Final Reflection

My Final Reflection of EDM310

Final Project #16

The Green Girls

My Final PLN

My PLN

My Final PLN changed a little bit, but not much. I added some other different titles and deleted others that I didn't use that much. I will continue to use it and add more things as time goes on.

C4T#4

The teacher I followed was Dr. Strange

Lectures Part 1:
His first post was about lectures. He mentioned several different lectures and gave links to view them. He raised questions like why are lectures useful, why abandon lectures, What would be better and What are the impediments to achieving a better replacement for lectures? He gave examples under each topic. For the first one here is an example,Lectures are efficient in reducing the costs of educational institutions. They enable one instructor to produce large numbers of credit hours. Since educational institutions charge for credit hours, lectures are “cost effective.” In the second topic here is an example,Students often find them boring and a waste of time.Video presentations can break the limitations that lectures have since they are fixed in time and place.Here is an example for the third topic,The use of products such as iBooks that combine audio, video, graphics, pictures and text into one delivery mechanism (Lindsay). An example for the fourth topic,Technology plays a central role in all suggestions for change. The costs are often seen as a significant impediment to change.

My Response:
Dr. Strange
I strongly agree with what you have said about lectures. Me personally I hate having to go to a class where my instructor reads straight from the power point or straight from their lecture notes.I would rather them be more interesting and actually show me why the material they are teaching is important and how it will be useful in my daily lifestyle rather than them just reading me what they think about the subject. This is my first time in a class such as EDM310, where you are basically your own teacher and have to teach yourself the tools you will need to teach your future students. Although your class is kind of tough, it is preparing us for the future and helping us further our knowledge in technology. Technology is constantly changing and we should always stay up to date as teachers. We hold the key to someone's educational experience. With that in mind, I think we should want to do the best we can and learn as much as possible so we can fill their minds with more knowledge than what they came to us with. I look forward to becoming a teacher and using some of the tools I have learned in this class.
Thanks,
Joy Eady Facts Dr. Strange's last post was about facts. Many students tell me "It is easy to find someone's opinion about a topic on the internet but finding the actual facts isn't as easy." Correct. In fact we should be as skeptical of "facts" as of opinions. It is the thinking process that I see as critical for an educated person. If we merely dispense "facts" - our facts - then we fail as educators. If we only test for facts, we are doing our students a great disservice. We probably should not test for a knowledge of "facts" at all! My Response Dr. Strange, I agree with you that you never really know is something is a fact or an opinion. There are so many people out there thinking they know the actual facts and posting them to the web, when actually it is basically just their own opinion of what they that the fact is. It is really easy to find people's opinion on the internet, but to actually find the facts is quite difficult. You have so many different answers to certain questions you present on the web. I also agree that students should actually learn more about a specific date, then actually just memorizing the date and only one thing that took place that day. I also think the thinking process is critical for any person. You should always want to know more about a certain subject or idea. Be curious and research more in depth things you are unsure about. This will help students out in the long run, it pays to be curious. I also think students should not be tested on facts, cause who is to say what the real fact actually is; there could be many different opinions on answers to certain fact questions.

Blog Post #12

Media Fast

This activity was easy for a couple of hours, but I couldn't make it the full 24 hours. I could do without facebook, twitter, and listening to the radio and watching t.v. for 24 hours with no problem. It is the using the phone that gets me; I like to text and talk on the phone a lot. I am constantly calling and checking on my daughter, texting and talking to my boyfriend through out the day, and then having my daily conversations with my best friends. I find it extremely hard not to be able to talk on the phone.I can not go all day without asking how my daughter is doing.I wish that I could go 24 hours without any use of technology, I would probably get more things done around the house,or at least some what more. I am going to keep continuing on practicing not using certain technologies for a day and see if I can eventually make it a full 24 hours without one single use of technology.

This activity was quite a challenge for me , but I really enjoyed trying to accomplish it. I mean anyone could say they did it and really did not. I am being completely honest on how hard it was for me. Media devices are really not all that important and people really should take time and break away from so much usage. I mean I am always spending quality time with my family so I should of tried a weekend day to accomplish the no phone, so I could just come visit with family. I facebook and twitter a lot, but that is not a problem to walk away from. Sometimes you need a break from the real world and time to just gather your thoughts and relax. I think that everyone at least once a week should go without the use of media devices. It would help them out a great deal in life. Students now days and in future days live on media devices and will always want to be on them. My students will have to adjust to not using electronic entertainment and media devices all the time. The students will be assigned to use media devices on some assignments. I will use media devices to teach, but not for every single lesson. My classroom will be a fun, interesting, and exciting learning environment.

Project #15

Special Post #12A

Creativity & Curiosity

There are many schools,not all schools, that do not encourage their students to be creative or the least bit curious. When schools and teachers do this is takes away from the children being able to use their imagination and show their creativity and how well they really understand the subject.Some of the teachers hate their job and want to return home soon as they walk through the door. Then you have other teachers that want to stick with the same teaching routine that has been around for years and years.Teachers need to step outside the box and find new ways of teaching. Most teachers are just comfortable with the old school teaching ways and may be scared to try something new. Some of the teachers may think that being curious and creative is too much of a challenge. Being curious is known to get you in trouble from time to time, but when it comes to education and learning the students need to be curious. Teachers have a way of drilling facts into their students and them never questioning whether or not the teacher could be wrong. The teachers and schools can develop a curriculum to help increase the curiosity and creativity of students. It is okay for changes to happen, not all changes are bad ones.The teachers have to be up for the challenge. Teachers should want to have fun and interact with the students. Just because students want to be curious does not mean that the teachers can not have rules set up to follow. teachers need to be open to listening to the students opinions.This change and new curriculum should be a well thought out process not just thrown together. The teachers can assign projects that allows the students to use their imagination, show their creativity and express their feelings.They should get to use new technology to help increase their creativity.

