In the "Skype Interview with Ms. Cassidy" video, Ms. Cassidy talks about how technology is here to stay and it will never go away. She also talks about the portfolios her students create. Portfolios are also a great way for parents to see their children’s progress.

I really liked learning about Ms. Cassidy's class. I enjoyed seeing them learn and talk about the different technologies that they use. I will definitely use technology in my classroom that will help my students learn. However, instead of using a blog I will use a Podcast to keep parents informed. I want my students to use the internet to learning like Ms. Cassidy's students, and I want them know the importance of being safe on the internet. I feel like I learned a lot from Ms. Cassidy and I am excited to use these technologies in my classroom.

Project #14 Skype Interview

October C4K Summary

1. The first blog I read for the month of October was by Brian. His blog was all about him. Brian talks about how he loves to play basketball, lacrosse, and football as well as reading, playing video games, and hanging out with his friends and family. He hopes to become the next NBA All-Star. I know I’ll be looking out for him.
2. The second blog I read was by Bradie. In her blog she told me that she is learning to read high frequency words and basic addition facts. She showed some screen shots of her progress also. It looked like a lot of fun and I like how her class is using technology to help them learn.
3. The third blog I read was by Tori. In her blog she posted some very useful singing tips. She mentioned taking classes and breathing properly. She also posted a link to a nice video I could watch.
This C4K had two parts. For the second part of this assignment I was randomly assigned to a blog post by Kacey. Her blog was about cells. She included some very interesting facts like that the ostrich egg cell was the largest cell. I love biology so I really enjoyed her post.
4. My forth blog I read was by Amelie. In her blog she spoke of the Coops Shot Tower in Melbourne Central train station. I want to visit Melbourne so bad! Now I definitely have to add Melbourne Central to my list of places to see. It seems like a really fun place to visit.
   
5. The fifth blog post I read was by Enyahlee. In her blog she talked about the Auckland Sky Tower in New Zealand. She had a wonderful animation that explained that it is the tallest tower in New Zealand and people actually bungee jump off the top. I think that sounds like so much fun, I would have to muster up all my courage though.

Blog Post #10

After watching the video Do You Teach or Do You Educate?, I definitely wish to be an educator. I really liked this video and how it how it showed the difference between a teacher and educator. The video describes a teacher as someone who becomes a teacher to only teach. They show you information to you, and expect you to spit it right back on a test. Teachers like to show and explaining how things are done. Punishment is an option when something isn't done the way they want it done. The video describes an educator as someone who inspires you; a person who wants to educate you while being your mentor and a person you trust. That is the person I want to be during my career.

I decided I wanted to become an educator last year. Before then I was working on my degree in Biology. I have been working with youth through 4-H for four years and I really enjoy it. I was a regional and state reprehensive. Having the kids look up to me for advice was really humbling. I like my experience with 4-H and wish to continue it though education. I want to be the person that kids can learn from, a role model, and as well as come to for anything.

In the blog, Don’t Let Them Take The Pencils Home, by John Spencer, he writes about a conversation between him and the School Curriculum Instructional Interventionist Academic Specialist named Gertrude. Gertrude tells him not to let his students take home pencils and paper, because that it could result in lower standardized test scores. She also talks about starting a parent pencil program. Gertrude says how parents don't even use pencils at their job so they don’t even know how to use them. I had to read a few comments to fully understand what the blog was about and make sense of it. The pencils actually represent computers. I definitely believe that parents should know how to work the technology their children are using in their classrooms. This way, when the students come home the parents can help them. If parents don't know how to use a computer, then could attend a program, like the one Mr. Spencer talked about, so they can help their children.

C4T #3 Mr. Howard Rheingold

For this C4T, I was assigned Mr. Howard Rheingold again. I was happy to see this because I knew I could share his updates on the 2012 Digital Media and Learning Conference. His most recent post are on members of the conference committee.






Mitch Resnick: The Role of Making, Tinkering, Remixing in Next-Generation Learning

The first blog that I read was entitled, “Mitch Resnick: The Role of Making, Tinkering, Remixing in Next-Generation Learning”. This blog is about conference committee member “Mr. Mitch Resnick” who develops new technology to engage people, especially children, in creative ways. His “Lifelong Kindergartner” group developed ideas that are used by millions of young people around the world. His group also developed the “Scratch” programming language and online community which allows young people to create and share stories, games, and animations to learn to “think creatively, learn systematically, and work collaboratively.” Mr. Resnick says that he and his team have seen that the best learning comes when people are actively engaged. By doing this they are able to express themselves. However, we can’t just give them the opportunity and technology to use, we must get involved also. In Mr. Resnick’s after school programs, kids who are unsuccessful in traditional settings are often very successful when give the opportunity to create something. He says that he thinks “there are lessons for schools from the ways that kids learn outside of schools, and we want to be able to support that type of learning both inside and outside of schools.”

