Final Reflection EDM310 Fall 2010

Final PLN Post

For my PLN I have added a few new web links. Some of those are C4T blogs that I have been assigned to and want to stay in contact with. Ms. Yollis class blog is one of those. I have also added a few personal web links. Two of those are the Buffalo Sabres and the Buffalo Bills. My PLN is very easy to use, add to, delete from and organize. I love it! I will continue to use this for the rest of my schooling and when I have a classroom of my own.

Blog # 14 (Commenting on Yasmine's blog)

For the replacement assignment I was directed to Yasmine's blog about her family vacation in Tunisia relaxing in the Mediterranean Sea. The picture had been removed from the post but the description Yasmine had along with the picture gave me a good idea of how pretty the place was. In her blog she wrote that while on vacation with her family she went jet skiing, horse riding, parasailing and banana boating. I responded by telling her these are all things I have done and like to do while on vacation. I encouraged her to keep blogging and keep up the good work!

C4K Summary Post Comments November and 12/5

        During November the first blog I was assigned to was Ms. Yollis classroom blog. This blog is spectacular in so many ways! It was nominated by edublogs for best classroom blog, which does not surprise me. She has her students blogging just about everyday and it is very apparent that they love it. This was my favorite blog I have been to for C4K throughout the semester. I think all EDM310 students should visit this blog, it is a great example of what a future classroom blog should strive for!

       Next I was assigned to comment on the blog created by Melville Room 8. I watched a video they created about a snake throughout the school building. The objective was for the students to take this fake blue snake to different, creative places and take a picture of it. Next they would all participate in putting the pictures together in a slideshow video with music. I think this was an excellent exercise for students to be creative, learn how to use different types of media (cameras, computers, slideshow programs and music programs). The students did a great job and the blue snake video was enjoyable. I can imagine how pleased they all were with the final product!
         C4K # 10 I was assigned to a student named Sam who wrote a story about egyptian history along with a self reflection. I thought this was a great exercise for students as well. A very influential way of learning is through self-reflection. The teacher had each students re-read the stories they had created and revise them. Sam added a few more descriptive words to her story. In her story she had wrote about a squishy cookie, in her revision she had added a description of what a squishy cookie was for those readers that did not know. At the end of her revision she wrote about three goals she wanted to accomplish in trimesters two and three. Her goals were all reachable with the right mindset and strong motivation. I encouraged her to keep writing and stick to her goals.
          This week I was assigned to read a a blog by a student named Vernon S. His blog post was about a speaker that the school had come visit. The topic was story telling and how sometimes people think they can't tell a story when really we all tell stories everyday. For example when someone asks how our day was, we respond with a story. The speaker then had the class write a story about monsters in the bedroom. Vernon's post about the speaker reminded me of how my elementary school used to have speakers and authors come visit us from time to time. I told Vernon about his in my response to his post.

Final Project

C4T Summary Post- Teacher # 4

I was assigned to read a blog created and operated by Martha Yim, the blog is called The Parents View. She has a great blog that I really enjoyed. She is a wife, mother, teacher and business owner. The focus of her blog is the education being given to students. The first comment I made was a post she had created about communication between teachers and parents. I responded to this post by stating how important I feel it is to have healthy positive communication on a regular basis between teachers and parents. This way parents are informed of what is going on in the classroom, any problems the teacher may be having with the student, areas of weakness or strengths in the students learning and so on. For my second comment I went back to the same article (which was still the most recent) read the rest of the comments and posted again. I think that the home-life and school atmosphere could be viewed as teams. To get the best outcome for a positive and efficient student learning atmosphere these two teams must work together.

Additional Assignment # 5

I have to admit, I was one of the students that missed the point the first time around. Reading the article over with a better idea and understanding of his writing technique I really appreciated the article. Mataphors are what make the article so strong, it's just a matter of recognizing these metaphors and understanding the real issue being addressed. I enjoyed reading John Spencer's four posts. The way he used pencils as metaphors was creative and interesting. He used them to talk about teachers, children and computers. I really enjoyed "He Just Likes the Class For the Pencils" this was a very influential article. The message was strong about the child loving her classroom because she was respected by her teacher and the teacher listened to her. As future teachers we need to always keep this in mind. We may be older and the operatorator of the classroom but in most cases nobody gets respect unless they give respect.

Blog # 13

ALEX- Alabama Learning Exchange
This website is awesome and free! This website can be so benefcial to all teachers and allow them to gain numberous resources to use in their classrooms. I think the best part of the website is how easy it is to navigate. It can be difficult for teachers to come up with new lessons everyday that will keep their students engaged. With this website a teacher could log on and be able to find lesson plans, activities to do, communicate with other teachers and view podcasts. A teacher can learn different techniques to use from this site by being exposed to what other teachers are doing. I think every state needs to have a similar website for teachers to have access too. I know this will be a website I am very active with when I have a classroom of my own.

When a visitor first gets to the ALEX website they will notice a left-hand column with links; courses of study, web links, lesson plans, search, personal workspace etc. By having these links the website is very easy to operate. I imagine a teacher who uses this website would have a reason for visiting the website and could click on the appropriate link needed. There is a web links tab which has resources for teachers, administrators and students. This section of the website allows a person to give feedback, suggest links to others and report links not operating correctly. The search tab allows you to narrow down a search by choosing an ALCOS standard, lessons, weblinks and lesson plans. The personal workspace allows you to log in, submit lesson plans of your own and visit other teacher web pages. The professional learning tab allows a person to gain information about grants, ALEX leadership, special education, library media, google tools and web development. The podcast treasury lab which is my favorite part of the website allows you to choose a podcast by subject, view the top downloads, Alabama show cases and content partner. The ALEXville link is a globe surrounded by houses. Each house leads you to a different page; professional organization, visit ALEX the channel PLC, podcast PLC, A.C.E, trainers, ALEX/AMSTI PLC, teach 21 PLC, learn more about GEMS-U and join a list. I would recommend this website to any future teacher I will work with.
ACCESS- Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide
The purpose of ACCESS is to supply equal access to high quality instruction to improve student learning achievement through distance learning. The mission of ACESS id to deliver equitable, quality learning opportunities for all citizens. This is for public high school students. ACCESS also encourages users to visit ALEX on its resource page.