The teachers should want to inspire their students and be role models for them. The students should be allowed for their curiosity to take place after the teacher delivers an assignment or lectures on a particular subject.The teachers need to mention things or ideas that the students will want to research or have to research to gather more information on that matter. If a teachers ask for more involvement and gives bonus points or some type of reward for being curious and looking more in depth into a subject matter or topic. Curiosity will help spark the students creativity.It is also always necessary that a teacher be excited and really interested in the subject that they are speaking about that way the kids will want to be more involved in learning about it. I would have to mention that I try to be real creative when it comes to school,but that doesn't always work out so well for me. I really hope to become more creative as my education continues. I hope to be real creative once I become a teacher. I really haven't had to many opportunities to be creative until this semester with this class and my HS365 class. I should become more curious and be more inspired to step outside my box and find my creativity. I think it would benefit me more for teachers and schools to have me involved in sharing my different ideas. I feel that I need to be challenged a lot more to make me dig deep and hit my creativity mark in life.You always have to mix things up and be up for a change when you are a teacher. So I need to step outside my comfort zone and try to be more creative when it comes to school projects. I feel as if I need to be challenged more and I would love for teachers to mention ideas and people or things that would require me to do further research and make my curiosity flow.

Links :) Curiosity fuels Creativity Educating the Next Steve Jobs

Blog Post #12

Incorporating Creativity with Technology In Your Classroom

Pick one of these topics from Skype, Smart board,digital media, or story making and in one or two paragraphs tell how you would use this technology to incorporate creativity within your classroom. Smart Board Wins My Vote:) I really enjoy using the smart board. I think it is a very neat way to teach lessons in your classrooms. You have a wide variety of lessons to choose from and its really fun to be able to touch the board for everything. I Chose the smart board because we are doing a project with it and I really am enjoying to get learn about the different features it has to offer.I used the smart board when I did my pre-teaching with a kindergarten class this pass December.The kids were really involved and eager to participate in the assignments. The smart board offers so many things to choose from that will allow interesting and fun assignments to take place. While I was doing my pre-teaching they need songs, spelling games, days of the week. It was all so interesting and so much fun. I plan to use smart board for a great deal of learning assignments in my classroom. I plan to use the spelling games to help them with their words.I want to find sing along music that they can dance and sing to that relates to the subject being taught. Use math lessons that will allow them to circle the correct answers and write in problems for others to do. Find science lessons that have to do with plants, the environment,and human body. You can create lessons where they can learn their colors and shapes.I also would like to use matching games that will be fun and creative. The smart board just gives you so much room to help make your classroom more fun and exciting. I can not wait to become a teacher and have my own smart board. To be honest if I could afford one i would buy one for my home and start teaching my daughter lessons on the board. It really just gets me so excited to know that I will get to use this to make my classroom a fun,interesting, and exciting environment. Using the smart board you can let each student participate in the activities, which keep them focus and involved when in your class. You really have to capture and hold the attention of the kids. If you have never used smart board, you really need to try one out.

Final Progress Report:)

Project 16 For the final project, my group "The Green Girls" will be making a movie regarding technology in the classroom at Bay Minette Elementary School. The ladies in my group are Miranda Bounds, Eva Stringer, and Brandy Douglas. We have permission to interview the technology teacher and show different ways that the school uses technology in the classroom. We will also examine how technology will be used in the future. I really look forward to creating this project .

C4K Summary

My C4K Summary for April

My World Challenge Student Is Jennica
I Followed her for three weeks and these are the different posts I commented on. Her first post was about her goals that her, her teacher, and her mother made for her. The goals were Mr.Cave: Find one book for Jennica to fall in love with.My Goal: To run the whole time.Mom’s Goal: To see Jennica’s math mark improve to a B by next report card. I responded by just mentioning how important goals are and how it will help keep her on track and help her accomplish her dreams. Her second post was about Illusory movement. 1: I liked the illusory movement because its eyeboggling and i like the design. Also when you shake the page it moves and its really really pretty!2: I think it works becuase when theres a bunch of lines they tend to move (well look like there moving). Also when u shake the paper ALL the lines move.!3: Well, the thing that is happening is there’s a bunch of lines and there close together so it looks like they are moving but they really aren’t! I responded by just saying I think that is a cool thing and that I haven't ever seen or did anything with illusory movement and that It seems really neat. Her third post was a prezi about herself. Her prezi I thought it was really great that they were using prezi and creating things with it. This semester is my first year using prezi and I think it is a remarkable tool to help do some creativity.

The Second Kid :)

Vinolia was the second & last kid I was asked to comment on.

She did a personal video, telling things about her and her life. She told about her favorite color, her family members names, her favorite restaurant, where she lived, talked about her friends , and the things she likes to do.
Her Video

My Response:

Hey Vinolia,
I'm Joy Eady , I am an Elementary Education Student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class. I really like how well you and your classmates are doing in school. I watched your video. It was really great to get to learn things about you. I notice that you said your favorite food is Burger King; My favorite food place is Burger King, I love the Bk stackers. It really seems that you have a really wonderful family.So, you are seven; I have a niece who is seven. I also have a kid myself, but she is only 13 months. So you live in New Zealand that is awesome. Well I look forward to learning more about you. Please keep blogging. Keep up the good work.

Blog Post #11

First Grader's in Mrs. Cassidy's Class

I really think it is a great idea that she has first graders create their own blog. It is really great that they are learning this early on in education.Having their own blogs allows them to express their thoughts opinions and feelings with the world and have some interaction with other people. This is my first year ever blogging and I really enjoy it and wish I would have gotten to do it when I was in first grade. All the comments left on the kids blog need to be approved and they should all be positive. The children will be more inspired to continue blogging with positive feedback. Show interest in their blogging and keep encouraging them to do better.I think its neat how they are learning to use all sorts of internet tools for example skype. Mrs. Cassidy is helping the students venture out and learn more about their creativity as individuals. It really seems like the children really enjoying learning and have a better outlook on things. It is really a very positive environment.

