Blog Assignment 15

Blog Post #14

I believe that these ideas are great tools to use in school, at home, and in the workplace.  

1.  Use streaming video

This is great to have face to face chats, to be able to communicate faster, quicker, and more efficiently.  You can make the most of your resources, and use them to your advantage with your students.

2.  Use music more often

Using music in the classroom can help a child relax and get into a "zone", and effectively complete their work. It is a great way to "use music to your advantage" and communicate with your students.

3.  Use teleconferencing tools
Skype is a great way for students and teachers to communicate with each other over long distances.

4.  Create your own interactive exercises
You can tailor exercises and games to fit your students abilities.

5.  Use your interactive whiteboard more effectively
This can help you show your classes how to effectively use technology to their advantage.

6.  Create your own pod-casts
If you use the program "Audacity", you can make and edit audio recordings.

7.  Start a blog or a wiki
These are two very good ways to showcase your students work and achievements.

This can help kids develop skills and become more productive.

8.  Use social networks
Facebook can be controversial to parents and teachers, but if used correctly, can also be very helpful.  Students can get help with assignments by using closed group pages, where the student can discuss assignments and get help from other students and teachers.  Our EDM310 Facebook has been very beneficial to me.  I have been able to ask questions, when I don't understand something and there have been many people to respond to me and help with my questions!

9.  Use internet tools
These tools can help students in many different ways.  In using these tools they can get infinite amounts of information and research on the subject they desire!

10.  Make the most of your pupils' gadgets (ex. I-pod, and cell phones)

Final Report on my PLN

I feel like I have accomplished a great deal from the use of my PLN.  I really enjoy using Symbaloo and how easy it is to use.  It is a great website to use and have all the information I need, all in one place.  I look forward to using it in the future.  I will continue to use it for school and in my classroom, when I finally become a teacher.  I feel like I have progressed very well in using Symbaloo.

C4T Nov.

"This is the week we’ve all been waiting for! The Language Perfect World Championships have started. The biggest language learning competition there has ever been in history! Do you and your pupils want to be part of history? Oh yeah!

Countries competing against countries, schools competing against schools, pupils competing against pupils all with the same aim: to appear as high as possible on the championship scoreboard. 2.5 million questions have already been answered in the first day of the competition. With 6 days to go who knows what the final total will be?

This now is our challenge to compete with the rest of the world. We mustn’t slip behind as we’ll never catch up. Don’t forget in last year’s European Language Olympics, the UK topped the scoreboard, but now we are against the world people! Time to step up!

I am personally in charge of coordinating the UK attempt on the crown! (No pressure there then) and with your participation, I’m sure we can do a sterling job!

If you haven’t done so already, you can use the code (JDALE)when registering to receive 50 places for FREE and if you are a member of the Association of Language Learning, an official partner of Language Perfect, you can additionally use the code (ALL) for an extra 50 FREE places. Anyone can use my code not just schools from the UK so what have you got to lose?

To see just how much learners are loving the competition to date, check out the Language Perfect Facebook page which is awash with positivity!"

http://joedale.typepad.com/

"Mr. Dale,

I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama, in the United States.  I read your post and I have to say that I am very intrigued by the information that you have shared!  I, too, have looked at the facebook page and I am overwhelmed at the amount of questions in one day!  Amazing job, keep up the great work!"

(MakeUp) Project #15b

Project 16

Skype Interview Project # 14

C4K Summary post for November

Mrs. Yollis' class had a Lucky Hat Day.  The children all wore crazy and lucky hats to school.  They were very cute!

"My name is Deena, and I am in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama.  I really enjoyed reading this post about the lucky hats and looking at the very creative hats that the kids came up with!  I think that "Hat Day" is a good idea.  It really gets the imagination going and creativity rolling!  Great work, class!  :-)"


Chloe described a story about a humpback whale that was caught in a net and was frightened, but finally freed.

"Hi Chloe,

My name is Deena and I am a student from the University of South Alabama in EDM310, in America. I read your blog about the humpback whale, and I really enjoyed your story! I am glad that the whale was finally freed and was okay. You described the story very well and made it interesting. Great job!
November 21, 2011 8:20 AM"

Blog Assignment #13

New York Times Post, My Teacher is an App, by Stephanie Banchero and Stephanie Simon


In this article they talked about the public education system using more "cyber" technology for schools. There are so many schools that offer online classes, and even some school that offer degrees, solely online. This age that we are now in is very "cyber" orriented, in that we do so much school and work online.