Blog Post #12

Watch these two videos and respond in a blog your reactions to them. Ask yourself and answer these questions:
1.) Is the price of a college education really worth the potential debt after graduation?
2.)What other options do/would I have without a college degree?
3.) Does society need higher educated people to function properly and effectively?





My response:
I can't really relate to many college students regarding debt after college because I am not paying for my own college education, I am one of the lucky ones.  Many students struggle for four or more years to make ends meet, pay for textbooks and live off of peanut butter and jelly only to be on average 20,000 dollars in debt. Especially with today's economy the way it is a job may not even be guaranteed upon graduation. As far as other options without a degree I feel I would not be satisfied or happy with any job I may hold. I want to be a teacher and maybe one day a college professor, without a degree these would not be options my future would hold. At best I could be a substitute teacher by passing a test or a secretary for a college professor. Both options do not appeal to me. Which for me personally means a college education is the first and most important step to reaching my future goals. I do agree that society needs higher educated people to function properly and effectively. However, I don't feel every member of society needs to be educated at a higher level to have an effective influence on society and contribute to the bettering of a school system, community, state, nation ect. Some people don't have the funds or ability to attend college even though they may be qualified to do so. We need to remember that this does not take away their voice, their thoughts and opinions about improving society.

Progress Report on Final Project

For the final project I am working with Lola Solano and Courtney Bellais. We have decided to create and act out a rap. The rap will consists of our first reactions to EDm310, things we have done/learned and how we feel about the class now. Hopefully our vision will be successful and it will be entertaining!

Teach someone Project # 14

Form Results and Commentary Project #6

Google Survey Results Project # 6

Summary Post C4K Comments 3-7

Doing C4K three through seven I came across some very creative students! They were from all over the place and each had their own blogging style. NaomiG for example wrote a blog assignment about vampires. She had people in her life as the character and created this story on her own. The story had me interested from start to finish. At the end she put in a little twist and brought herself into the story by waking up from a dream when it was time for school. It was creative and cute! Naomi's blog os a prime of example of how student blogging can increase their writing skills and allow them to be creative. I also commented on a student named Aaron's blog. In his post he wrote about how his parent-teacher meeting did not go very well. He seemed a little bummed about it and wrote about things his teacher probably told his parents. In his blog he wrote how he was artistic, noisy and didn't always follow instructions. He also said he didn't want to go into detail on why he knew his teacher would be telling his parents these things. I thought that was kind of funny coming from a sixth grader! I also commented on Allison's blog who was a huge harry potter fan and had her blog decorated. I was impressed with the students blog that I was assigned to, some of them had uploaded videos, put music on their page and pictures to go along with their blogs. Student blogging is clearly very beneficial in many ways. I plan to have my students create and run blogs when I have a classroom.

Summary Post C4T- Teacher #3

For C4T #3 I was assigned to the blog created by teachernz titled What now? What next? So what?. This teacher runs his blog out of New Zealand and spends half of the time in a classroom and the other half educating students and teachers through their digital learning journey. I commented on the post web 1.0 and 2.0 to 3.0 and was amazed. This video was about what web 3.0 will potentially be able to do. The internet in the near future will be connected to EVERYTHING! An example in the video was how internet and our washing machines could be connected. That is an amazing thing to think about. We will have the ability to be out of the house and operate things such as lights, washing machines and temperature settings from an internet source. This video was a real eye-opener to how important internet is, how I use it to my advantage and how I will use it to my students advantage. I recommend this video to other EDM310 students.

http://teachernz.edublogs.org/2010/09/28/web-3-0/

Skype Interview Recorded Project #12 with Amy

SMARTboard Instructional Project #13

Blog #11

Ms. Cassidy's Class
What a great video Ms. Cassidy has created! This video needs to be shared with all teachers, especially those who are opposed to incorporating technology in their classrooms. In her classroom she has a SMARTboard, multiple computers, headphones, projectors, nintendo DS and more! She is very lucky to have all of these gadgets to offer for her students, but she also worked hard to get to where she is with her classroom. Her first graders all have blogs and operate them with ease. It was pretty amazing watching these "little kids with big potential" in action. By having her students blog they are always writing and improving their skills. She also has clear direct blogging rules, which all of the students are aware of and understand. I was a little shocked when I saw the nintendo DS in the video. However, like the children stated, they are learning how to problem solve and share. Her kids were obviously enthused with the educational approach being presented to them everyday at school. Ms. Cassidy's approach also allows parents to view an online portfolio of their children's work via blog. This is a huge advantage because they are able to constantly be aware and updated of their child's educational progress when convenient for them and not just at parent-teacher conferences.
Skype interview with Ms. Cassidy
This skype interview was very interesting, Ms. Cassidy is full of knowledge and has a lot to offer to her students and fellow educators. She started off her career with little to no technology in her classroom. Eventually she was given a sunray computer(something I have never heard of). What I liked most about the interview with Ms. Cassidy was the way she spoke of how she pushed for the things she wanted in her classroom. She wanted a computer that could do more than just go on the internet, she wanted a computer that could hold programs. So she worked for it, I think this needs to be a message to all future educators and current teachers. Ms. Cassidy worked hard for her students and was diligent with her visions. She started blogging about five years ago and has benefitted from it ever since. In the video when one student asked if she felt there was cheating involved in her students blogs she had a great response to the question. She said that, "you have to present information in your own way, piggybacking is not cheating it's collaborating and I agree with that."This is a great statement and I completely agree with her.
When I have a classroom I hope I can run it much like Ms. Cassidy does. She is innovative and creative. She also allows her students to venture out and be creative in their own way. I think allowing a student to be creative is a vital part of education. One of the problems I may encounter would be a student accessing a website that is not appropriate. Like Ms. Cassidy said in her interview, the students are aware of the rules and given specific instructions of what to click on and what websites to visit. Ms. Cassidy also said, "you are handicapping your students and yourself by not taking advantage of technology." This statement is very true. I also liked Dr. Strange's last question to see her backyard, lots and lots of snow! I am used to it being from NY!