Skype interview with Mrs. Cassidy

I really enjoyed the skype interview with Mrs. Cassidy. She mentioned that she has been blogging for at least ten years and decided that it would be a great idea to get the students involved. She mentioned the wide range of audience the students had to interact with.She talked about the many different uses of skype and one beneficial thing about it was being able to listen to different lectures from different professors around the world.Skype is a wonderful tool to use in the classroom to help further the students education and make it fun and interesting. I agree with Mrs. Cassidy when she said that if we are not using technology in the classroom then we are not only handicapping ourselves, but also our students. incorporating new technologies help the students be more involved and more interested in learning. It is always great to think outside the box and be creative when it comes to teaching.

first graders

skype interview

Blog Post #10

To Teach or To Educate

I chose education as my major because I want to make a difference in a child's life. I love children and want to be a role model for them. I don't just want to teach and be looked at as only a teacher, I want to be viewed as an educator, a friend, a role model and a teacher.I want to inspire and motivate children to learn and advance in their learning abilities.I want to make things fun and interesting to help the students enjoy school and be excited about learning new things. As a educator, I will be a mentor and help my students advance in their learning experiences.I will also be there for my students and willing to listen and give any advice they may need. I will keep my students up to date with the advancing technology and the experiences going on in the world.Things are constantly changing in this day and time , so as educators we have the power to influence and educate anybody we come in contact with. Especially, sharing our new learning on technology with the future students.
To Teach or To Educate


"Don't Let Them Take My Pencils Home"
This post is about an Academic Specialist who confronts Mr. Spencer about allowing students to take pencils home. It was mentioned that she had a journal article about how students who use pencils at home have lower standardized test scores. It is really crazy that educators would go to the point of taking something as simple as a pencil away from the kids.It seemed as if she was more concerned about her reputation of being an educator and preventing low test scores than actually being a teacher and helping the students out.However, I really like the approach that Mr. Spencer took. He chose not to argue over this matter, but instead he found a solution to the problem. He took the time and met with students and their parents and explained to them ways pencils could be incorporated into learning.He worked with Mr. Brown to develop a parent- pencil program, where parents learned certain skills they were teaching students. We as educators have to realize that we shouldn't fight or argue over problems and issues that we are faced with. Instead we should work together to help find solutions and ways to fix the problems that we encounter. I know it is a priority and a real reward to have high test scores and make the schools look good but in all honesty the schools have become too concerned with the measures they should take to see that their scores on standardized tests are high and approved by state officials.The reason to be a teacher is to help the students out and help prepare them for the future. We need to educate our students and not worry so much about what others think. Some teachers teach for all the wrong reasons. You really have to love kids and love what you do to be a teacher. It is a lot of work and it is a job that should be taking seriously. You hold the key of learning for someones child. We need to step up as educators and really6 take our job seriously and help prepare these students for a brighter and better future.

Don't Let Them Take Pencils Home

Blog Post #9

Mr. Joe McClung

He started teaching in the fall of 2009. His first assignment was in Noel,
Missouri where he worked closely with Mr. William Chamberlain. After his first year of teaching he moved to a junior high school in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He just completed his third year of teaching. At the end of each year he has written a blog post reflecting on his adventures ,accomplishments and learning's. During the first part of the school year, he felt as if he was controlling things way to much. He would get very disappointed and be angry with himself about the lessons that did not go the way he planned. During that first year, he learned several different tactics and techniques that would help him in the classroom and also ways he could help other teachers.The most important decision he made during the year was to stay positive. McClung learned how to create the crowd for reactions. The most important thing he learned was that he had to always stay positive. Also,he learned that communication is the best thing for teachers and students. He states that teachers should never stop learning. We should not become afraid of the new advancements in technology and think about giving up. As a teacher, you can always change up your teaching styles and learning techniques. teachers should take the time to be positive and take interest and listen to their students. Teachers will always set high expectations for their students because they want them to succeed and better themselves, but sometimes you have to be reasonable and understanding that some may not fill that high expectation mark.

His blog post gives tons of excellent tips that I will hope to use when I become a teacher. When reading to the class, I will take the time to make sure my students understand the material being presented. It is very beneficial for all the students to actually grasp the concept of the first topic before moving on to the next. I strongly agree on the communication theory. I think that communication between students and teachers helps break the ice and allows for more trust and encouragement for the students to ask questions and get help.As a teacher, when you communicate with your students and show interest in what they are doing, it shows that you truly care.As a teacher, I will always be there for my students and there to listen and talk to them about whatever they need. Sometimes the student feels that the teacher's expectation of them is too high and if they fall short it can make them lose confidence and lower their self esteem. I would like to be reasonable with my students and give them work that is not easy or extremely hard, but will challenge them and make them think a little more than usually. I hope as a teacher that I will make myself continue to learn and stay up to date with the technology and teach myself and then teach my students what I have learned.Sometimes hands on with technology will help the students learn better. Mr. McClung is an excellent teacher and I hope when I become a teacher I can use his methods and always remember to stay positive.