There are many people that have the opinion that more students should take online classes. The upside to taking online classes, are the ease of getting the work done with your schedule (kids, work, etc) and being able to learn more, because you have to do so much more of the work yourself! I, too, believe that online classes are a great way to improve our knowledge of computers and cyberspace, while also learning about assignments asked of us in certain classes.

Mrs. Yollis Class Blog Post

"Meet Mrs. Yollis"

Mrs. Yollis has been teaching for 25 years.  She loves to travel and teach, and learn, with her husband. They went swimming with turtles in Hawaii and to the arctic circle; just to name a few of the places they have been.

"Bloggers"

"Learning is our Passion!"

Her students have many hobbies; some of these include dodge ball, golf, soccer, and karate.

Mrs. Yollis' Website

She explains to parents how each site is organized and how the students can check their homework.  She encourages parents to learn with their kids and read the articles.  She invites the parents to monitor their child's internet usage and for the parents to give feedback.

Learn HTML Code!

She explains how to make words/sentences italic, bold, and use many codes to help with text.

Time Zones and Friends

This category has many different clocks with different time zones, telling the times in each country or class.

I noticed that Mrs. Yollis' site had a ClustrMap of visitors like the EDM310 website.  Mrs. Yollis' map has almost 20,000 more visitors that our EDM310 site, but they are very similar the diversity of how they are all spread out.

Progress Report for Final Project

Our group has decided to explain and show how Gmail, Blogger, Smart Board, and Symbaloo (PLN) are great resources for current teachers and those to come. We will break down each program by using Debut to show our audience how the programs work and how they can be useful to teachers. 

We have had a meeting to discuss our strategies and have planned on meeting twice more in the coming week.

Blog Post # 12

Read "HOW DOES TECHNOLOGY AFFECT FAMILY COMMUNICATION?"

www.livestrong.com/article/243280-how-does-technology-affect-family-communication/


1st Blog Post Assignment:
Write a blog post about how you feel after reading the article. Give some reasons why you feel this way, and site some examples from the article. There are quite a few other articles that you can view from this page. They can also be helpful in writing your blog post.


"Technology offers many interesting ways for people in this world to communicate. It is a great asset, especially for people who live far away from each other. Technology is helpful in helping with school work and for jobs. I liked reading the diversity in this article, dealing with both the positive and negative sides to certain types of technology. The article explains how too much TV can be harmful to a family and their opportunity to connect and be together. The internet can be monitored by parents, so that it is safe for children to use, and learn from."

2nd Blog Post Assignment:
Find a clip or video about how technology affects you and post the link to your page.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgp7GwHxV14&feature=related



I found this video and think it has great information!

Blog post #11

In the video Little Kids...Big Potential, the kids talk about how they like writing a blog because they like getting comments from people.  They said their writing gets better every time they write on the blog.  The kids talk about commenting on other peoples' blogs, they said you should always say something nice to the people you are commenting on, so you don't hurt their feelings.  At their centers at school, the computers have pictures they can click on to go to a webpage to play learning games.  They made wiki's and all kinds of people helped them learn about traditions, rituals, and the alphabet.  They made videos to put online to help them learn.  They used skype to talk to people from different places.  They even played Nintendo DS, to play learning games.  They said the DS's helped them with problem solving and sharing.

Ms. Cassidy talked about many good reasons for using the internet in the classroom.  I think it is a good idea to have technology in the classroom.  It is so true that technology has exploded and it is not going away anytime soon.  One of the things she talked about was having a class blog.  I have never used a blog until this EDM310 class, but I believe it is a great idea.  It is a great way for all the students to keep up with all the things going on in school and also for parents to keep up, in better detail, with how and what their children are doing in class.  I hope to get a job as a teacher, in a classroom, where I am fortunate enough to have a few computers in my room.  This is definitely something that I would like to use in my very own classroom.

C4K Summary post for October

ON OCTOBER 15TH, 2011 AT 1:19 AM     http://wmsjerri3.edublogs.org/2011/10/04/all-about-me

I commented on the blog of Jerri in Mrs. Gregory's period 6 class.  The blog was an "about me" and explained how much they liked ice cream, soccer and science.  This was the student I was assigned.

"Hi,
My name is Deena and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I was assigned to comment on your blog. I really love your pictures that you have posted! I love ice cream also, sometimes, a bit too much!  I love to draw also, and I have four children, and they are young, so I get a lot of great artwork! Keep up the good work on your blog!"

This blog post was about a class that did a song online in a different language.  They followed the tune of "head, shoulders, knees, and toes", and it was really neat to hear it in a different language!