Short Movie Project #11

Additional Assignment # 3

I enjoyed this video, I though Sir Ken Robinson made some great points and had information to back it up. His main point was the fact that children are being medicated at such a young age. His study was the way he tested a number of students in kindergarten and then tested them again five years later. Through his method it was clear as crystal that the students divergent thinking had decreased and would continue to do so. I think he also made a good point when he talked about how children are over medicated. Our society is always looking for a "quick fix." Especially when it comes to children, parents wonder why their child is hyper, why their child is this or that. Instead of working with their children and trying to fix the problem through trial and error they take them to a doctor and before you know it their child is diagnosed with ADD. Some children do have ADD and do need to be medicated, but the number of students who are diagnosed with such things like ADD have drastically increased over the past ten years. The same goes for autism. 
So we ask ourselves, what can be done to change the issues brought up in the video? I find myself struggling for an answer. I can speak for myself and say that when I am a teacher I will know about these issues and do my very best to educate in the most productive way possible. We need to teach using different styles because in any given classroom each student prefers a different learning style. This may lessen the amount of bored children and keep students interested. We need to be creative in our lesson planning. Standing in front of a class and lecturing with a white board is not enough. Introduce technology, our world is very virtually based, why isn't our education system? If I were to produce a project like this I would see myself as an artist or possibly the narrator. 

Blog Post #10

Two Questions That Can Change Your Life by Daniel Pink
I found this video to be very inspirational. From start to finish it had me thinking about my life and decisions I make each day. I like the idea of, "every great man is a sentence." In the video he provided great examples of men who are a specific sentence and still impact our lives today. The best part of the video was when he asked if I was better today than I was yesterday? I think that is a question I need to start asking myself everyday. It will keep me motivated and wanting to do bigger better things each day. Sometimes it is hard to answer yourself truthfully especially with a question like this, I will carry that question with me from now on. As far as my own sentance:
I will always try to do the right thing for the right reason and be a committed, devoted teacher to my students.

Don't Let Them Take The Pencils Home by Tom Johnson
This was a creative approach to the way many teachers look at things such as test scores or things that affect a students test score. Many educators are hung up on test scores for the sole reason that it is a direct reflection of their teaching abilities. However, this may not be true in all cases. When students do not preform well on tests this does not automatically mean they are not learning. They are learning all the time, it's what students do and want to do when they show up to school each day. Educators often get hung up on the problem they are experiencing in their classroom when in reality they need to be focused on the solution. Educators have the power to negatively affect a students education or they have the power to inspire and encourage students.

An Open Letter To Educators by Morgan Bayda
I must say I agree with most of the issues Ms. Bayda brought up in her letter. Especially about sitting through long lectures, trying to stay focused and take notes only to have fifteen minutes until the next lecture. Leaving me tired and with little motivation it is hard to remain focused in my second, third and sometimes fourth round of class for one day.
As for the Daniel Brown video, I thought he did a great job. I myself wouldn't drop out of school because of the issues he raised but I did agree with them. He stated that the value of information is going down and society is moving forward with less information. He also said the internet is the best thing that has happened. He is right! We have access to any information we may be seeking. His example, back in the day to get somewhere you had to buy a map, plan your route and hope you didn't get lost. Now we have mapquest, google maps etc. All we have to do is type in our starting and ending point and in a matter of seconds our route in before our eyes. Daniel Brown also asked the question, what has education done to reinvent itself? Nothing was his answer. His final statement, "the world is changing and if you don't change with it the world will decide that it doesn't need you anymore." I think this statement holds true, we need to be up to date with technology, teaching techniques and the virtual world in order to be successful.

Blog #9

What I've Learned This Year by Mr. McClung
This was my favorite assigned reading thus far. I think Mr. McClung had the perfect tone through out his post and you could tell he was a kind and patient teacher. His reflection on himself was honest and inspiring to many people. He recognized the importance of listening to your students, it is for them that we are in this profession. It may be stressful planning and teaching a lesson when worrying about if you are delivering the material the right way or what co-workers are looking on but we must keep our students as number one priority. Like Mr. McClung said, listen to them, watch their faces and really communicate with them. In his post he had stated, "In order to be effective you have to be able to let your audience drive your instruction." Who is our audience? Our students are our audience. Mr. McClung also stated to be flexible, be reasonable and never stop learning. While these are all things we may be aware of sometimes it takes hearing or reading it from another source to realize the true meaning in these words.