These are all the links to his post:
At the teachers desk

What I have Learned this year(09-10)

what I have Learned this year(10-11)

His 2010-2011 school year was spent being a first experience head coach, his first experience coaching cross country, and his first year as an applications teacher. During that year he learned that you can get yourself in a tangled up mess trying to please everyone you encounter. He stated that, he started to just be himself and not worry so much about the perception that others have of him. He pointed out that we must all take the time to remember why we chose this profession in the first place and that is because of the kids. He brings up that some teachers take control of the assignments and complete them for the students that are having a had time with it.There is a big difference in helping a student and doing the work for them. If we all do the students work for them at the difficult moments they will never learn a thing.We as humans and as educators cannot allow others to rain on our excitement and joy that we experience in teaching or in life.He mentions that some teachers start off full of excitement and really enjoy their job, but somehow lose all of it along the way.He states that being an outsider is not a bad thing, you don't always have to follow the crowd. You should want to stand out and be different not fit in with everyone else. I really like that he did not eat his lunch with the other teachers in the lounge, because he ate with his students.That is truly an amazing teacher to do that.He said that this helped him get a better feeling and helped make a better connection with his students.He mentions how comfort and security does not help motive the students. As educators we must step outside the comfort zone in order to better reach our students. Teachers need to participate and be more involved in school functions and activities and not just be focused and concerned with their classroom.He mentions that the teaching profession needs individuals that are passionate and willing to exceed the demands of the regular teacher schedule.

This post made me open my eyes and realize that I don't need to try so hard to fit in with all the other employees, that I should stand out and do what I feel is right no matter if it makes me an outsider. My main concern will be my students, they are the most important thing and having a great connection with them is the most beneficial thing to gain. I agree with him on the whole stepping out of your comfort zone and making things a little more different and not so routine, to help motivate the students. I also agree that as educators we should let our students make mistakes and learn from them, instead of constantly correcting them and just automatically giving them the correct answer, The students need to learn from their mistakes and really grasp the concept, instead of being handed the answer and never learning the actual concept being taught. As educators we need to be more involved and reach out to our students more than just the classroom setting. Show interest and participate in school functions and be part of sports or other activities.A big thing that i took from his post was that you always need to relax and have a clear head and not over work yourself.Also, I should not get mad if my assignments and lessons do not go exactly as planned. You can always learn from your mistakes as well and create a better lesson the next go around.

C4K Summary Post

My C4K Summary Post for March

This is the main picture on the class blog:

I was asked to post on class 12's blog and I chose Kaitlyn's post. She is a very interesting girl and I was glad to get to read and comment on her post. Class 12 does a lot of blogging they have posted so many new things since my first visit its amazing. The post by Kaitlyn was "Are Christmas Present". In her post she talked about the excitement she felt and seen as she visited class 12. She talked about how happy the children were to share their stories and how she enjoyed listening to them. the class also gave everyone nicknames and she loved her nickname. She doesn't mention it though in this post. She also mentions the singing that she heard and how she wanted them to take care of her and keep her update on what the class continues to learn and the things they choose to do. She had a few grammatical errors, but all around her post was great. I respond by showing my interest for what she had posted and how excited she was with class 12. I also let her know my interest and the things I enjoyed. I agreed with the nickname part because me and my friends always love giving each other nicknames and them sticking with us forever.

Link to Class 12's blog

C4T#3

My C4T:)
The teacher I followed was Mr. Bernia and these were his two post and my responses.

Be a leader!
His first post that I commented on was Be a Leader! In this blog post this is what he mentioned This morning, I had the opportunity to speak to a room full of high school students who are leaders from all over our county to kick off their 2012 regional conference. When I thought about what to say to these young people, it occurred to me that their groups, whether they are a student council, honor society, or leadership class, were all non-profit organizations. In that spirit, I spoke with them about how the groups we lead are different, and that we needed to be aware of that reality when we do our work.Contrasting what non-profits do with the private sector, I urged all of the students to “think of ways to deliver exceptional services to our consumers efficiently.” I went on to define our “consumers” as their peers, their local community, or even the global community. While I am confident that some working in industry would agree with my ideas and see some similarities to what the principles that lead corporations or small businesses, I tried my best to talk about how leading a non-profit organization is unique.
He also included a youtube video that you can watch: His presentation

My Response:
Mr. Bernia,

I’m a student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange’s EDM310 class and will be commenting on you post and then posting them to my blog April 1st. I really enjoyed your prezi.It was really neat and very informational on the leadership topic. I think you did a great job explaining how leading non profit organizations are different from all the rest. Thanks for all the information it was very motivating and helped me gain more knowledge on leadership.


His second blog post was about Respect the process!

In this post he mentioned that the truth is that the collaborative nature of our profession does not lend itself to top down mandates. In addition, while educators have opened doors and shared more with the arrival of PLCs, teaching remains a private practice. Commitment to implementing a strategy or idea is still ultimately the decision of each teacher, making engaging them in a process and building consensus even more important.Whether it is planning for professional development, instruction, assessment, setting up a school committee or making an important organizational decision, respecting the process will always get us closer to solutions rather than mandating change. There are 60 miles of road between the great idea someone comes up with and its implementation. Respecting the process allows everyone to travel that road and sets us up for success.

My response:
Im Joy Eady and I have already commented on one of your blog post and now will comment on this one and publish it to my blogger today:) I would like to thank you for allowing me to comment on your posts. I really appreciate you pointing out that all the teachers need to come to one agreement on the teaching methods that should be the most effective to use through out the year. They might not have much uniformity,but they will be effective in the learning process. Thank You

Project#14

Project #12

Book Trailer

Project # 11

My Short Movie

Blog Post #8

Dr. Richard E. Miller: This Is How We Dream Parts 1 and 2

Richard Miller is a man full of excellent ideas. He mentioned a lot of great points in his video.One of the main things he elaborated on was the changes of how we write.He offers very useful tips that can be used in the classroom.He makes a point to address how today's writing has really changed. We have evolved from using paper and pencils to now using the computer. He also mentions how communication with someone way away for example, like on another side of the world is now possible.