"Hello, my name is Deena and I am a college student in Alabama, which is in the United States.  I read your blog post and watched your video.  It was really neat to learn a little bit about where you live.  I liked how you showed your pictures and explained about them, in your video.  I like how you described about the music in your country and also about the Hula dancing you do.  I bet that is a lot of fun!  I am really glad I read your blog, because I feel like I learned some great information!"

Blog Post due 10/30

In watching the video "Do You Want to Teach or Educate", I learned the difference in teaching or educating.  When you teach someone something you "give information", but when you educate someone you "inspire" them to be eager to learn.  I have wanted to be a teacher since I was about 4 years old.  I have an aunt and two uncles who have always been in the education field and I have always looked up to them.

I would always ask a ton of questions and would listen to their conversations about their students.  I found what they were talking about so interesting.  They always took the time to listen to me and talk to me and that encouraged me to want to be like them.  I found it fascinating to learn about the diversity of their students and I knew that I, too, wanted to have that experience.  My brother, cousins, and I would "play school" on the weekends and, of course, I was always the teacher.  My aunt mentored me in so many ways, including letting me come to her classroom and giving me old teachers' books to play with.  She would  even show me how to put grades in a grade book.

I want to educate my students, like I saw my aunt do with her students.  Her students looked up to her so much and they even remember specific things she taught them, so many years ago.  She made a lasting impression on them, and that is what I wish to do for my own students.  I want to mentor them and show them how to be inspired by what they could learn!






Tom Johnson's "Don't Let Them Take the Pencils Home!"


This post really hit home with me. It was great to see that throughout the post, the teachers were able to come up with a solution to their problem. Instead of just taking the pencils away from the students, to keep their own reputations in tact, they worked out a way that the children would still benefit from.

The school that my own children go to, is a small town school. They are a very good school, but they are also very centralized on great test scores (some of the highest in our county), and I wish they would read this post (which I may suggest they do).

It is really good to see how passionate the teacher was about trusting the students to stay interested and use the pencils correctly. Even if they didn't, they would most likely learn something from their experiences.

C4T 10/30

The past few weeks, I commented on Lee Kolbert's blog post

"Apple For a Teacher Contest"

In this post she explains about how she was selected to judge a contest in where the teacher who won could win an apple computer.  The teacher is nominated and someone would send in an essay explaining why that teacher deserved to win.

"My name is Deena and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I am majoring in Elementary Education. I come from a long line of teachers and I think it is really great that people can nominate a teacher to win this contest. I have an uncle, who just recently, won the honor of receiving the "Superintendent of the Year" award for Alabama!! I am very excited to be joining this field, and feel so great knowing that I have family members who have always helped me."

Thursday, October 20, 2011

My second post was about a video she had posted about plagiarism.  It was a very educational, simple video that explained the definition of plagiarism very well.

"My name is Deena Martin and I attend the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama.  I watched this video on Plagiarism and I really think it is a great teaching tool for students!  In this video, plagiarism is explained very well and it is easy for any age student to understand.  I am really glad that I watched it and I plan to show it to my own children, who are in school now."

Smart Board Project #13

Blog Post #9

In reading, Mr. Joe McClung's "What I've Learned This Year" (May 27, 2009) he stated: "An Important decision I have made this year is Stay Positive"

In this post Mr. McClung talked about how inexperienced he was as a first year teacher, but also about how much he learned during that year! He talked about how teachers could get carried away, teaching for their superiors, rather than focusing on their students and making sure they understand the lessons.

"NO LESSON IS EVER PERFECT. THE LESSON YOU TEACH AND THE ONE YOU PLAN ARE ALWAYS DIFFERENT."

Mr. McClung explained how he always liked to be in control, and didn't like it when things didn't go his way or the way he planned. He said he learned he had to "get over it". He would just try to make due with whatever came his way. He said You, as a teacher, need to: be flexible, communicate, be reasonable, don't be afraid of technology, Listen to your students, and Never stop learning!

He advised to always communicate with fellow teachers and co-workers, to build better relationships. When he talked about being reasonable, he said not to hold our students expectations too high, and don't be dissapointed if they don't meet our expectations. We, as teachers, are to encourage a student who fails at something, to try again and not to be afraid to do so.

When Mr. McClung talked about technology, he was very humerous, saying, "Grown adults everywhere are afraid of computers like it's a bad horror film and computers are trying to take over the world."
To me, this was a good way to get his point across that computers will not harm us, and can actually be a great resource for us to use. I really enjoyed reading the part about listening to your students. I agree with him, that listening to what your students have to say is a giant necessity! It is important that we know our students and what is going on with them. By knowing this information, it can help us understand how and why a particular acts the way they do.