Instructional Timeline # 9B

Blog # 8

Richard Miller: This is how we dream parts one and two.
I thought Mr. Miller had put together great presentations and made many valuable points. To start he mentioned, in regards to technology that it is "the greatest change in human communication in human history." He then went into detail, that aside from cell phones which can text we can communicate instantly globally. This is the absolute truth, through modern day technology, internet and computers I could access the internet and be having a video conversation with someone in India in a matter of moments. Mr. Miller also made a comment that our workspace is our desktop and what happens on that desktop. That statement applies directly to EDM310. As a future educator I need to be able to pass along to my students all the advantages and educational possibilities via the internet. His presentation on Martin Luther King Jr. was a prime example of why we need to all be furthering our knowledge about ways of teaching technology literacy. In the short clip he showed about MLK we saw a print document, a sound document and a visual document all containing useful information. When I was in elementary school I feel like I would have been much more engaged if these types of lesson plans were presented to me.
In part 2 he showed the creative advantages to his system of teaching. He stressed that through the internet and programs we have a way to push ideas into our culture. People will be able to see what you put on the internet, give you feedback and even more knowledge. During his presentation Mr. Miller stated, "limits and restrictions are largely ones we put on ourselves." This is true and I think we need to realize this if we want to be successful in everything that we do. He also said, "technology allows us to articulate our dreams and share them with others." I have learned many things from his videos and will carry them with me into my own classroom one day.

The Chipper Series and EDm310 for Dummies
These videos were great! Not only were they creatively fun but they sent a meaningful message. What I took from these two videos was, what I put in is what I will take away. If I give my time to this class and commit to all that Dr. Strange intends for us to learn then I will be filled with new knowledge that I did not have before EDM. I will also have tools, resources and internet creativity for when I have my own classroom. A teacher does not have to sit in front of a classroom and lecture in order for a student to feel like they are learning something. In fact, I have been able to navigate the internet better than ever before. I have learned about endless resources to use while I am still a student and when I have a classroom. This class has become overwhelming for me at times, but I have recognized that this is a product of the time I have allocated to do the assignments. I am working on not procrastinating, because I know when I become a teacher I will get a little taste of my own medicine when my students are not completing their work on time.

Why Smartboards Are A Dumb Initiative by Michael Staton and Why I Hate Interactive Smartboards by Bill Ferriter
After reading these two articles I understood why these two educators may feel that way but I still am fighting to agree with everything they said in the articles. For starters, I was able to have an hour long session with a teacher for a previous EDM project and see everything smartboards are capable of. However Mrs. Stevens, the teacher who let us watch her use the smartboard was very well trained on it. She had attended sessions before she used one in her classroom so she could be familiar with it and know all the advantages. Both authors argued that smartboards are expensive, an administrative cop out and basically just a better looking white board. Mr. Ferriter even went as far to give his smartboard away. I feel these two educators may have had a premature opinion and didn't devote any time to finding out all the advantages to the smartboard. Yes they can do all the same things a computer can do but I still feel like they are an advantage in a classroom.
http://www.ehow.com/list_5905361_advantages-using-smart-board.html this is a website I found with many advantages to using smartboards in a classroom!

1st Progress report on PLN

For my PLN I have chosen to use Symbaloo. I think this is an amazing website and could be beneficial for not only students and teachers but any internet user. This site makes it so easy to navigate and get to where I need to go quickly. I have done some deleting and adding to my page trying to get it just right. I have moved icons around in a way that makes it easier for me to navigate around. So far I have added several icons to my symbaloo. I have added the South Alabama homepage, jag e-mail, my blog page for EDM, gmail, and USA online. This website will be very useful when I am a teacher. Especially if I am going to have a smartboard in my classroom. I will have to touch only one icon and be to the website in a matter of seconds. I plan on using this website after EDM and for other classes as well!

Timetoast project # 9a

Additional Assignment # 2

1. What do you think? If learners are motivated, can they teach themselves?
-I think being a motivated learner puts you one step ahead in the sense that you are eager and willing to learn. However I do feel that even a highly motivated learner still needs a teacher at times.

2. If those motivated learners are kids, can they teach themselves?
-I don't think a motivated young student could teach themselves everything they need to know. I think kids need teachers for support, to ask questions and to look to for guidance.

3. What conditions are necessary for kids to teach themselves? For anyone to teach him or herself?
-The environment would be the first factor. A student needs to be somewhere they can focus, a student also needs to be able to access internet and other sources if they have questions. Lastly, a kid/anybody needs to WANT to learn in order to teach themselves.

4. What role do computers and internet access play in the process?
-They play a major role in the process to a student being a motivated learner and teaching themselves. Through computers and internet access students can attain any information they desire on any given topic. This one factor alone will keep them motivated and eager to learn if they have access to something that had already interested them.

5. What role does motivation, a desire to learn?
-Being motivated keeps the mind wanting to know more about certain things. If a students motivation is fulfilled they will stay motivated.

6. What roles do a problem, a question or multiple problems or questions play in the process?
-Questions along the process I feel are normal and a good thing. If you are asking questions it is because you want answers, clarification or reassurance.

7. How do you motivate someone to learn?
-You work with them until you find what interests them. Once you(and the student) have found something they are interested in and motivated to learn about you try to feed off of that and venture out over time.

8. How are you motivated to learn?
-I am motivated to learn because I know what is at the finish line. I will have a degree and hopefully a teaching job shortly after that. Once I get a job I can continue to further my education and expand my career options.

9. Can anyone who is not motivated to learn learn?
-A person can still learn if they are not motivated, they just won't enjoy it.

10. Do you teach yourself? When? Why?
-I do teach myself. I teach myself when I am home doing homework assignments. I have taught myself when I did not understand what I was hearing in lecture. I teach myself because it is part of being in college. I also need to be aware of how to teach myself so I can help teach others in the future.

11. What role does a teacher (either answer generally or use a specific example) play in your learning?
-Teachers play a major role in my learning. I go to my teachers when I have questions, when I am confused about a topic. Teachers are there for guidance, support and to help. Which in turn aid in my learning and growing as a student.

12. What is the most important idea, question or emotional response you take away with you as a result of watching this video?
-Don't be afraid to experiment. I don't want to be a reserved and withheld teacher I want to take chances in my classroom which will hopefully lead to great educational leaps for my students. A teacher never knows if a teaching method will work unless they try.