I completely agree with Mr. Resnick. With all the technology that is available for young kids and students today, we should use these tools to help promote their learning. Technology is only going to continue to grow and the sooner the students become familiar with it and know how to use it, it will benefit them in the long run.

Democratizing Learning Innovation

The second post I read was entitled, “Democratizing Learning Innovation”. In this post Mr. Rheingold talks about “Mr. Mark Surman”. Mr. Surman is a community technology activist and is the current executive director of the “Mozilla Foundation”. This foundation focuses on finding new ways to promote opportunities on the Internet. Mr. Surman is actually leading a sub-theme for the conference called “Democratizing Learning Innovation.” Mr. Surman believes that learning can be freed from its industrial roots. Mr. Surman says that people are starting to organize their learning and the way that they do learn. He also says “Technology itself lets us create things, and creating things is a great way to learn.” He then names a perfect example of democratizing learning: “Hachasaurus”. Hackasaurus is set learning activities, like workshop, for student’s used to help them learn how to use the web productively. This process uses the idea that everyone is participating but they are also creating a learning environment that we want to model what helps us move forward.

Blog Post #9

Mr. Joe McClung: At the Teachers Desk

The first post I read by Mr. Joe McClung's was What I’ve Learned This Year 2008-09. In this post he talks about what he has learned after his first year of teaching. Mr. McClung lists seven things that he learned in his first year of teaching. First he says he learned "How To Read The Crowd." He says that when he first started teaching he was worried what his superiors thought and his delivery. He realized what really mattered was not his delivery of the content but the students comprehension of the material. Next he says we need to be "Flexible". Mr. McClung states how it is okay if mistakes are made. He says we shouldn’t stress if you make a mistake, we just need to work through the problem. The third thing he learned was "Communicate." Mr. McClung says "Communicating is the best way to resolve any issue in the workplace." The fourth thing he learned was "Be Reasonable." Teachers don't need to have high expectations for their students, they to encourage them. The fifth lesson was "Don't Be Afraid Of Technology." Technology is here to stay; there is no doubt about that. He says we should not be afraid to use it. The sixth lesson was "Listen To Your Students." He says we need to listen to our students and take interest in what they are doing. The last thing Mr. McClung says he learned was to "Never Stop Learning." He says we need to never stop being open and to not be afraid to learning new things.


Mr. McClung’s second post I read was entitled What I’ve Learned This Year 2010-11. Here he talks about his third year of teaching. He says how this year was the first year he has taught at a school for more than one year. He talks about the changes he went through in this year. He lists five lessons he learned. The first lesson is "Know Who Your Boss Is." Mr. McClung says, " Instead of focusing on how you are serving the administration, focus on your students and how you are serving them." His second lesson was "Don't Expect Others To Be As Excited About Change As You Are." Here, Mr. McClung talks about how not to expect students to be as excited about changes like you are. He says this shouldn’t get us down, we need to keep teaching. The third lesson is "Don't Be Afraid Of Being An Outsider." I think this lesson is a great one .Everyone should be true to who they are as teachers and we don't need to be influenced to follows actions. The fourth lesson he talks about is "Don't Touch The Keyboard." In this lesson he says how we should not do the work for the students if they are having troubles. We need to simply guide them. The last lesson he learned is "Don't Get Comfortable." He means that you shouldn't get to comfortable with your work; you need to be open to trying new things every year.

After reading about Mr. McClung's first and third years as a teacher, it makes me feel more comfortable about becoming a teacher. I enjoyed reading about the lessons he learned and I feel they will be helpful to me when I start teaching.

C4T #2 Mr. Ira David Socol

My teacher for my C4T is Mr. Ira David Socol, and the first blog post I read by him was entitled September 11, 2001: History Remembered, History Forgotten. This post was about how some historical events that seemed so important when they happened are now forgotten and how students can learn from them.

He says history can be like story telling. He then lists six historic events that students can explore. First Mr. Socol talks about September 11th. He states that these stories are recent and on the minds of every American, but other catastrophes from the past might also give us hints as to how history is told through storytelling. He asks the questions, “How do we understand a previous event or why is an event no longer recalled? Might the event have impacted your community in some way, or the families of other students? How did things change or not as a result of the event? If we were writing history, how would we decide whether to include the event?” He wants the groups to consider how the stories of these other events were “constructed” and how those stories have changed over time.

He wants his students to think of all the ways that events are remembered. Newspapers, magazines, journals, articles include many stories around big events. By comparing what seemed important on the day an event happened and when it was first reported to what we know of it today, will help the students construct a sense of how history is written, and how it can change over time.

His six examples.