Finally, at the end of this blog post, Mr. McClung talked about how important it is for us to always be learning. We will be of no use to our students if we are "set in our ways" or refuse to change our outlook or absorb new information. Like he said, "We owe it to our students."



I also read Mr. McClung's blog post from his third year as a teacher.
"What I Learned This Year" by Mr. McClung

To start off, I noticed in this post that he seemed more familiar with writing and he even had a picture of his homeroom students, from the last day of school. He began the blog by talking about how (his third year) was the "first experience as a head coach", and how it was also his first year "as a computer applications teacher". He also talked about how he found himself trying to please everyone.

"Our decision making process should always be student centered and not centered around pleasing adults."

He insisted that students should always be the main focus on how we teach. I completely agree with this, as I have four children, I know how everything I do in life is for them; To help them, benefit them; and teach them. The same is true of the students we teach (that is why we are there). We are here for them; to help them; benefit them; and teach them!

Mr. McClung also talked about how there will always be teachers who don't want to change things or try anything different. In light of these people, we don't have to become discouraged. We remain excited about the things the interest us and make our own ways, our own changes. He also explained that it's even okay to "not fit in with teachers". He enjoys eating and staying connected with his students. (I also read the comments that other teachers made, at the end of this post, about this point. It was very interesting to me, how the teachers gave their opposite opinions about certain points that Mr. McClung made. I enjoyed reading the comments, especially when Mr. McClung wrote back and thanked them for their comments, and even wrote back to them.)

He mentioned that we need to let our students learn for themselves as much as possible, and not take over for them. They will never do the work on their own, if they know we will do it for them! At the end he explained, that as teachers we should not get "comfortable" with how we teach. We need to be willing to make changes and keep things different and interesting to our students.

I truly enjoyed reading Mr. McClung's blogs. They were very helpful to me. I feel like I learned a lot from what he had to say!

Project #11 "Little Cloud"

Project #12 "I Can Be ANYTHING!"

My PLN

I have been working on my PLN and have found a lot  of great resources and tools.  I was very surprised at how easy and fun it has been, creating my own PLN.  I feel like this is going to be a great tool for me to use now and as an educator!  I am so happy that I have begun to learn how to use this learning network and I am very grateful for it's ease of use and resources!  I still have a long way to go, but I am happy with the progress that I have made so far!

http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/homewebmix166

Wiki "My Friend Lucy"

Sarah Powell and I collaborated on a wiki project.  We put together our very first children's book about a little girl who had to get glasses!  We are proud of our little story and hope you all enjoy it!  Here is the link:

http://myfriendlucy.wikispaces.com/-/My%20Friend%20Lucy/Team%201/

C4T Content and Comments week 9/25

For my C4T comments this week, I commented on two blog posts by Kim Cofino.

http://kimcofino.com/blog/

"Learning Together at Learning 2.011"

"I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I am in the college of education, studying to get my elementary education degree. I read your blog post today and I feel very intrigued. There is still quite a bit that I need to learn, in the way of standards, terminology, and much of the technology now being used. I have learned a great deal of valuable information when it comes to finding and using resources on the internet.

I enjoyed reading your post and aim to learn a lot from it. I am one of those people that agrees with the "hands on" experience. I really get into a lesson or speech, when I can see something concrete to learn from. Many children need that kind of stimulation to intrigue their minds and imagination. I work well in any situation, whether it is just listening or seeing something for myself. I like how you explained in great detail about all the aspects of the conference. It will even be a great resource for perspective teachers as well as educators now. I look forward to being able to attend conferences to help me with my teaching and instruction in my very own classroom!"


Advice from an Expert: Dr. Mary Hayden on Measuring 1:1 Sucess
Posted By: Kim Cofino

"I am a junior at USA in Mobile and I am studying to be an elementary teacher. I liked reading your blog post this week. I feel like there is still so much that I need to learn before becoming a teacher. You gave a lot of detailed, and important information. I also like that you put so many links that we can click on to learn more about the information you posted. I believe that reading your blogs will be very helpful and very beneficial to teachers and also to future teachers! I think your blog page is very helpful as well, and it is very easy to navigate, with a lot of very good information! Thanks so much!"