13. What other questions or issues are raised by this video that should be considered and discussed by aspiring teachers?
-At one point in the video Sugata Mitra says, "Children will learn to do what they want to learn to do." At first I was a bit confused by this, after repeating it a few times I found myself agreeing with Mr. Mitra. Children are aware of what they want or don't want to do. However I think through great educators we can have them wanting to do more and learn more each day.

Blog # 7

"The Last Lecture" By Randy Pausch
Randy Pausch is a brilliant teacher and a very inspirational person. I knew about him well before this assignment, I read his book The Last Lecture a few years ago and throughly enjoyed it. Hearing his speech however reminded me of how influential he really was and continues to be. I think he approaches teaching in a way different from most of those around him. He does not like textbooks, he does not like sitting in a classroom, he is what I would refer to as hands-on, a go-getter, innovative and fun! Teachers across the world should strive to be these things everyday. In this one hour lecture, (which is such a small glimpse of his entire career) we can clearly see how his approach brought such great happiness, determination and dedication to his students. He created bonds by thinking outside of the box. When he wanted something, he went for it and wouldn't give up until he got it. With the exception of playing in the NFL but like he said, he got more out of not accomplishing this goal. It was the fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals.

During this video he made a few statements that made me put it on pause and think for a few moments. The first which was in the start of the lecture, "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." I like this, I think there is a great deal of truth in this statement. I'm sure at times we have all not been satisfied with where we are at, how our life is going and so on. The kicker however is that we have the power to rise above and change it! Playing the victim in life is easy but it won't ever get you to where you want to be. Randy Pausch also mentioned that it is important to have specific childhood dreams. I agree with this, I always had dreams and they did change a slight bit overtime they all had the same general idea of working with children in one way or another. Which is why I am confident now that teaching is exactly what I want to do. I also think he is a bit of a rare case to have had such specific dreams, six to be exact and to accomplish five of those is truly amazing. You can clearly see he was a smart child eager and wanting to learn all he could from a very young age, which allowed him to start pursuing his dreams at an early age.

Another quote that made me stop and think was, "experience is what you get, when you didn't get what you wanted." I took this as, don't be disappointed things didn't turn out as planned, look at the bigger picture, the opportunity at hand and take the experience for what is was. Feel honored to have had any experience at all, others may not have been as lucky. One of the things I think I like most about Randy Pausch is the way he approaches a problem. He stays clam, there has to be a way to fix it, make it better and overcome it. I will try and carry this with me when I become a teacher. Nothing is impossible for him and his students and his enthusiasm has a waterfall effect down into the eager mind of his students.

Another thing I will keep with me after watching this video was when he asked the question (talking to the audience/me) "how can I enable the childhood dreams of others?" As a future educator I think that puts me in a pretty good place to be a positive enabler. I hope that I will have the right words and actions to allow my students to dream big and work hard to accomplish their goals. Another statement he made, that teachers don't always know how high "the bar" should be set for their students. He said this after realizing his students did an extreme amount of work in a short amount of time with unbelievable results on a certain project. We must push our students, make them work and see their sense of pride and accomplishment once they see a finished product.

Near the end of the video he sang to his wife which was very touching. He also recapped and said; never lose the childlike wonder, help others, never give up, show gratitude, don't complain just work harder and be good at something it makes you valuable. Truer words are hard to come across. Randy Pausch is a teacher that I find to be one of the most influential I have heard and read about. I hope that I can have as much passion and enthusiasm for my students as he did for his.

Summary Post C4T- Teacher #2

I was assigned to the blog Concrete Classroom taught to elementary students by Michael Kaechele for C4T #2. I enjoyed his blog, I liked the way he had his blog set up and the way he experimented with new techniques in his classroom on a regular basis. My first comment to him was regarding his early morning readings, which his students do every morning for one hour. This year he had taken a new approach. He refers to it as GRAB- Grad a book and read (He has a box of thirty books covering a variety of topics). The difference this year however is that he has now introduced his students to online reading, giving them more options. In his blog he mentioned he had set bookmarks up for his students, was using diigo and a few other sources. What he was looking for was some feedback. His question was, "Do you think this is an effective way to increase reading fluency?"

My response was yes! I think by letting the children onto the virtual side of reading they can access so much more. They can find just about any topic they are interested in through the internet and have it on the screen in a few short seconds. More often than not students lose interest in reading, if their only options of what to read is coming from a box of pre-picked books that may quicken this process for some students. The only stipulation I felt, which he also mentioned, was that while he was looking around some students were reading on web-sites such as ESPN. He made a statement, which I agreed with that at least they are reading! I suggested that he could allocate the students a certain amount of time to cruise the internet for reading on web-sites such as ESPN and then they could possibly switch over to the teachers choice of places to read from. The students could also suggest places they want to read from and the teacher could check them out and approve them.

I did get a response from Mr. Kaechele who thanked me for my comment and commented on my post about podcasting. He also asked if I was student teaching yet. When I responded back he had mentioned that he had done some podcasting in his classroom it ended up being a lot of wok on his end trying to get everything set up, put together and sounding right. I imagine so, but I think podcasting may take some getting used to, or at least from my experience.

Blog Assignment # 6

The Network Student by Wendy Drexler
In the start of the video I was introduced to a word that I was unfamiliar with, connectivism. Connectivism is the tools themselves are not as important as the connections made possible by them. The video also showed examples of how effective and useful iTunes can be for students. Through iTunes students could access lectures from anywhere. Even lectures from Ivy League colleges! I found it interesting how they described what a teacher is there for. A teacher to his or her students is there for; guidence, information, the teacher is a modeler, helps her students stay organized and feeds them information. Education is rapidly changing and future teachers need to be prepared to teach in ways different than they were once taught to.