I really liked this statement where Dr. Millers said "that Ideas don't belong to us individually, but belong to us as a culture." This is so true because everything we write or share on the web is available to anyone anywhere.Technology allows us to share our opinions and knowledge on things and then team up with others and discuss the topics in more depth.I think that all educators should take a little time and freely give some useful tips and information on the web to help out other teachers or students. I don't think that I am ready to write with multimedia yet. Although, one day I hope to be fully equip and have a lot more knowledge of this and hopefully be able to use this in my classroom. I would love for my future students to gain knowledge of this technology.
Another statement that also caught my attention was "technology is an incremental change, not a fundamental change." There are so many different types of technology being created everyday and they are all very beneficial and helping make things easier and simpler.The computer basically does it all for you these days. It will correct and fix grammar mistakes and basically you can search anything and everything, so there is really no need to step foot in libraries anymore. The internet is basically one giant library full of knowledge.


Carly Pugh Blog Post #12

Carly's blog post was very interesting and I really enjoyed reading it. She really took her time and really put in a lot of hard work an effort into that assignment.She was very informational on sharing her ideas and where they actually came from. She went into great depth on explaining the assignment that she assigned, which is a very helpful thing to do. She also gave an example of what the completed assignment should resemble.She explained how the use of multimedia can help expand and express feelings and knowledge. She really took pride in presenting herself as a very interesting and inspiring teacher of the new media.I believe teachers should be able to know and tell their students what they expect from them.All the videos she used throughout her post were great and i really enjoyed them all.

The Chipper Series/ EDM 310 For Dummies

Both of these videos were extremely funny. I really enjoyed watching them both. Yes they had a funny side to them, but they were also very inspirational as well.I have yet to experience some of the hard frustrating times that Chipper has experienced.These videos allow for the expression and different opinions that people have.I would enjoy making a video where I am acting out a book I have read. This video will help show my creativity and give my viewers a better understanding of the story.
The Chipper Series
EDM310 For Dummies

Learn to Change, Change to Learn

This video was amazing. I really liked how it mentioned that society needs to have an impact on education.It was extremely crazy to see how many people could care less about technology or even bother to be concerned with education. Technology should not be look at or viewed as a bad thing because it allows for tons of new things to happen and to help sty connected globally. Technology can provide the best quality in classrooms.To me the best learning is hands on and getting to actually experience it. Technology can help students learn to apply the facts they need to know instead of just memorizing them for the moment then forgetting them later down the road.
I think that all teachers and staff members should stay up to date on all the new technology and not be left behind. It is the job of the teachers to further their learning, so that they can teach what they have learned to the future students. If there are privacy settings and non school sites blocked, I think that there would be no problem in using technology for the students to learn.


Scavenger Hunt 2.0 by Justin Cometti
This activity was interesting and actually fun to create.It allows you to explore and learn different sites that will be useful in teaching. Its just a little time to actually complete.
Introductory Video

Edmodo
This website was created in 2008, when Nic Borg and Jeff O'Hara set out to create a tool that closes the gap between how students live their lives and how they learn in school. For this site ,Teachers and students are able to sign up and create a account for free. There is no premium membership offered to the site. Edmodo.com is recommended for all teachers.

Edmodo.com is a great site for teachers to help their students advance in all subjects. In this teachers put all their classes in groups. This tool allows the teacher to post grades, quizzes, homework and classroom assignments. The calendar provided can help teachers and students now when assignments are due and what events are coming up.The site even allows it where you can reach out and communicate with other teachers. Teachers are able to create discussions that all students are involved in. I really enjoyed this site.
edmondo

Prezi

This architectural visualization tool was created by Adam Fischer. This tool offers a license to students and teachers. People can create an account for free. Edu Enjoy subscription allows us to create our own presentations without having the Prezi logo watermarked on our presentation. Prezi can store up to 500mb of presentations.
This is basically how this tool works. Text, images and videos are placed on a canvas and can be grouped together in frames. Users decide the relative size and position of the presentations. People can pan and zoom in and between these objects. To create linear presentations, users can construct a prescribed navigation path.
Prezi

Animoto

This app lets teachers create videos for structural learning. There are three different packages to chose from the lite, plus or pro packages. The lite package is free, plus package is thirty dollars a year and pro is two hundred and forty dollars. Educators can apply for the plus package for free.

With this site any subject matter can be covered by using this tool. Educators have unlimited amounts of videos. This app will enhance the digital classroom and help bring the lessons to life.
Animoto


Comic Strip

my comic

Kids' Vid
The site was by a professional videographer and instructor named Mike Keating.He developed a manual for integrating video into the classroom as part of his Master's thesis at Montana State University. This site offers teachers and students assistance in further and enchancing their learning through the power of digital media. This site provides the tools that teachers and students need to create a video production in the classrooms.This site provides the tools for students to create and show their work in a new, fun and exciting way. Kids' Vid is appropriate for all age groups. Kids' Vid creates a network of classrooms around the world that instigates joint productions. It has four sections scripting, editing, making, and showtime.

Creating a Poll

Try this audience polling system at Poll Everywhere

Blog Post # 7

Wendy Drexler: The Networked Student

The Networked Student video was straight and to the point. I think it was very easy to understand and follow. I thought the video was very cute and creative and a great way to capture attention. The video was about connectivism which is a theory based upon the internet and connecting to people and information around the world.This is basically taking your learning into your own hands and having to find and follow people within the same interest and learning experience.I think it is great that students are taking part in this learning opportunity, which allows them to learn independently and create a very large personal learning network. The video list several different sites and things they can visit and learn from. An example is itunes U, which you can subscribe to podcast and see some of the best lectures out there.

The students build their pln and expand it daily with new information. PLN's are a great way of communication and a great way to keep track of all your resources. It is also a great way to learn things from other people who have plns. You can always learn more from other people. Its better to have more knowledge about a topic then just what you think. Blogging is also a great way to share ideas and get different information and opinions on many different areas of things.