Bog Post #7

Randy Pausch's "Last Lecture"

http://images.usatoday.com/life/_photos/2008/07/25/pausch-familyx.jpg

In this video Dr. Pausch explains about his cancerous tumors, and that he only has a few good months to live. He was very humerous and said he just needed to deal with the cards he was dealt. There was nothing he could do to change it. I love when he talked about not being in denial about his tumors. He even said he was in better shape "than most of you" and got on his hands and feet and did push-ups. He went on to explain the things "We're not talking about". He didn't want to talk about cancer (because he did that a lot), and didn't want to talk about his family, or religion. He said those things he can't talk about "without tears".

Instead, he talked about "childhood dreams", "enabling the dreams of others", and "Lessons learned: how you can achieve your dreams or enable the dreams of others". He talked about his childhood and how he went back through his old pictures and couldn't find a picture when he wasn't smiling. That is so important and is also something that I hope my children will be able to say in the future! (That they were always happy!) That shows how great of a childhood he had and the pictures are proof of that fact. He talked about many specific childhood dreams that he had when he was younger. He explained how not reaching some of his goals was actually a good thing for him, because it taught him life lessons. One of his examples was of a coach that told him everything he was doing wrong. The assistant coach came up and told Randy that it was a good thing that the coach was telling him what he was doing wrong. That meant the coach cared enough and had faith in Randy, and was trying to help him.

"Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted".

"Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things"

Blog Post #6

Wendy Drexler: The Networked Student

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjnJoCPzpnl4UcT3t4GeCSFnIDdWp0HZxwBRLTTlUGJ2lPqx9_PIOzYUge-xor-c3g4hvFMEaB-TJrsxfODde_wjNkNvszqAzF8WcHPA4cuegJaUoNc67ZsNsfbrIcKzNW8LAU53nfoXj/

This video explained a great deal about connectivity (connecting "online" with the classroom). We have so much technology in this world now, it begs the question "Why do we still need teachers?" Well, the answer is a simple one. How would a student learn how to use a computer, i-Phone, i-Pad, or any other device, if someone never showed them how to use it? Yes, there is a lot of information available for us to use from the internet, but we wouldn't know how to get to that information or use it, if no one showed us the basic steps to get there.

A teacher still needs to teach a student how to construct and use a learning network. A teacher is there to help the students when they don't understand how to do something and help them with the steps to do it correctly. A teacher still needs to help the students organize their information and put it together intelligently and in a way that reflects positively for them. I believe that the use of this technology is a good thing, but I do not think that it should totally replace "pen and paper work". I still think there needs to be physical paper work, so that students do not lose the ability to think for themselves. I believe there is a great middle ground where meshing technology with "the old ways of school" can come together peacefully, where it is of great benefit to students!





A 7th Grader's PLE (Personal Learning Environment) {or PLN - Personal Learning Network}

http://static02.symbaloo.com/static/img/temp_webmix_thumb.png

It was amazing to listen to this 7th grader explain in such great detail how to use her learning environment. She was very organized with her arrangement of school icons and personal icons. It was a great idea for her to separate them so she knows where the educational information was and where her personal interests were located. In doing this, she showcased the ease of use by being organized. She did a great job with exploring and using her information to help her with school and with the gathering of information.

My PLN differs from her PLN because mine has a lot more resources for teachers and educators.  I also have a great deal of children's resources and not so much in the game category or general interests.

April Girls Podcast

EDM 310- Podcast- Rafe Esquith's "Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire"- CH 1,2,17 and epilogue by BrookeThompson09

C4K September Summary Post

The first of my C4K comments (September 12, 2011) was supposed to be to a student named Brennan, but (at the time of my comment) his latest post was in 2008, so I chose another student named, Maranda. Her school is in Auckland, New Zealand.

I commented on her August 31, 2011 blog post about her exciting day at school. She explained about how they had (our version of) "field day" at school. She talked about playing slingshot, had races, and played water sports. I told her where I lived and that I am a student at USA. I expressed to her that her day at school sounded like fun and that my kids have a field day also. My children usually have field day at the end of the year, where Maranda's field day was in the beginning of the year. I told her that one of the water games they play at her school, is just like one of the games my kids play at their school. All the kids really seem to enjoy field day. I really enjoyed reading her blog post and wished her a great school year.

Another C4K comment I made (September 15, 2011) was to Da2011. In her blog post she wrote about her family, the sport she plays, and about her dog surviving a tornado. I told her that I am studying to be a teacher. I also shared that we have a common love for animals, as I have dogs at home also. I was glad to hear that her dog was okay after the tornado and explained about how brave he was and how he must have been scared. I also shared that I played softball (which is the sport that she plays now). I told her I played second base and outfield. She recently responded to my comment and said she also plays second base, as well as, pitches for her team. She also asked me what kind of dog I have. I responded back to her, telling her that I have a Pomeranian, a mix bread dog, and now we have 5 puppies!