A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environmental Plan
I was highly imnpressed with this video, the seventh grader who put this together was not only a well educated student but she enjoyed how she was being educated. She was very creative and eager to learn through these different types of technology available on the internet. She created bookmarks, blogs and presentations to name a few things. She could skpy with teachers and email scientists for example to ask questions. I think this style of learning is great and would keep students engaged and wanting more out of their education versus sitting in a classroom and staring at a white board.

The Machine is Changing Us
This video also made some very valid points that I agreed with. I enjoyed Dr. Wesch's delivery of the video and the way he inserted clips from TV shows and other sites. Our culture changes along with technology advancing more and more each day, week, month and year. I think he also took on a creative approach when he used the word whatever throughout the video. His final message was powerful as well when he stated, "Let's do whatever it takes by whatever means necessary." As a future educator this quote needs to be in my mind at all times and applied to my students.

Podcast Video

Smartboards, Useful or Wasteful? A Debate.

Grour Harrison: Courtney Bellais, Lola Solano, Ellie Irish-Jones

http://media23.podbean.com/pb/0ad4655085765aa70613a1d141e3ae71/4ca64617/blogs23/297988/uploads/podcast9.mp3

C4K Summary Post Comments 1 & 2

During the first comments for kids assignment I was paired with a 13 year old student named David. I first read his "About me" post. I enjoyed this, I found many things we had in common. He has multiple siblings. He has four brothers and a sister, I have three brothers. He is very close to his family much like I am. He also mentioned he had cats as pets, which I do as well. David also went on to say that he did not enjoy homework and that was one of his weaknesses as being a student. I was impressed that he not only admitted this but recognized his problem and wanted to make changes.
I also read and commented on his learning manifesto. David was very honest in his manifesto. A few of the things he wanted to work on and change from the previous year were; doing his assignments on time, waking up/getting to school on time, paying attention in class and making good grades so he will not be grounded by his parents. I commented and left him some encouraging words. He had set some great goals for himself that were within reason and reachable if he applied himself like he had set out to do. I think judging from David's blog and some of his others posts he is going to have an improved and successful school year!

Podcast Project # 8

Harrison Group Courtney Bellais, Ellie Irish-Jones and Lola Solano

Group Members: Ellie Irish-Jones, Courtney Bellais, Lola Solano

Topic: Smartboards, Useful or wasteful? A debate.

Blog Post # 5

Eagle Nest Radio and Class Blog:
What a great class blog! I was very impressed when I listened to "Roamin' with the Ancient Romans." The picture along with the podcast also made it look like these third graders had a great time creating this podcast. Not only was the podcast full of facts, many voices and creativity but I felt that the students were all very excited to have their voice recorded and put onto a blog. Through podcasts and blogging these students are engaging in multiple learning styles. This is a great thing for teachers to do, I feel, because the students have the option to access the podcast and information at home for review. Or to even show their family how creative and innovative they are being at school!

The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom by Joe Dale:
This video was very persuasive to anyone who may not be in favor of podcasting. Along with the video was a list of reasons teachers should podcast. Here are a few of the reasons I agreed with from both video and list; podcasting is an effective way of interacting with students outside of the classroom, students can act out lessons and podcasting allows for creativity and innovation. Mentioned in the video, these students are considered Millenials (born after 1980) meaning they have never known life without personal computers, television, email. Technology in general. I think through podcasting we can feed these already technologically advanced minds and allow them to blossom even further especially on the creative side. I also think the advantage of podcasting and blogging for a student who is home sick from school is just about reason enough in itself. This could eliminate the student coming back to school after being gone, wondering what was covered, how much he/she missed and what homework was assigned.

Podcast Collection by Judy Scharf
This was a very helpful site, that I know I would use if I were already a professional looking to bring podcasting into my classroom. Her tips to success, step-by-step and her videos could allow the technologically illiterate to bring podcasting into the classroom. Watching the video of how to podcast was so detailed and virtually impossible not to understand. Over 100,000 people have watched that video of "How to Podcast" which to me means, it is entering more and more classrooms allowing more students to learn in new and improved ways!

Blog Post # 4

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff Please? by Scott McLeod
I thought that Scott McLeod took a very creative approach in creating this article. His sarcasm was clear yet tasteful. His different approach allowed him to address a broader range of topics. Such as the dangers of the internet. Yes, the internet can be a dangerous place but it is up to us as educators to teach our students how to properly use and navigate through the internet. There will always be dangers when using the internet or fear of children being exposed to something not suitable for them. I feel very strongly that the dangers far outweigh the advantages. I also agreed with Mr. McLeod when he wrote about parents sheltering their children. When parents do this they are taking away educational opportunities from their children.

Scott McLeod is an associate professor of Educational Opportunities and Iowa State University and he is the director along with Dr. Joan Hughes of the Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE).

The iSchool Initiative
Watching this video I was pretty amazed. Just thinking about my own schooling without having to buy and carry heavy textbooks around had me convinced! I was also impressed when he addressed the point of our carbon footprint, there is no doubt about it that the iSchool would be about as "Green" of an education as one could receive. This high school creator had it all thought out; iHomework, email, internet access, the applications that could access chemical touch, worldwiki and U.S.A Presidents just to name a few. The key to communication would be through email, this would work. Most people today have an email and are daily users. The iSchool could even require teachers to have a blog that both parents and students could go to for homework assignment, announcements, future topics etc. The iSchool seems like it could easily be done and save money. However I do think there would be multiple problems:
1. I have used an iTouch and i find it hard to type one, it would be difficult to type notes on that small screen.
2. What if a student has a vision impairment or could not operate the iTouch with their hands, how would they attend the iSchool?
3. What if a student loses or breaks their iTouch?
4. How many replacements would they get? Eventually would the cost be equivalent to that of textbooks, print-outs and pencils?
5. What is their parents could not afford to buy them a new one?
These were just a few of my questions I had while watching this video, but I do think a school with no books, paper, pencils or copy machines is definitely in our future. To answer his question does technology belong in the classroom? Yes it does. In every classroom around the world.