1. The General Slocum Fire. This occurred on June 15, 1904, and 1,021 people died when a steamboat caught fire.
2. The Prison Ship Martyrs. During the Revolutionary War, over 11,500 American soldiers and sailors who were prisoners died.
3. The RMS Lusitania. This occurred on May 7, 1915 and 1,198 people were killed when a German submarine torpedoed the British ship
4. Pearl Harbor occurred on December 7, 1941 and 2,402 Americans were killed in an attack by Japanese aircraft on Honolulu, Hawaii.
5. The Oklahoma City bombing that occurred on April 19, 1995 and 168 Americans were killed.
6. The Attack on Blair House on November 1, 1950. Only a White House Police Officer was killed when two terrorists attacked the temporary home of President Truman.

Mr. Socol has made a very good point. I personally had not heard of many of these events. It makes me wonder how September 11th will be remembered. I think that United States history is very important. This is our country and we live here, we should know the important events that have happened. Even if they happened 10 or 235 years ago.

My second blog post was entitled If school isn’t for collaborating, why doesn’t anyone come? In this blog Mr. Socol talks about how school needs to incorporate ways for their students to “collaborate, connect, build knowledge and understand together. He states that if students wanted to learn by sitting at a desk and only “checking in with expert” when they have a problem, they don’t even need to come to school. With free WiFi everywhere these days students can check in anywhere and anytime. He states that “If school isn't about doing things together, just about everyone has better places to spend their day.” I completely agree with Mr. Socol.

He next says that the work world has moved forward, but the educational structure, slowly crawls along. For companies, it doesn’t matter what they do or make because they are constantly collaborating. They are able to talk with customers or clients across the world, and employees can communicate with each other anywhere also.


Mr. Socol says that educators think the best way to teach in with paper and pencil.
That is best learning environment is quiet children sitting at wooden desks and a huge book in front of them. This is simply not true. Mr. Socol then states what a classroom, and school needs of offer students.

1. First, the students need a learning environment where they can make decisions. They need to ask themselves questions like where they will work, what will they use how can they get help they need and will they work with others. It’s important to remember that this is not without guidance.

2. Second, students need to learn to work with a schedule. He states that we “have to create schools based in Project-Based Learning where students can work toward their goals in a "natural" human learning environment.”

3. Third, students need to have technology that helps with collaboration. He says that if you don’t have open internet access, and don’t allow student devices you are robbing your students of their basic needs. Students need to learn how to function in the world they are living in, not the past. People are using so many different devices these days, Skype, Twitter, Texting, Google Docs, and building their social networks. I am a firm believer in learning is doing. Mr. Socol states, if students are not learning how to do all these things, your school is a failure.

4. Forth, the environment needs to be free of honor rolls, class ranks, and treating some sports as less important than others. If these are not taken out of a system then, a school can become segregated within the students, bullying can start up, and it can prevent students from see the talents of their peers. He states that educators need to let students build their own social networks. Mr. Socol then makes a great example of how when 5,000 people attend a football game and only 50 show up for a Soccer game, we are sending a destructive messages. I thought this was a very good example. Mostly because that is exactly how my high school was. It was also the same with the clubs.

I agree with Mr. Socol that school need to be about collaborating. Students learn so much from school, and it is very important that they learn how to work with other people. Almost all jobs today have their employees working with people from around the world. It is important to know how to do things on their own, but working with others is the way to go.

Project #13 - Smart Board Instruction

Blog Post #8

This Is How We Dream Part 1 and 2
In the video, “This Is How We Dream Part 1 2”, Richard Miller discusses what can happen if students watch or listen to a lesson being taught. Mr. Miller is a professor at Rutgers University. He uses multi-media to teach his students. He starts with the incremental changes before he gets to the fundamental change. He states he will change that there are no more pens, paper, and visits to libraries. He then says how desks won't be important unless the students’ computer is on it. He wants students to learn multimedia for word processing and doc sharing. He shows an advantage of using multimedia where you can search in all libraries across the world for resources.

In part 2 of Mr. Miller's video, he talks about how the material is different and changes constantly. He says there much more learning done with the new program. He talks about the academic information you can obtain when using iTunes U. He states, culture and our background is what helps form our ideas. I agree when he says that "us as educators need to and must be in the business of sharing ideas freely". He then states four things that are needed to start this program: Ubiguitous Composing Technology, Inspiring Teachers of New Media Composing, Spaces That Foster Collaborative Learning, and Pedagogues That Foster Creativity and Collaborations.

I liked watching Mr. Miller's video. I do think it will be quite so time if this conversion will happen. I think his example about the libraries was great, however, I don't think if I could do away with books. I have heard of, and used, iTunes U and I found it to be helpful, but I did have a book to use as an extra reference.

Carly Pugh Blog Post #12

Carly Pugh's blog post, was great. Her playlist assignment was a great idea. She put a lot of thought into this blog and you can tell be her end results. Carly's playlist that she created is a great example of the multimedia usage that Mr. Miller was talking about. Her playlist examples show what Mr. Miller wants when using multimedia by showing that you can still learn about important people without books and paper.