My final C4K comment in September, (September 19, 2011) was to a group of students that go to St. Elmo school. The students there wrote letters to express their gratitude to Lucy Buffett for her generous donation of funds for the students to be able to attend field trips. She also got the entire class i-Pads to use in school. Each of the students wrote a letter to Lucy, thanking her for the opportunity she had given them to take the trips and use the i-Pads.

First, I commented to the entire class. I told them how amazing their letters to Lucy were and about how much she would appreciate them. They did a great job with their writing. I wished them a great school year and told them it was great that they were learning so much.

My next comment was to Jenna (one of the students that received the ability to use an i-Pad in school). She did a great job with her letter and I noticed that she thanked Lucy specifically for the i-Pad and field trips. That is always a good thing to do, when you specifically mention something in your writings. It was also an excellent way to show Lucy how much Jenna appreciated what she did. I know they will definitely enjoy the use of technology that they now have access to.



Also on this date (September 19, 2011), I commented on "Reflections, Questions, and Discoveries: Interview Book Report". It was a podcast posted by Martha Yim, featuring Elise and Cade (students in the St. Elmo school). I think they did a great job in their podcast. They did an interview book report about Satchel Paige (a baseball player). They didn't seem nervous on camera and did a great job, for their very first time doing a podcast!

I really enjoyed reading all of these students posts and commenting on them! They are very interesting and really show the diversity of this world!

My Time Toast

Blog Post #5

"Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff, Please?" By Dr. Scott McLeod

Dr.McLeod is an associate professor in Iowa.
I wrote a comment to Dr.McLeod : "I am a student in EDM310 at USA. I find your blog post very interesting. I agree with you on many aspects and believe it’s good for kids to explore. I also disagree with you about a few things. I believe that younger children do need to be sheltered to a degree from the activity on the internet. I, myself, have four children and would never let them on YouTube right now, because they are still in the early years of elementary school. To an older student though, the use of YouTube for educational purposes is very useful. The way you laid out the blog post, however, I believe is very impressionable!"

"The iSchool Initiative" By Travis Allen

In this video Mr. Allen expressed how his high school was making budget cuts and letting teachers go. He came up with a plan about using an iPhone to create an "iSchool". Travis showed many different resources that could easily be used for educational purposes. He believes in getting rid of paper in the classroom, eliminating textbooks, and using scientific calculators on the iSchool (rather than buying an expensive calculator).

In his presentation he showed the average cost of one students' materials to go to school. In total they amounted to approximately $600 for only one student. His argument was that a student could buy an iSchool for only about $150. The amount of savings would be incredible, not to mention, a parent would not have to go out and buy all those school supplies for their high school children. I believe it is a great idea and I really appreciate the fact that "apps" and websites would be educational only. Travis presented a very good case that I believe would be good for high school students to use.

Travis and his new team (of 25 students) have done great work with their technological ideas. It's awesome to see that they have been able to travel and help schools adopt their iSchool ideas and put them to use.

Eric Whitacre's "Virtual Choir"

In watching this virtual choir, I have to say that, I was very impressed. The collaboration of all the different people, from all different places and settings, molded together very nicely. It was amazing how all those diverse people in their own atmosphere's and parts of the world (having never met), were all put together harmoniously. At first, I thought it would be quite strange, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! This video shows how much can be done, and is being done with the use of new technology and the internet.

"Teaching in the 21st Century" By Kevin Roberts

Kevin Roberts presentation was extremely powerful. It challenges a teacher to really take a look at how and what they are teaching. He asks many questions throughout the presentation. His approach really makes you think deeply about what he is saying, and he also uses sarcasm as a way to reach out to his readers. The methods of teaching have changed tremendously in the past years.

We, as teachers, will have to modify the way we teach our students. No more are the years of telling students to look up a word in a dictionary, or an encyclopedia. The internet has made this century so "touch of a button" that students don't regularly use books as much as they do a computer. In this aspect, we need to make our students assignments more engaging, so they won't just "look it up online and print". We need to ask them in ways where they will have to work their minds to find a good answer.

Project #6 My Sentence

Blog Post #4

Eagle Nest Radio and Class Blog

I enjoyed listening to this podcast because it was narrated by a great group of third graders. They were very animated and explained what they were talking about very well. They explained the ways of a gladiator and about Roman architecture, and about how Julius Caesar was killed. They also talked about Cleopatra, the last Pharaoh of Egypt (not originally from there).