The Lost Generation
This video was highly impressive. The deliverance and the tone of the video made it a success in my opinion. To being with there were two lines that caught my attention, "money will make me happy" and "work is more important than family." I know that for some people in today's society this may hold true but for me this will never be the case. Money does not make a person happy, they only think it does. There were also two other lines, "quick fix society" and "celebrating tenth anniversary of divorce." Once the video reversed these lines became two of the most upbeat lines in the video. I found this video to be very influential and creative. I was not expecting the poem to be read backwards but once it was i found it to be very moving.

Eric Whitaker's Virtual Choir
I loved this video, mostly because I enjoy choirs and listening to people sing. This was a whole new approach, something I have never seen nor heard of. 185 voices, 243 tracks and 12 countries that is almost to much to wrap my head around. Each member of the choir, wherever they may be in the world was singing to a computer screen. A computer screen! I think that this is just another amazing example of how our world is changing and we can be more in touch with people around the world through devices that could fit in your hand. It must be very exciting for the 185 people involved in this to see the finished product without ever even meeting their choir mates!

Comment for Teachers Summary # 1

I was assigned to a teacher named Dorothy Burt who is from New Zealand. She is working on something called the Maniakalani Project. The first blog of hers I commented on was about internet use and the many advantages in school systems. I commented that while I was in grade school I did not often have access to internet and still am not exactly computer savvy. I also agreed with her that today's world is very technologically advanced and students should be exposed to computers and internet very early on.

When Ms. Burt wrote back she commented that she had found it interesting about my lack of internet use in my schools. She also said that she was interested not only with my lack of internet use but with my love for reading. I wondered if children today love to read as much as when I was in grade school or even before then? She then sent me a link to a student podcast blog site to show me how these students are using the internet and turning them into bookworms! I watched the podcast created by two girls Selina and Brooke. The podcast was based off of a book called, "The Were-Nana." The video was very creative and they looked like they were having fun with it. I can imagine I would have loved to read then create a podcast if I had that option when I was younger. The most amazing part however, was that the actual author of the book commented on their podcast!! I thought this was so neat, goes to show me, once again how the internet can do amazing things!

Screen Shot of Pictarin Islands

Additional Assignment # 1

After watching this video created by Dr. Strange I was pretty excited to try it out for myself. I was also a little upset with myself that I have never heard of either google squared or WolframAlpha. Once I got to google squared I did the same searches as displayed in the video, then I started experimenting on my own. My first search was internet use. Among the places that google squared displayed I found that China (surprise, surprise) was in the lead with 384,000,000 internet users, next came Japan with 95, 979,000 internet users and in third was the United Kingdom with 46,683,900 internet users. After some more clicking around I saw a suggestion for small hypoallergenic dogs so I decided to search large hypoallergenic dogs. From here I searched for the longest life span. The three listed were the Bearded Collie from Scotland who lives up to fourteen years, the West Highland White Terrior also from Scotland lives up to fourteen years and the Airedale Terrior from England who lives up to thirteen years. While I was on google squared I did run into some search trouble, where some of the searches came up with nothing. I can only assume it was the way I worded what I was trying to find and I need to keep navigating this sight to become more familiar with it.

Once I went to WolframAlpha I typed in the search box, "women in Australia." That was my first mistake, my wording was silly. What it recognized and suggested (which I then typed in) was female population in Australia. My results were very clear cut, in 2008 there was a total population of 10.52 million women in Australia. Compare that to the total population of 21.1 million and it's just about half. It also gave me the life expectancy which lead to my next search. After my Australia search I typed in female life expectancy in the United States. My results were lots of graphs, charts and percentages. 61.3% of women will live to their 80's, 27.4% will live past 90 and 3.1% will live past 100. Pretty interesting!

Educational Implications involved with google squared were; it helped for us to understand, perceive, solve problems and learn when we can see the answers side by side and compared to different things or different places.

Educational Implications involved with WolframAlpha were similar. In my opinion though, this website was easier to use. I liked how my search and answer were a bit more focused and it tried to give only what you were specifically looking for. Where as google squared gave related information, which is good, but sometimes the topics were related by a single word.

I have never heard of either google squared or WolframAlpha before this assignment.

After watching the google squared ad WolframAlpha video created by Dr. Strange my thoughts on the Did You Know video have changed a bit. I still really like the video and the message it portrays. The first time I saw it I was blown away with the statistics. As Dr. Strange said though, we need to be aware of the context which the statistic is being delivered and the real message.

From this assignment I have learned about two great new websites useful for seeking out all types of information. I have also learned to think about a statistic before I just take it and start sharing it myself. I am glad Dr. Strange made it a point at the end of the video to remind us to be aware of what we hear, see and read. I can guarantee there has been more than one time in my life I heard a statistic and didn't think twice about how much truth was behind it.

Food For Thought- I thought this was an interesting article. I did find it a little hard to believe. Sometimes I feel so lost using new gadgets that I can't exactly picture a boy who has never touched an ipad, picking it up and figuring out how to operate such an advanced piece of technology. However, this article does go to show us what technology can accomplish!

Blog Post # 3

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today


I thought this video was put together in an interesting way. I could relate to many of the signs held up through out the video. For example; I spend hundreds of dollars on textbooks, Some classes I did not even have to open my text book, I have been browsing the internet during class in a non related manor. I have felt that I was assigned to useless reading, sometimes my days aren't long enough.
Students do have to be multi-taskers, I don't think we have a choice but I also don't think this is a bad thing. Especially when it comes to teaching, a classroom full of children all trying to learn the same thing does not happen in one swift movement. We need to be able to allow the students who understand to stay engaged but also make sure the ones struggling grasp what is being taught. One sign being help up said, I am getting an education for a job that does not yet exist. I can't relate to this, the profession I am pursuing has been around and is not disappearing anytime soon. Technology can advance our education.

"It's Not About the Technology" by Kelly Hines
She made some very valuable points in her article. The First few; teachers must be learners, we must be invested in our profession. I think that is very important to remember that as well as being an educator we are always learners, you can learn from anyone of any age. We also need to stay up to date with our job and evolve with our work. This is true, if the world outside of the classroom is changing we need to set these children up so they can manage and know how to live in our technology world. She also noted how, technology is useless without good teaching. In order to teach the children how to use the internet to their educational advantage a teacher would need to be familiar with how it works. She also talked about how we must not forget about creativity even being a teacher in the twenty-first century. This is important, being creative and letting your mind wonder helps shape who you are. It also takes part in discovering what you want to be when you get older.

Karl Fisch: Is It Okay To Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
This man spoke his mind and I appreciated him for that. He had strong opinions on the topic regarding technologically illiterate teachers. He felt that teachers should be embarrassed if they are not up to date with technology. I have to agree with him on this, it is so much a part of our world and todays society that it needs to be something every teacher is very familiar with. He also made a comparison of how being a technologically illiterate teacher is the same as a teacher thirty years ago not being able to read and write. I am still thinking about his statement, it does seem a little harsh, but I think he has a point.

Gary Hayes Social Media Count
Wow! This was really interesting to watch. I watched it more than one time, it was unbelievable how quickly those numbers are changing. Once I become a teacher this website is a just one small look at how much our lives are technology and internet based. We as educators will need to know it, know how to teach it and know how to evolve with it.

Presentation Project # 5

Blog # 2

Did You Know?
Wow! Watching this video I was in amazement, the statistics shared in this video were mind blowing. For example, the statistic about 25% of India's population with the highest IQ is greater than the total population of the United States. I also found it interesting how India has more honor students than the Untied States has kids. After I saw this in the video and had it put into perspective I found those facts to be amazing.
What our world has accomplished this far, virtually speaking is hard to wrap my mind around. The things technology has done for the world and continues to do is truly amazing. when the video was over I re-read the title "Did you know?" and I thought to myself, no I did not know but now I do. I was so impressed with the video that I sent it in an email to a few family members.

Mr. Wrinkle Wakes
The start of this video really set the stage for the message it was trying to send out. Mr. Wrinkle wakes from a 100 year slumber and finds himself in a new modernized and technology advanced world. The only place he finds familiar and comfortable with is in a school. Point being, our schools have not changed nor kept up with modern day. No matter how you look at it the education being received by students is dated and needs to be evaluated.
Outside of the classroom for a typical fifth grader is filled with technology savvy gadgets and such. TV, radio, ipods, computers, video games etc. Time away from the classroom for many students is spent using these type things. Which in turn raises the question, why do we not incorporate these things into our classrooms? Computers for example can be used to such an advantage in the education of children and into adulthood. I feel that the younger students are exposed to things like computers the more they can become familiar with and use to their educational advantage.

Importance of Creativity
Sir Ken Robinson starts off the video with two bold statements," Education takes us into the future that we can't grasp." He also states, "Creativity is as important as literacy." I agree with both of these statements. I thought Mr. Robinson did a wonderful job sending the message of how important it is to not stomp on and rule our a childs creative mind.
Another point I found to be very interesting was when he talked about how children are not afraid to be wrong, yet most adults have lost that courage. Adults are afraid to be wrong, I am an example. This video was an eye opener, I thoroughly enjoyed his speech on creativity. I especially thought his own creativity was throughout the video. When I am an educator I hope to always have a concious thought and be sure not to educate my students out of creativity.

Vicki Davis: Harness your students digital smarts
What an amazing teacher! I found her video and operation of her classroom to be very uplifting and encouraging. Her classroom was filled with software and all types of technology. Ms. Davis made a statement that her students are, "Learning how to learn." This is so important in a classroom because each student has their own way of learning and retaining information. She wants her students to be thinkers and doers, as every teacher should. The difference however, is that Ms. Davis actions display her motto.
Her blog, the awards she has received, the places she has traveled because of her teaching are setting such a good example for her students. In the video she made a statement, " Teachers don't need to know everything before they teach it." I will carry this statement with me, I understood it as, teaching your students and learning from your students go hand in hand. It's okay to be wrong. It's okay learn from your students. Ms. Davis was very inspiring to me and I already know I will be watching this video again.

Ellie's Wordle

Blog Post One

   Hi! My name is Ellie Irish-Jones and I am from Buffalo, New York. I decided to come to USA because I was tired of freezing cold winters and wanted sunshine for my college days! Many people ask if my family moved here or if I knew anyone before I moved down to Mobile. The answer is no, All of my family still lives in Buffalo and I came here not knowing anyone. However, I do get the best of both worlds because I miss the winters in Buffalo and miss the hot summer months down here when I go home after spring semester! But I do miss playing hockey! One of my favorite things to do is read. I read one book after another, any genre, any length. I especially love going into a bookstore and searching for a new book. I also enjoy creating my own art, camping/hiking, running and being outdoors.
    I knew I wanted to be a teacher since I was in Elementary school. It wasn't until I baby-sat a special needs child all through high school that I wanted to pursue special education as a profession. I work well with special needs children, some people may feel uncomfortable or intimidated while I find myself admiring and appreciating them.
   Some fun facts about me; this past summer I traveled to Spain, Italy, France and Greece with friends who I first met in Elementary school! I have also been to Australia and New Zealand!