It seems as before long, the world will not need teachers because everything can be done through the internet and all on the computers. I do not want this to happen at all. I think it is very essential to still have teachers available for the students. Connectvisim still allows teachers to be part of the students learning experience. Teachers need to stay up to date with the new technology and never assign something they know nothing about. The teacher as well as the students should further their learning and have continuing education. The teachers play a huge role for students, I mean what if they get stuck or unsure about an assignment, they are their to help assist the students and help them when needed. I think that it should always be an option to have a teacher if that is what the students want. Teachers are the guides and role models that help shape our students and help them with their learning experiences.

Wendy Drexlers ideas are very interesting. I do believe that this type of learning can be incorporated into the curriculum and meet its standards. The students will be able to create topics and still follow the rules at the same time. However, there needs to be settings and privacy created for different sites and different types of topics and access allowed for different age groups. A teacher can help protect the children from inappropriate content on the web. That is their job keeping the children safe and away from bad sites. Teachers need to take the time to do organizing and planning for the websites they want their students visiting.

A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment (or PLN)

ThisSeven Graders PLN was extremely amazing. She is way more organized and has tons of information on her PLN. I really hope to have my PLN as organized and as informational as hers. I just started out with this,but maybe I will get to where she is in her PLN. I want my PLN to have every possible resource I need available.

Project # 10 PLN

My PLN

This is a screen shot of my pln so far. It will continue to grow more and more. I was already familiar and part of some of the tiles presented. I recently joined twitter for this class and I think it is a great way of communication. I think the more I venture out and the more things I discover the more tiles I will add. I think this is a great way to have all the things you need in one place, so you don't have to search around. It is very convenient and very organized way of keep track of the things you are interested in. I can't wait to continue adding and learning way more about things you can do on symbaloo for my pln.

Project # 9b Timetoast

C4T#2

Joe Dale: aPlanet Project

I was assigned to follow Joe Dale which we have read and listened to some of his stuff in our last blog post number 4. He is a very talented man and always gives very useful and beneficial information. In the blog I read and commented on was all about the aPlanet Project. Basically he explained everything broken down little by little of what the aPlanet Project was and every detail about it. This basically covers everything mentioned in his post. Summary

* introducing the aPLaNet project and explaining what the acronym stands for
* explaining the reasons for launching the project as a way of bridging the gap between those language teachers who use social media and those who don't
* promoting the concept of using a PLN and particularly Twitter as a professional development tool and showing the benefits of doing so
* piloting a mentoring and self-access approach
* explaining what is a personal learning network, the origin of the concept and the value of having a PLN
* maintaining contacts and support through a PLN instead of being tied to a PLE, VLE via an institution
* ways in which PLNs can help professional development
* the target audience for aPLaNet - language teachers who are experienced and inexperiend users of social media
* the challenge of finding mentees
* involving colleagues through face to face workshops as well as online mentoring
* becoming a mentor or mentee by joining the aPLaNet Ning and going on to the next step
* explaining the self-access option and carrying out a webquest
* translating the resources into a variety of languages and encouraging MFL teachers as well English teachers to get involved
* making the Ning the hub of the project
* where the idea for the aPLaNet project came from
* bringing together seven partner institutions for the eu bid
* asking for associate partners in January 2010 and seeing a great reponse
* the benefits of the partner institutions meeting up face to face and agreeing on the first steps
* preparing for the life of aPLaNet after the end of the project in order to make it sustainable for years to come
* explaining the resources in more detail: (Mentor and Mentee support guides, feedback questionnaires, teacher diary template which can be completed online or on paper, 150 page teacher reference guide, series of online workshops which will be recorded, webquests, video tutorials)
* explaining the differences between the mentor and mentee questionnaire and the importance of collecting data about the use of social media by language teachers to update resources and improve the effectiveness of the project
* explaining what are the markers of success?
* creating a cycle of mentees who become autonomous mentors themselves
* presenting the results of the project at an aPLaNet themed conference in Istanbul in September 2012 and feeding back on what has been achieved
* following the progress of the project and involving associate partners via webinars to maintain interest
* the importance of creating a community spirit around the project and drawing on members' PLNs
* sharing Twitter lists of UK language teachers and world language teachers in the first mentoring workshop webinar
* creating a report on the use of social networks amongst language teachers based on the feedback from the July 2011 survey which fed into the section on social networking in the teacher guide
* crowdsourcing colleagues for recommend resources and links before creating the mentor guide and seeing a great response
* drawing upon the "generosity and volunteer spirit of all of these wonderful language teachers all over the world"
* clarifying that during the life of the project, mentees are expected to be from the European Union due to the nature of the funding, but mentors can be from anywhere in the world
* rewarding mentors with different blog badges (bronze, silver, gold and platinum) which denote the number of mentees each mentor is supporting
* giving a t-shirt prize to the first mentor who mentors eleven mentees and achieves platinumn status!
* presenting aPLaNet at the Virtual Round Table conference 2011 and trying to connect with as many language teachers as possible and keep their interest
* explaining how the Language Resource Filter is designed to work as a way of crowdsourcing useful language specific resources and making them available on the Ning
* finishing off with some thoughts on quotes from Joel and Marisa about the value of PLNs
* seeing a PLN as a virtual staffroom full of connected, helpful and sharing language teachers
* giving a heads up to the MFL Twitterati!
* find a world of opportunities arising by simply posting on Twitter
* getting involved in the iTILT project about helping language teachers make the most of interactive whiteboards
* being asked to speak at a conference through Facebook
* using Twitter can open up a whole new world to language teachers and broaden their horizons exponentially - they can find answers to pressing questions 24/7, help another colleague in return, gauge opinion and discover a neverending stream of useful information from their online community
* concluding remarks
I used his summary of the main points so I would cover it all and to basically leave nothing out because all this information is very important.



aPlanet Project

This was my response
You presented a great deal of information in this post I was very overwhelmed, but all of it was very useful and beneficial in every single way. I greatly appreciated all the links you provided within your blog post. Links come in very handy when you have no idea about the information being presented. I think that the aPlanet project is a great project and so glad that is was able to get up and running and have so many supporters and people that wanted to be involved in a great idea as this one. I think it is amazing all the things that have came out of this project. I loved all the testimonies from people who this project has helped. It is really a remarkably project. Thanks for introducing me and filling me in on basically everything there is to know about the aPlanet project. I really enjoyed learning about it.