I thought it was great that a group of third grade kids could do such a great job on a podcast. This is something that I haven't done yet, and I know if a third grader can do it, that I will be able to do so as well!



The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom By: Joe Dale

http://joedale.typepad.com/integrating_ict_into_the_/2009/04/the-benefits-of-podcasting-in-the-classroom.html

This video explains that "podcasting is an effective way of interacting with students, outside of the traditional classroom." It delivers radio and audio content that can be viewed at anytime.

A benefit to a podcast for a teacher would be that they could record their lecture and allow students to view it as a review or even at home if that student has been sick. A podcast is audio content that is recorded on a computer and a vodcast incorporates video with audio. In the video the students liked watching podcasts because they were exciting and they made learning the material easier and more fun. They also liked the fact that they could act while putting together the podcast. Even the principle approved the podcasts believing them to be a great interactive way of getting the students to learn while participating.

I feel as though a podcast will be a great way to reach students and get them more excited about learning. It is a new way of presenting material and getting the students to participate in class. I am exciting to learn how to use the equipment available online, and doing a podcast of my own.



How to Create a Podcast

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hrBbczS9I0

In this video I learned about the tools needed to create a podcast: they are; a microphone, audio editing software, a website to upload podcast to, and an RSS feed. This video is a great teaching tool for how to create podcasts! It was very informational and detailed with its descriptions of exactly how to navigate the websites and begin the podcast. I will definitely use this website when I am learning how to do a podcast of my own. It showed step by step exactly how to download needed software and how to execute beginning a podcast. It doesn't get any easier than following the directions on this video!

Pieces of Me.....Google Presentation

Blog Post #3

I commented on Taylor Lane's blog today. I enjoyed reading it because he was very descriptive and informative. I also liked how he integrated pictures into his blog post. I offered my compliments and suggestions publicly because I feel like it is a great motivator for the author. It feels good to see compliments and also suggestions to help make his writing better.



"It's Not About the Technology" Posted by Kelly Hines

http://geeyouareyou.com/subscribe/mailimg/Original%20Computer.jpg

Mrs. Hines blog is not about the use of technology, but about the importance of the teachers' education. It is extremely important for a teacher to not just teach but he or she needs to be a life long learner. It does no good for a teacher to have an expensive piece of technology in their classroom, if that teacher does not know how to use it well enough or can't explain the use of it to a student.

She talks about how teaching and learning are not the same thing. "Learning will not look the same to all students or all teachers, but it must be the goal." Basically, I believe that if a teacher doesn't put forth the effort to keep up with technology, that teacher may not understand some of what their students do. If the teacher can not connect with the student, how much is that teacher really teaching??



Karl Fisch "Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?"

http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/cza0840l.jpg

Mr. Fisch writes about the literacy of teachers about technology. He believes it is almost immoral to not understand fluently how to use a computer and programs associated with one. I agree that a teacher should know a great deal about technology, when we are in an age where technology is so prominent in the world.

There are many advantages to understanding these technologies and passing them on to our children and students. We as teachers greatly influence our children and students by the actions we take and the words we say. We would be very discouraging, if we as teachers, told a student "I don't know much about that". We also would even look like a bad teacher because it would be as if we weren't even willing to learn about it. What kind of message would that send to our students?



Gary Hayes Social Media Count




I had no idea how fast social media was rising in the world. When I looked at this media counter, I was astonished at the numbers. They consistently rise by the second. In a way this is scary to me, to think how fast the world is changing. I also believe that it is a great thing to be able to associate with so many people from all over the world.

By gaining access to so many diverse cultures and opinions, it can be very helpful to us. It can also be beneficial for us to be up to date on what is going on in the world. That way we can be socially literate and knowledgeable.



Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today


This video was very eye-opening for me. I never realized how much time any one person would spend on the computer, phone, and even watching TV. The video was extremely attention getting with all the students holding up their papers with their specific statistics on them.

It is very concerning to think about the fact that a job I am going to school for now, may not even exist by the time I graduate. It shows how much of a person's everyday life is consumed by technology and all the "old school" methods are becoming outdated. Teachers need to be able to be on a students level with the increasingly fast pace of the technology explosion.

C4T Content and Comments week 9/11

I read Paula White's "Beyond the Assessment Institute" that she posted on May 1, 2011. In this post Ms. White explains the process of assessing a student. It includes these factors: process, task and item creation, and leadership. She explains that this has come from leaders that see this assessment as a process. Then she questions that concept and if teachers will really leave a three day conference with new skills is assessing.