Chipper
and
EDM for Dummies

After watching the videos, Chipper and EDM for Dummies, I believe I would make a video about Podcasting. I really do love the idea of podcasting and had fun learning about podcast and how they can help in the classroom. In my video I would explain what a podcast it and show why and how I would use a podcast in my classroom. I would explain how you can have an audio or video podcast and tell that I would I mostly use an audio podcast. What I would do is record all of my lessons for students, so they can listen to on their own time. I love podcasts so much because it is a great way for students to stay caught up and to review something if they miss a class or didn’t completely understand at first.

Learning to Change, Change to Learn

This video starts out with different individuals talking about how there need to be a charge when it comes to learning in the classroom. One man states that "schools are like factories." Another man says “It’s all about control and order." Another man talks about how kids are "having a more stimulating and rich environment out of school then in school". I do agree that kids today are doing more learning out of the classroom then in. Kids are using technology out of school and while there are in school they barley work with technology at all. They have too much fun out of school which makes them dread coming to class. Having things that kids use every day out of school, like their social networking sites and phones, being banned from school doesn't help them at all. I agree with what one educator said in the video, "as educators we have to accept technology....." We don’t need to only accept it, we need embrace it also.

Project 12 My Book Trailer: The Rainbow Fish

Project #11 Short Movie

Blog Post #7

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

Randy Pausch's lecture video was amazing and very inspiring, but also a little sad. Sad in the sense that, Mr. Pausch’s tell the audience that this will be his last lecture; he has cancer and probably will only live one more year. He talked about his childhood dreams and how important they are. He says they are imaginative and far-fetched, but tells how he achieved these dreams throughout his life and how these experiences have helped him learn and gain many good experiences. His dreams framed how he became so successful. One example he give is from his high school years. When he was young, he always loved football. His coaches taught him life lessons, such as to never give up and always know that someone may criticize you. They also taught him about the importance of enthusiasm and that hard work is what people need to succeed. He says as teachers, we have to encourage students to have dreams and work hard to accomplish them. He points out that with every goal comes a challenge, but the challenges are not there to stop or discourage us, they are there to let us prove we want our dreams to come true and how hard we are willing to work for what we want.


In the next part of his speech, he begins by asking, "How can I enable the dreams of others?" He tells of when he finally made the move to Carnegie Mellon University and how he taught a course where students worked groups and made a type of virtual reality. He says he was blown away by the quality of the students' work, but he always pushed them farther. Their work became so good that they had presentations where people from all over the university could attend and see the final product. It is clear that Mr. Pausch has a passion for teaching. I can tell he knows how to keep students motivated to learn. You have to make lessons and learning fun to get kids motivated and actually do a task.


Next, Mr. Pausch talks about how he made the Dream Fulfillment Factory, which is where the drama department and the computer science departments would collaborate on projects. Graduating from this program would give a student a Masters of Entertainment Technology degree. Mr. Pausch and his co-director, Don Marinelli, had complete freedom to do whatever they wanted. This program became so successful that students were actually guaranteed a job if they graduated. No other college in the world does this. CMU has even expanded the ETC program to Australia and Singapore. This led to Randy designing Alice. A program in which students learn to program. However, they think they are just making movies and games. This makes the learning experience more fun and interactive.


Lastly, Mr. Pausch talks about lessons learned. He places great emphasis on the influence of parents, peers and mentors as great source for learning lessons. He tells a story about how his mom and dad truly inspired him. His dad fought in World War II and even won the Bronze Star for his bravery. His mom was always there for him and always gave him the best advice. It’s not hard to see why Mr. Pausch turned out to be so successful with great, loving, supportive parents like his. After that he talks about his lifelong mentor, Andy Van Dam. Mr. Van Dam was the one who actually convinced him to go to graduate school and become a professor. He then proposed the question, "How do you get others to help you?" His answer was rather simple - tell the truth, be earnest, apologize when you mess up, and focus on others instead of yourself. I agree 100%. He ends by giving many valuable lessons, the last which spoke to me personally, "Lead a good life. If you are good throughout your life, the dreams will come to you."


I truly believe that Mr. Pausch is a very inspiring man. Anyone and everyone can learn lot of valuable lessons from him. I hate that he has passed away because I'm know he would have went on to accomplish even greater things in his life. I would have also loved to have met him.

Project 10 My PLN

My PLN

Before this assignment, I had never heard of a PLN, Personal Learning Network. I chose to use Symbaloo for my PLN. I love that you can personalize every tile. I usually just use my bookmark tool on my tool bar, but I think this will be much easier. I have started with a few of the tiles that come with to get use to it. I really enjoy that I can keep up with my C4T’s, C4C’s, and C4K's all in one list. It will definitely make my summary posts easier. I feel that I will continue to use Symbaloo for other things than my PLN also, it too convenient not to.

Project 9b Mr. Steve Jobs

Blog Post #6

The Networked Student

This video, “The Networked Student” by Wendy Drexler, is about a boy who attends 21st Century High School three days a week and on the other two days he takes online classes. He doesn’t use a textbook and his teacher hardly lectures. His teacher believes in connectivism, which is a theory that learning occurs through social network. His insist teacher that her students use the internet to research what they are studying.


“Why does the networked student even need a teacher?” was asked towards the end of the video. A networked student needs a teacher, because when they need help they can ask for it. The teacher can show them how to build a network explain how to create one. The teacher is mainly there for guidance. The teacher can help sort out information that is needed for the student network.


This video helped me better understand network learning in the 21st century. It showed me that you still need a teacher to help guide you. It also shows that you can still learn without using a book and hearing a teacher lecture. This also helps prepare students for their future, by using more technology instead of relying on teachers for everything. Just like EDM310. We are responsible for all our work, but Dr. Strange and the staff are there if we need any help.


A 7th Grader’s Personal Learning Enviroment

In the video, a 7th grade student explains what she learns and has done with her network learning. She shows us the web page she created with all the links to the websites she uses for her science class. It shows that networking can be very helpful and benefit students by preparing them for their classes. I liked learning about how this students’ personal learning and it think I would definitely want my students to use this method too. I think this a great to teach kids how to use the web and learn how to build a network.

Teach Like Youre Hair's on Fire Project 9

C4K Summary for September

My first student that I had to comment on for the month of September was Emilee at PT England School. Her blog was entitled Math Whizz and was about how her class is learning for to do math problems with pen and paper. Math is not my favorite subject, but I am glad that they are learning how to use this helpful site to learn.

My second student was Selena, who is also a student at PT England School. Her blog is entitled Our Place, Our Team and is about her country of New Zealand. In her presentation she talks about many beautiful tourist attractions and the history of New Zealand. She closes with New Zealand’s Rugby team. She definitely wanted to make me visit New Zealand some day.

My third blog to read was by Martha Yim. It was entitled Discover Baldwin County, and is about how herself and Mr. Anthony Chapps wish to incorporate new technology into the class room in Baldwin County. This post states that she is excited for the first week. Her original plan was to just jump in and go for it, but she realized that she should take it slow at first. I agree with her. I think it is a good idea to ease the kinds into the project and new technology slowly at first. This project looks like it will be a great success.

I really like the comments for kids assignment. I think it is great to see how children around the world are using technology and get a feel for how other people around the world live. I really enjoy reading about what kids are doing around the world through their education.

Project #9a My Family Education Time Line

Blog Post #5

Don’t Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?

In this post Dr. McLeod lists many things teachers or parents shouldn’t teach their children. He makes very valid points, but, to me, the post isn’t necessarily telling you not to teach them. He makes the comment how if you are teacher who doesn’t teach their students different technologies, then you will be setting them back behind all others.

In my comment that I left to Dr McLeod, I said:

Hi Dr. McLeod
My name is Amanda and I am a student in Dr. Strange’s EDM310 class this semester. You have a very interesting way of getting your point across. I definitely agree that people need to see that we need to teach our kids the difference between how, when, where and appropriate uses of technology. I know that your kids will have a leg up, because you are teaching them right.

I found out he is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky. He is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading academic experts on K-12 school technology leadership issues. He founded the Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education. It is the nation’s only academic center dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators. McLeod is also co-creator of the wildly popular video series, Did You Know? (Shift Happens).


The iSchool Initiative

In this video a high school senior, Travis Allen, discusses his solution to America’s education problem. He states how his high school is having massive budget cuts, how teachers are being let go, and class sizes are growing larger. He then shows a PowerPoint that he hopes will answer the question “Does technology belong in our classroom?” His PowerPoint begins with America’s future in education. The “iSchool” will be built on Apple’s popular iTouch platform. He explains how “iSchool” will save money and shows many different applications on the iTouch that are ready for classroom use. He ends by stating how with the “iSchool Initiative,” corporations, business leaders, and apple tech programmers can come together to modernize today’s education system.

I really enjoyed this video. The different applications that Travis showed during his PowerPoint seem really helpful. His whole presentation was well put together and he did a good job showing how his idea can help education as well as save money. His idea can also help teachers communicate better with students and parents.

Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir

This video is awesome. I love the thought that some many people, that don’t even know each other, can come together can perform “Lux Aurumque.” For a group of strangers to come together and produce this video, shows that technology has come a long way.

Teaching in the 21st Century


In this video Kevin Roberts explains what he thinks it means to teach. He shows how we need to encourage kids to be creative and support them in their future. Forcing information on students and then expecting them is to remember all the information is not a good idea. Mr. Roberts feels that if teachers and students applied themselves and use the resources at hand that the relationship could be better. He wants student to want to engage in education and have hands on experiences throughout their whole learning experiences. I agree with him and think that educators need to support students and encourage them every step of the way.

Project 6 My Sentence Video

Blog Post #4

Eagles’ Nest Radio and Class Blog

In this post, third graders post podcasts about what they are studying in school. The students take turns creating a podcast about the subject they are currently learning, and one title is “Eagles’ Nest Radio episode #3: Roamin’ with the Romans.” In this podcast children discuss Roman architecture, Julius Caesar, gladiators, and Cleopatra. The student spoke loudly and did a good job with pronunciation. After a student was done with their part they would pass to the next student.

The third graders who made these podcasts did a great job. They showed me how to be real creative with podcasts. I want to be creative with my podcast and make them interesting, so my listeners want to watch more and more.


The Benefits of Podcasting in a Classroom

In this post, Joe Dale talks about why podcasting is helpful in the classroom. Mr. Dale first talks about how children born after 1980 never experienced a world that didn’t have some kind of technology present. Podcasting is very effective way to interact with student outside of the classroom. Podcasting also allows for changes in learning strategies that help the children to learn better. When a teacher records a podcast of the lesson he or she has presented, they can upload the video and students that need to review the lesson, or are out sick, can watch it. This allows the student to not fall behind in class.

I have never recorded a podcast, but I have watched many my past teachers have uploaded to iTunes U. I loved that they can do that. I found it very helpful, because many teachers touch base on topic they might not have been too clear on in class.

Practical Principal

In this post, by Melinda Miller and Scott Elias, Mrs. Miller talks about how she has conducted staff development training on podcasting for teachers in her district since May 2007. Mr. Elias met Mrs. Miller through Getting Things Done. They have been recording the Practical Principals podcast since the fall of 2007. The podcast are powered by FeedBurner and each podcast has a different topic. Many of the topics come from questions sent in by teachers. They also mainly discuss the different tools and technology that is helpful in the classroom.

I really like how these two professionals from two different states and came together to create these podcasts. They have really nice discussions on their topics. They did an excellent job explaining the topics in their podcast and how they are helpful to student learning.

Project #5 My Google Presentation

C4T #1 Mr. Howard Rheingold

The first post I read, Digital Media & Learning Conference 2012: Learning Innovations in a Connected World by Mr. Howard Rheingold. It is about the 2012 Digital Media and Learning Conference which “explores the deeper learning that is possible by the emergence of Web-enabled, mobile-based platforms that promote new modes of peer-to-peer learning, anywhere/anytime learning, blended learning and game-based learning, both in school and out of school.” The conference will feature the four core threads: democratizing learning innovation, innovations for public education, re-imagining media for learning, and making/tinkering/remixing. The chair for the conference is Diana Rhoten. She is the senior vice president for strategy in the new Education Division at News Corp. Before the conference, Mrs. Rhoten cofounded Startl. This is a social network specializing in starting new education technology and digital learning markets.

Mr. Rheingold held an interview with Mrs. Rhoten to speak about the conference. In the interview, Mrs. Diana spoke of the need for academic researchers, practitioners, teachers, technologists, entrepreneurs and investors to join together in the cause of a learning renaissance. Mrs. Rhoten said, “We are seeking to create a diversified audience and to really be provocative in the sessions so that we can go back on some of these assumptions that are unspoken...and get these different stakeholders talking to each other...so we can start figuring out how to do this in a collaborative fashion.” She also talked about how we need to bring technology into the classroom. We need to benefit the parents and teachers because they are the future and will benefit from this advancement. She stressed we need to reform technology, but no one can do it alone. Everyone must all get together and respect the differences each other has.

I thought this article was very interesting. I have never heard of this conference, and feel that this is a very good cause. We all know that technology is very important for our students’ future

The second post I read, Learning Reimagined: Participatory, Peer, Global, Online is about his project offering a "pop-up university" experiment, Rheingold U. Mr. Rheingold holds a five week online mini-course. He has run the course four times now, with approximately 30 co-learners each time. The co-learners come from all over the world. North America, South America, Europe, Korea, and Australia their backgrounds also vary from public sector, private sector, students, and educators. The ages also vary, but they are skew older, about 20% are students, grad students, or post doctorates, and about 30% are older or retired. One thing I really like about Mr. Rheingold is that he never calls the people who sign up for the course "students." He refers to them as "co-learners." This term acknowledges collaborative learning that he desires and turns his reading group into something more exciting.

Mr. Rheingold works from the beginning of his course to persuade people that it's possible for them to learn together as a community in a more useful way than if students take responsibility only for their own learning. He uses forums, blogs, wikis, synchronous chat and video, social bookmarks, mindmaps as the foundation for the kind of active, culture of conversation, self-directed collaborative groups that bring a peer learning group to life. Blackboard Collaborate is a browser-based environment for discussion, reflection, inquiry, collaboration. The blogs are about an individual co-learners voice. In the forum, the topic of discussion is the subject matter, but in the blog the topic of discussion is the individual's reflections. All the co-learners can participate in the forums and can comment on each other's blog posts. Using these tools to try to make sense together, they are able to co-construct their learning. The last week of their course is about re-examining our learning process, reiterating the most important things they learned, and redesigning the parts of the process that didn't work.