Dr Lid King on Lingu@net Worldwide

The Second post I commented on was Dr Lid King on Lingu@net Worldwide. This post was basically about introducing the online resources for adult learning styles and languages. There are different sections and things to you can access. In the first section you determine your language level and this helps you evaluate the resources you will need. The next section allows them explore information about language styles and the experiences of other language learners. The third section suggests how learners can keep in contact with each other and the final section lets them search through nearly five thousand free online resources which have been quality assessed by the Lingu@net Worldwide team.

My Response
I basically just thanked him for allowing me to know about this online resources and how beneficial this information was. It is a great way to communicate and I think that learning new languages would be very interesting and fun. I think that learning new languages and styles are really great for educators, students, or basically anyone who will take their time to explore them.

Project#8 Podcast

Blog Assignment #6

Randy Pausch

The Last Lecture

This was a very informational video. Mr. Pausch presents some very beneficial information on how to work with the students and to help push them academically.In this video he talks about achieving your childhood dreams and how to enable the dreams of other people.He mentioned how there will always be brick walls that will get in your way and try to veer you off your course and away from your dreams and goals. Not all brick walls that we encounter are bad necessarily, but they help push us and show us how bad we want to succeed. Brick walls will really help show ones dedication and determination when it comes to fulfilling their dreams. This video was truly inspiring and well worth the hour.

Mr. Pausch gives some inspiring advice on how to set goals. He mentioned that he had six childhood dreams/goals and was able to accomplish them all. He happened to become an author of an article in the world encyclopedia. He mentioned that he did not manage to become Captain Kirk, but he did have the opportunity to actually meet him.He talked about all his winnings of different things at amusement parks. He also had the chance to work for Disney Imagineer. Which I think is incredible. He joined the football team when he was nine, however he never got the chance to make it into the NFL. One of his coaches really pushed him and rode his tail and basically gave him a very hard time. The other coaches stated that this was because he really cared about him and all he wanted was for him to succeed in life and become successful.

As a teacher, you should always push your students and enable them to accomplish their goals and dreams. You have to let them know that they can acheive anything with hard work and dedication.They just have to have the mind set to accomplish their goals and try to stay on track no matter how many brick walls they encounter during their journey. He said that as a teacher, you should always set your expectations to a high level.He mentioned that even if the students happening to be learning something challenging, they can still find a way to have fun while doing it. This will help the students reach for a higher level of education and continue building their knowledge. He also talks about motivators, they are the people that let you know when you are doing something wrong because they are the ones who support you and will not give up on you. They let you know the truth even if it hurts because it will make you want to succeed and continue to get better every day.

The best support system out there is the teachers, family and friends of an individual. These support system will be continuous motivation for the student and they will help guide the students and keep them on track of their goals and dreams. One should never complain on the journey to accomplishing your dreams and goals, the road may be a bumpy and rough one, but happiness and successful will lie at the end. This lecture explained how you should never give up on your goals and dreams, if the times get tough then try harder, push yourself farther and just keep in mind in the end I will succeed! After watching this video, the best tool I believe is encouraging your students and helping them realize their value and worth and letting them know that their dreams and goals are not far out of reach. That it will just take determination to make it to the finish line.

If you have never seen Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams You should really take the time to check it out. It will be well worth your time.

C4K Summary of February

C4K Summary

During the month of February I was able to follow four different kids. Each kid I was allowed to follow were from different countries and different in age groups.

The first kid I followed was from a class blog of 4th Graders. Her is name is Bigelow. Her post was about Japan. Her father had gone to Japan when she was six years old and she was amazed to know that her father did not have to learn Japanese. This was because everything is communicated through pictures. I responded by saying how neat it would be to visit Japan and how not be able to speak their language would be one of my biggest concerns. I also asked if she has ever gotten the chance to visit. I also told her I had no idea that they used pictures for everything.

Bigelow's post

The Second Kid I followed was Oscar. He goes to Broadway East ages 3 & 4 class 6 in England. His post was about about his half term break . He talked about going to the beach, his great cousin from France coming to visit, walking his aunt's dogs and that he saw some space telescopes. I was impressed that 3 and 4 year old were blogging. I just responded by saying how impressed I was and that this was my first year ever blogging. I also mentioned that I was in astronomy and learning about telescopes myself.
Oscar's Blog

The third kid I followed was Abby. She is in Mr. Chamberlains's 8th grade class in Noel, MO. Her post was about cyberbullying.She explained about how a girl shared her password with her friend and then her friend logged onto her account and bullied other people. In result, she got in big trouble and had to move schools and make new friends. This would follow with her the rest of her life. I agreed with her that it is best to keep your personal things secret and not share them with even your friends. You never what it can result in.

Abby's Blog

The fourth kid I followed was 5p14.This student is in Mrs. T.G's 5th grade class in Iowa. They basically just posted about how they like music and how it is made. I responded by telling them how much I loved music and how I like to sing and dance to it.
5p14JL Blog

I really enjoy doing the commenting for kids portion of our blogging. It is very neat to read kids post from all over the world.

Project#6 My Sentence

Blog Post #5

Dr. Scott McLeod
He is the Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky, as well as, the Founding Director of UCEA CASTLE.Dangerously Irrelevant, is a blog created by him. I really like the approach he uses in his blog post, Don't teach your kids this stuff.a Please? This post is directed to parents, teachers, administrators and board members regarding children and their use of technology. I also really liked the sentence form he chose to use, it is very unique way to help get his point across. This style makes its fun and interesting.