My comment to her is summarized here: Basically, I said that after a three day conference (CAI), that I would hope that teachers would leave with a better understanding of how to instruct their students. I, myself, have a long way to go before I truly understand the real meaning of assessment. I plan to pay close attention and try to retain all the information that I can to use for my students.

I also read Paula White's post of "Wiki Work" on April 5, 2011. Ms. White was asked to share some wiki's that they could share in a presentation. She shared one that a group of fourth graders put together. Some students ended up composing a story and others began creating pages to add. The children seemed very motivated. Ms. White was amazed by the children and their "willingness to work hard".

My comment to her is summarized here: Basically, I told Ms. White that I loved how the kids were able to create their own stories. This really showcases their imagination and creativity!

Blog Post #2

In watching the "Did You Know 3.0", ( www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9Wu2kWwSY ) I learned a great deal of information. It is very interesting to me how extensive the numbers were for so much of technology. I never realized how fast computers and internet usage updated and spread. If you would have asked me 10 years ago, if I would have a laptop, I would have answered, "No". Today there is so much technology that we would have never thought of years ago.

Who would have ever guessed that a phone would be made and all would have to do was touch the screen to use it? Who would have ever thought that we could be on the internet on our cell phones? When I was in school I didn't even have the internet at home, and not until I was at the end of middle school, I had never even heard of a cell phone.

"Mr. Winkle Wakes" by Mathew Needleman is a very strong example of a school that has been unchanged by technology. Sometimes, technology scares me, as I have always been more comfortable with things that stay the same. I have come to learn that the world is always changing and if I don't "change with it", I may not be able to function smoothly in society in the years to come.
Mr. Winkle wakes from a long sleep and realizes that everything in his life and world has changed. I could never imagine waking to something like that. I am extremely grateful to be learning all that I am now, about the computer and all the unique features of it, as well as the internet. I think in the future, I will find many of the resources I have learned about to be useful in my own teaching career.



In Sir Ken Robinson's: "The Importance of Creativity",                                                                                  ( www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html ) he brings up many valid points about the diminishing of creativity in schools. The schools now are primarily focused on certain subjects, such as Math or English. There is a great deal of importance attached to children learning these subjects and doing well in them. Art and music are used for an "elective" (maybe something that is not even required in school) but there are not given the level of importance that other subjects are given.
It seems as though creativity is put on the "back burner" when it comes to education. No one is looking for things that are original, anymore. They are looking for who may be the smartest or know the most information about something, but not for the art or creativeness in it. I believe it is absolutely true that in five years we will have no idea what this world will be like. It is up to us to encourage students to use their creativity and imaginations. They may even be grander than our own, and even be beyond our abilities to believe!

In Cecilia Gault's - Interview of Sir Ken Robinson, I see how very important it is to educate students about the use of technology. Each year it only gets more complex and also more common. The only reasonable thing to do is to educate our children and students at a very young age about technology. The earlier they learn it, the more they will learn and the better off they will be. ( blogs.scholastic.com/kidspress/2010/09/breaking-creative-myths.html  )

"Harness Your Students Digital Smarts" ( www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-teachers-vicki-davis-video )
In today's world, technology is a very important resource. So much of the world can be accessed from a computer or telephone. In this video Ms. Davis had the students using computers and virtual programs to connect with other students all over the world. This is a very good technique, as it gives the students a unique opportunity to interact with other students and cultures.
In doing this, the students also become extremely educated about computers and the vast technology that is available through them. This approach opens a students mind to the many opportunities available in the world. It also gives them knowledge of how to use these opportunities to their own advantages.

About Me. & Wordle #1

My name is Deena Martin.  I am originally from Gulf Shores, Alabama.  I have lived in southern Alabama since I was 9 years old.  I graduated high school in 2001, and completed two years at Faulkner State Community College.  In 2004, I put school on hold to get married and have our first child.   Since that time I have been a stay at home mom, while my husband works.  We now live in Flomaton, Alabama and we have four beautiful children.

In August of 2010, I decided to go back to school to get my degree in Elementary Education.  I graduated from Faulkner State in May of this year, and applied to USA to further my education.  Since I was a young girl, I have always wanted to be a teacher.  I have many family members who are in the education field, and I have always had a lot of guidance from them.  I am very excited to be given this opportunity to complete my degree and become a teacher!
 Management

In watching Randy Pausch's "Time Management" I learned that it is a lot better to make a "To Do List" and work to carry it out.  It also is better to do the most difficult task first.  By doing that a person can feel better about their ability to complete the remaining tasks at hand.

This is the first video that I have seen from Mr. Pausch, but I am very intrigued and look forward to seeing some of the other lectures he has given.