I enjoyed Mr. Rheingold’s post and reading about his online course. I think it is a great idea for co-learners to using technology and participating in peer learning. I did wondering if he ever thought of giving credit, like college credit, to the people who take your course. The co-learners do pay tuition of $250 for the five weeks.

Blog Post #3

In Kelly Hines post, "It's Not About the Technology", she states that learning in the 21st century is not about the technology. Many people disagree with this statement. Times are changing rapidly and teachers have to use the technology that students will have to use in the future. Mrs. Hines does not feel that technology is the first thing that needs to change. However, iPods, computers, wireless internet, netbooks, blogs, and podcasts are great tools; Hines says the issue is deeper.

Mrs. Hines has four basic objectives that must be met in order for a classroom to move forward in the 21st century. One, teachers must be learners. Teachers must do more than what is just mandatory for them. We need to be creative and willing to explore and teach ourselves while we teach our students.
Second, learning and teaching is not the same thing. Teachers need to remember that if your class doesn’t learn anything, then you have not taught anything. Third, technology is useless without good teaching. Teachers must be willing to learn and use the technology effectively in order to have an impact on the students. Fourth, be a 21st Century Teacher without the technology. If teachers develop the students’ creativity through giving them problem solving and critical thinking skills, and keep the hunger to learn alive and use technology, the possibilities are endless.

In Karl Fisch post, "Is It Okay to be a Technologically Illiterate Teacher?", he is clearly frustrated with teachers who are not willing to explore technology use in the classroom. He believes that not teaching today's children technology is equal to not teaching children 30 years ago to read and write.

I do agree that teaching technology is very important and teachers should be willing to learn how to use new technology. I don’t believe that it is impossible for a teacher to be successful without technology. I also don't think that students have to know how to use YouTube, blog, twitter, and other sites in order to learn. They do need to be taught how to use the internet as a tool, but certain subjects like English don’t new technology as much as other subjects do. I do feel that students should be required to attend a technology lab that teaches these skills. I had to take a typing class in middle school, and hated it at the time, but it has helped me greatly. I know that many colleges require a computer class to graduate, and I think that is a great idea. However, teachers have plenty of requirements they have to meet their subject area; they shouldn't be forced to teach computer lessons also. Although, they do need to encourage the use of technology and be able to help students has a question or needs help.

I was amazed by Gary Hayes post, "Social Media Counts". It’s crazy knowing how many people are on the computer posting on Facebook, YouTube, and other social networks. People need to learn how to use these sites as tools. It’s important to teach children how to use these sources to better their education, but we also have to teach them that there is more to life than updating their Facebook every five minutes. We have to teach students to turn off the phones and computers and enjoy life in other ways, besides looking at the computer screen. We need to be technologically literate, but know when and where to use and not use our technology.

In Michael Wesch’s video, "A Vision of Students Today", you can see how the use of technology has changed the way students think. Nowadays, students read emails, not books. They don’t write notes anymore; they type them on their laptops. They also bring their laptops to class, but not do class work-they will be on Facebook. This video shows me that we must communicate to our students through technology to get through to them.

Blog Post #2

Did You Know?
I have to say, I loved this video. It really put into perspective how important technology is becoming to everyday life. The video stated that one out of eight couples met online, the number of texts sent everyday is greater than the number of people in the world, and that every month there are thirty-one billion searches on Google. To me, this begs the question, ‘What did we do before all this technology?’
I knew that technology is important, however, I never realized how important. The video pointed out that the top 10 jobs of 2010 didn’t even exist in 2004. It also pointed out that half of what a college student will learn in their first year of school will be outdated by their third year of school. This shows me that technology is growing at an astounding rate. The video shows me it is important that teachers are technology literate, because kids are using more and more of this technology each day.

Mr. Winkle Wakes
This video is very cute. I love the fact that you can show it to a student and they will easily understand what is going on. When Mr. Winkle woke from his one hundred year sleep, he noticed all the new technology. He was scared and concerned. All he wanted was too see something normal, something he remembered. What he found was the schools were exactly the same.
This video showed me that, educators need to use new technology as well as lectures in our class room. With the growing rate of technology, students will need to know how to use basic skills they learn in school to help them with their future. As technology grows outside of the classroom, we need use technology inside the classroom to prepare our students.

Sir Ken Robinson
Sir Ken Robinson said, “If you not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.” He shows that kids aren’t frightened of being wrong. He points out that education kills creativity, because educators are educating students out of creativity. Every school around the world places emphasis on Math and Language subjects. The arts, like drama and music, are less emphasized. By doing this, we are only educating half of our brain, thus repressing creativity.
Sir Robinson also pointed out that intelligence has three parts. It is diverse, dynamic, and distinct. By suppressing creativity we are robbing some children of their intelligence. Just like the story Sir Robinson told about the young girl that had to dance to be able to think, many kids need other outlets other than a pencil and paper to show their true abilities.

Cecelia Gault
Cecelia Gault post states that the dropout rate in Finland is less than 1%, but is 25% in the United States. We definitely need to do whatever they are doing to keep our kids in school. Cecelia talked with Sir Ken Robinson on how we can change education in the 21st century; he said we need to change the curriculum and technology. He said we need to focus on balancing science and the arts. He also said we need to use more technology in education. Children today have grown up on technology. Everything they do has involved technology in some since, and this will continue to their children’s, children. By doing both of these we can ensure we are preparing our students for the future they wish to have.

Digital Smarts
In this video, Vicki Davis shows just how important technology is to students. Students are using technology everyday through the internet, cell phones, iPods, and computers. Mrs. Davis used all these instruments in her class room to connect her students to people around the world. She states that with paper and pencil only a few students really learn. Some students need more hands on learning strategies.
By following Mrs. Davis by using more technology, and making our students do some learning themselves, we are better preparing them for a future in a more technologically advanced world. We can connect our students to other people around the world, whom they might not have been able to meet and learn from.

Wordle Post

Blog Assignment 1

ABOUT ME

My name is Amanda Ellenburg.  I am a double major here at South in Secondary Education Sciences and Biology.  When I graduate in 2013, I plan to have a bachelor degree for both and teach at a local school while continuing for a master degree in Marine Sciences at South.  I am from a small town in north Alabama called Arab; it’s about an hour and a half north of Birmingham.  It’s a pretty small town, with not a lot do, no movie theater, no skating rink, no bowling alley-nothing, but it is a great place to grow up.  I graduated from Arab High School in 2008.  My dad has lived in Arab all his live, and attended the same school.  A few of my teachers actually had him in there class.  My Mom lived in Albertville about thirty minutes away.  They met at the hospital that our town used to have, where they both worked.  He was a respiratory therapist and she is a lab technician.  My sister graduated in 2010 and is taking classes to become a fashion marketer. 

After high school I attended a community college about an hour away in Boaz, AL for two years. I lived at home during this time, which means I spent twenty years in Arab, AL.  I was ready for a change, so I came to the University South Alabama.  It was definitely an added bonus that they had the degree that I wanted.  I could have attended the University of North Alabama, only two hours away, but I wanted a new experience.  Being six hours from my family is hard, but I love being more independent.  I do live in the dorms, so I’m not completely on my own, but it is the change I needed. 

                I have known since the fifth grade that I wanted to work with the sciences.   In the eighth grade, I decided that I wanted to be a Marine Biologist.  I have been fascinated with the ocean for as long as I can remember.  However, if you would have asked me in the eighth grade if I would ever be pursuing a teaching degree, I would have said you were absolutely crazy.   I never thought I would be getting a degree in secondary education.  I have always had so much respect for teachers, especially elementary education teachers.  There is no way I could work with children under the age fourteen.  As I got older, I realized that being a teacher wouldn’t be so bad.  I do love helping people, and I was a volunteer with 4-H and loved help the youth with projects and activities.  Plus, my Dad has always been worried I wouldn’t find a job as a Marine Biologist with the economy not being so great.  I thought about it long and hard, and decided I could be a teacher.  Teaching will help me with job security and as a plan when I retire.  The more I think about becoming a teacher, the more excited I become.  I can’t wait to see the look on the student’s faces when I helped them learn a difficult concept.

                  When I grow up, I want to be an aquarist.  I absolutely love aquariums.  My favorite is the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.  I want to build the huge displays and exhibits people drive so far to see.  I also want to be part of the education and learning process, and give tours to the school and clubs that come through.  I feel that my education degree will help greatly with this.  

TIME MANAGEMENT

                By watching Dr. Pausch’s video I realized that, I need to ask myself why am I doing this and what will happen if I don’t? I never realized that I didn’t ask myself that.  I feel like this is important because it gives that task at hand importance.  If you don’t know why you are carrying out the task you’re more likely to not do it, and that has happened to me before.  A funny thing about me is that I am a crazy planner.  I like to plan out everything ahead of time, so I know it will get done.   My fault is that sometimes I do push back an item to a later date, which causes problems.  Another thing I realized is, I do the worst thing first, which I am sure is why I get discouraged by my list.  I have the mentality of ‘Just get it over with.’  I see now that if I do the worst item last, or even in the middle to still in on a good note, it will help me with my time management.   I don’t know anything else about Dr. Pausch, however, I do know he has the personality for a great motivational speaker, and I look forward to seeing him again.