Well I agree with every argument that is made in his blog post. You would first think by reading it that he is totally against technology, but once you catch on you will realize he is using sarcasm as his way of getting his main points across to the people. Yes, there are certain risk that come along with the use of technology, but we as parents and educators have to teach our children the responsible use of technology. Technology is a big part of today's world and it will be very beneficial for us to help our children become more advanced in the technology world.As teachers, we have to learn to adapt and grow and always further our learning. Learning is something that should never stop because there always new things being introduced daily. We may graduate and become teachers, but that does not mean that we are done and that we have learned everything we need to know.
Dangerously Irrelevant


Travis Allen
In 2009, Travis Allen was a 17 year old high school student who created a youtube video call "iSchool Initiative" showing his solution on fixing the United States educational problems.He was showing a way for everyone to save time and money, but still have access to all the students work and basically everything related to the school. He proposed the idea for every student to own and use the iPod Touch interface system in place of books, pens, calculators, planners & other school materials. If schools did switch to this system they could be saving about $500 per student. This would allow more money to be put back into the system. This could also help with being able to hire more teachers and keeping them, instead of having lay offs.
He also had another small clip on mobile learning as well called ZeitgeistYoungMind's Entry

I think that he has some brilliant ideas and I really hope our school system takes advantage of his information. I think his ideas would really help better our system systems and make a dramatic difference in the educational field. I have noticed that some school are trying to switch and started introducing the IPads and MacBooks to their students. I really look forward to our educational system becoming more advanced due to the wonderful ideas of Travis Allen.

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir
Eric Whitacre is a very well-known composer and public speaker. He gave an amazing performance in "Lux Aurumque" , which is a virtual choir performance. This choir consists of 185 singers from 12 different countries. This performance is absolutely amazing. I was totally blown away by their soft voices. This just made me relax and let my mind take a break and wander away. It was a total mind blower on how did this guy manage to put such a video together. How on Earth did he come up with such an idea? I can not even begin to imagine all the time and planning that had to go into creating this. Technology and internet are amazing and with them your possibilities are never ending. You can basically do anything and go everywhere. I am very impressed and give this man tons of credit for a spectacular creation.

Teaching in the 21st Century
Kevin Roberts created a video about teaching in the 21st Century. As I watched the video, I thought of the questions being asked and really tried focusing on the main ideas of the video. After finishing the video, I replayed the clip in my head, along with thinking about all the questions that were brought forth. The main one is what does it mean to teach in the 21st century? Well I think that it means as time goes on teaching methods need to change and stay in tune with the time. Like for example, the kids now days would probably be more advanced and taught different then I was when I was a little kid. There are plenty of things taught in school that students will never remember or rarely even use in real life situations outside of the classroom. I think teachers need to step outside the box and really spice things up with students help make things interesting and fun. This will help them remember and carry it with them through out life. I mean I'm 22 and a lot of things I learned in school was not beneficial to me in the real world. I do consider myself to be some what smart and know a pretty good bit about things, but it came from hands on activities and just getting out there and actually learning the skills I needed that applied to my life. I mean things like cooking, cleaning, taking care of kids, managing money, paying bills. These are things that apply to real life circumstances. teachers need to stand out and create assignments that really mean something and strikes interest with the students. Most things in life are not learned by reading it, they are done by actually doing them. Hands on learning is one of the best tools I think to actually help benefit the youth.

Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets is a website that has researched resources on the things that works for children that will help out the parents and educators. I am a mom to an infant right now, but I am glad to know about all the information and resources available for me when my daughter becomes old enough to read. These resources can really help me improve her reading skills and really benefit her learning. I can not wait to be able to use this information with my daughter. For now though, these resources are things I can introduce to my nieces and really help improve their skills and help make them better readers.

Looking at this website through a teacher's point of view, I really like the reading topics A-Z They list all the resources in alphabetically order, which is very helpful. They have resources on reading all the way to resources on writing. This particular site also has links to different videos and even podcast so the students can go more in depth with their learning.I think this is an excellent way to make reading fun and interesting. It is always a great think when you can actually get a visual of what you are reading. You always have to make connections when reading. As a teacher, I would want to help get parents involved and make them aware of these websites and resources, so they can also help their children out at home.

Project#9a- Timetoast

TimeToast

Blog Post # 4

Langwitches: Podcasting with First Graders & First Graders Creating Own Audio Books
I read the blogs about podcasting with first graders and first graders create own read along audio book by langwitches and listened to the audio clip by Joe Dale on the benefits of podcasting in the classroom. My reactions to the first two blogs, I was extremely shocked that first graders and second graders are podcasting and I am just now doing it as a junior in college. I think it is excellent that the teachers are incorporating this type of technology into the elementary schools. I would have loved to been able to do this when I was a kid. It is great to know that the children were eager to learn and exciting about doing their assignments. It is really great to start at a young age, teaching the kids the new technology that is in store for them. It is also great because they will be familiar with how these things work and it will benefit them in the long run. I'm a junior in college and I'm just now learning about all the different types of programs and things technology has created.
Joe Dales:The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom
The last one was really an eye grabber. Joe dale's video clip on the benefits of podcasting in the classroom was an amazing video. This short video clip had tons of very beneficial and very useful information.I had no idea all the benefits of podcasting. I have never did a pod cast before so I'm really new to all the information that was being presented. I feel like it will really help me out in the future with my pod cast assignments.I think this video really help me familiarize myself with all the benefits of pod casting. I will definitely use pod casting in my classroom when I become a teacher .

links to videos:

podcasting with first graders

First Graders Create Own Audio Books

Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom