Blog Post 10

Morgan Bayda's Blog with a summary post and video of Dan Brown.

Morgan Bayda had a wonderful blog. There were many things that she mentioned that I agree with. She talked about using different types of technology in her class. She mentioned PLNs, Twitter and blogs. She also talked about using multimedia.

She shared a great video on her blog that I also agree with. The video was done by Dan Brown and his opinions of schools and their need to change. Dan said that society is in the "information age" and our schools and educators need to embrace it. We need to change they way we teach our students.

This day and time the students respond so well to technology. It's seems like it's more of the teachers that have the insecurities and the willingness to learn, adapt, and change. I know there are fifth graders that know more about different types of technology than I do. I am having to work harder it seems to catch up to what comes second nature to them.

I do not agree with Dan dropping out of college. While college may seem overrated to some I think it is a must for me. I love to learn from direct professionals regarding the field I am entering. True, I could probably get the same connection online; however, I prefer to get one on one attention in person. I like putting the face and personality to the instructor.

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

I enjoyed reading this blog. I think we are often so quick to focus on the problem and not the solution. I loved that he used "pencils" as his example. I think teaching and learning are more than grades and test scores. Anyone can memorize something short term to make a good grade on a test. I think we need to focus more on getting our students involved, interacting more with technology, be more creative and change our style of teaching to accommodate the new revolution of the information age.

Two Questions That Can Change Your Life by Daniel Pink  
   
Daniel Pink made a great video asking "what is your sentence?". For some the sentence comes easy and for others, well, they are still thinking. Mine, luckily comes easy. My sentence has always been: She was kind and always helpful and always loved learning something new. Clare Booth Luce, one of the first women in Congress, states that every great man is a sentence. President Lincoln's sentence was "He preserved the union and freed the slaves". President Roosevelt sentence was "He He lifted us out of a great depression and helped us win a world war". Daniel said Luce worried Kennedy was trying to do too many things and that his sentence risked becoming a muddled paragraph. I think we should always go back to our sentence and make sure it stands for who we are and that we never let it become a muddled paragraph.

Additional Assignment # 3

Sir Ken Robinson Changing Paradigms

I think Sir Ken Robinson has some great ideas. I agree that we "society" medicate for everything now. I think we should let children be who they are and learn the way they need to learn. We as parents and as educators need to educate ourselves better to figure ways to reduce ADHD without the use of harsh medications.

I also agree that we should not have such a standard way of learning. Everyone learns differently. Technolohttp://www.blogger.com/comment-published.g?blogID=3460124872007067602gy can play such a huge role in helping our children learn more because learning can be fun! There may be a child that has trouble spelling but by playing games (even with other classmates or virtual classmates) on the computer will increase his ability to spell because he/she simply are having fun...while learning.

Sir Ken Robinson made an impressive statement. He said that we should collaborate more and veer away from standardization. I think we should let our students do more collaborative projects. I think there are more students that would learn more in a collaborative setting vs. learning individually. I know that I enjoy and tend to learn more feeding off my classmates, friends, co-workers, etc. Using podcasts, blogs and other forms of technology is a great way to get students to interact and collaborate with others from their school or with students from around the world.

I LOVED the way this presentation was put together. The message was great but the media that was used made it amazing! I will learn how to do this so I can use it in my classroom or on other assignments in my classes at South. I think it's impressive. If my group were to do a presentation using this media, I think I would play three roles: idea generator, narrator, and designer.

Google Docs Video

Found this and wanted to share. Compliments of E-Learning and Online Teaching by Dennis O'Conner.

Interview - Project 12

Blog Post 9

"What I Have Learned This Year" by Mr. McClung

Mr. McClung had a great post! He made several statements that I will always keep in the back of my mind as I develop my teaching career. It is important to understand we are teaching to children and while having high expectations are great we need to make them obtainable by our students. We also need to "listen" to our students. A simple skill can make all the difference. Mr. McClung was correct about communication. It is essential to not only communicate well with our students but also our fellow teachers and superiors.
Mr. McClung said that we should not be afraid of technology. If you have read any of my posts you would know I agree strongly with him. While it takes time and ambition to learn about technology I am confident the advantages will out way the disadvantages therefore giving a greater end result for our students.

I am excited to see what my comments will be after my first year of teaching.
I will use Mr. McClung's comments to help me in my first year.

Project 11 Short Movie

Blog Post 8

This Is How We Dream by Richard Miller

I enjoyed watching this video. I think Richard Miller expresses a good point about where we used to be, studying in libraries and using textbooks, to where we are going, the unimaginable. People used to spend hours in libraries studying and now people can grasp anything via the web in a matter in seconds.
Richard Miller also showed several documents that he put together that intrigues me. It's amazing all the different types of text, images, and film that he used. His example of Dr. Martin Luther King was incredible. Documents like this are our future.

It is mind-boggling to me how we are in such an enormous transition in technology. To think we can make simple documents and writings move, have audio and several images and text collectively is incredible. Richard Miller made an accurate statement that our society is changing and we need inspiring teachers with teaching visual literacy to help bridge the gap. Our would is changing through technology and I can't wait to be a part of it!

EDM310 is Different

In EDM310 is Different, the Chipper Series and EDM310 for Dummies I had some of the same issues. At first I was overwhelmed. I had no idea where to start. I read the syllabus and instruction manual and got more confused and stressed out. I had no idea how I was going keep all the assignments organized. The primary message is to not be overwhelmed and embrace the class and you will be amazed at what you learn.

The first two weeks were an adjustment. As time went on I fell into the grove of things and found myself learning more and inspiring to be more simply because of this class. Prior to EDM310 I had not thought much about technology in the classroom and now I can't find enough information. I want to be the teacher that keeps her student's involved and interacts with some of the best technology that is available. I have joined Classroom 2.0 to collaborate and learn from teachers that use technology in their classrooms. I am finding out what they are using and what works, what does not work and how the student's respond.

I would to create videos on the research that I have found in regards to technology in the classroom and information that has been passed to me from virtual networking and localized networking. I have been given helpful tips from teachers from all over about types of technology they use in their classroom and where they think technology is heading in our schools.

Why Smartboards Are A Dumb Initiative by Michael Straton and Why I Hate Interactivev Whiteboards by Bill Ferriter

Michael Straton's Why Smartboards Are A Dumb Initiative and Bill Ferriter, Why I Hate Interactive Whiteboards are interesting posts to read. I do not agree with either one. I personally believe interactive whiteboards are awesome. All the teachers I have talked to said they love their interactive whiteboards and their students respond so well to it. The students have an increased desire to learn. The teachers I talked to used Symbaloo to incorporate different videos and web images into their lectures. They had the students come to the board to work out math problems while using other interactive tools that made learning math more enjoyable.

I went to my son's PTO meeting at his school and all the parents were instructed to stay in their child's classroom instead of heading to the school gymnasium. After viewing the classroom, the work my son had created and spoke to his teacher, the principal came over the intercom and announced that every parent needed to remain in the classroom for the presentation. The principal used the Promethean boards that were in each class for the presentation. During the slide show the principal showed all the testing schools over the past several years and the amazing improvement the student's had made. I noticed that the scores were low before each class received the Promethean boards and a tremendous improvement afterward. This could be a coincidence but I don't think so. Children loved to be involved and technology is becoming second nature to them. I definitely intend on using them in my classroom.

Additional Assignments #2

How Kids Teach Themselves by Sugata Mitra

This video was about the Hole in the Wall experiment by Sugata Mitra and I found it encouraging and interesting. I think motivated learners, even children, can teach themselves. All that is necessary to for children to teach themselves is a way of getting and gathering information and they will have the natural desire to figure out how to operate and learn. The same applies for adults.

Computers play a huge role in the process because one can find unlimited information in one simple and easy to use location. Problems, questions or multiple problems or questions play an important role. Without questions or problems I don't believe the children would have a desire to learn.

You motivate someone to learn by providing motivation and encouragement such as the "granny cloud" Sugata Mitra uses. Having someone support the children will motivate them to learn more. People that are not motivated can still learn but I think they are limited to the amount of information they will obtain. As Sugata Mitra said, children leaning in groups communicated and researched together, learning more.

I teach myself something new everyday. The internet / technology is my teacher. There is such a vast array of information available at the click of a button that it is hard not to want to learn more.

A teacher plays a huge role in learning. Children still need the motivation. If not, the granny cloud would not be needed or used. Children can learn on their own but with the motivation and guidance from a teacher they are encouraged to learn more.

I know the importance of technology and how easy it is to use. I have also realized that children have an alarming sense to gain knowledge.

I think teachers should keep embracing technology. Our children have proved that they can teach themselves using it. It should be our job to guide them and teach them using these amazing tools. We can enhance their knowledge and they seem to respond well to it.

I went to my son's PTO meeting earlier this year and noticed they do all of the announcements to parents via the Promethean boards that are located in everyone classroom. The principal went over the results of the last few years of testing scores. Prior to the daily use of the Promethean boards the test scores were relatively low. After using the Promethean boards and teachers encouraging the interaction the tests scores rose incredibly high. Most of the scores had reached an all time high. Is it coincidence?

Blog Post 7

I recommend Randy Pausch's last lecture to anyone. This is a man that has learned what living is all about. He has ten tumors in his liver and has about three to six months of good health left. He talked about his dreams as a child and what they each meant to him. We all have dreams that we aspire to achieve. Randy made his childhood dreams come true and gave a very inspirational speech on how we can achieve our dreams too.

After his introduction about his childhood and his dreams he spoke about his family and how much they meant to him. He talked about how important it was to help others achieve their dreams and how he set out to become that important person in their life. He talked about life experiences that he would use to help others.

He talked about his career(s) and how he became a professor. He knew this was his "place". This is where he could have the most impact on someone to help them achieve their childhood dream. He realized he would leave his "imprint" in a different way than other professors. He would reach them through technology.  His approached touch many and the results were better than he anticipated.

At the end of his lecture, Randy left some important thoughts that we should all live by. A person should listen to any feedback given to them and use it to better themselves. He mentioned  in the beginning of his lecture that brick walls are there for people who want "it" enough. If you let the brick wall defeat you then you obviously didn't want "it" bad enough. He talked about how important it was to have fun no matter what you do. He also said we should help others. One key point he point he made though his whole lecture was to not let you dreams go by the waste side. Embrace the opportunities, no matter how hard, and achieve your dream. He not only helped people achieve their dreams but achieved his as well. I think we should all make our lives count for something. Randy Pausch did.

PLN progress post

I took me a little while to figure out what a PLN is. I used Symbaloo to do my PLN and it is the greatest thing. One click and I can access my most use places on the internet. I have everything from my gmail, yahoo, facebook, USA homepage, news, sports, shopping (Ebay) and many others. I also have several networking icons like classroom 2.0 and plurk.

Project 9: My Timeline

Summary Post C4T Teacher #2

I was assigned to Ann Carnevale's Blog. She had a very interesting post in which I learned something that was very helpful. She wrote about bookmarking in large PDF files. I use large PDF files daily and I never knew this tool was available. It's amazing how much time it saves you. I was so excited about what I had learned that I shared this wonderful information with my fellow colleagues and they all new about it. I thought, where have I been all this time and why did not one tell me? Thank you Ms. Carnevale for teaching me what everyone else already knew.

Blog Post 6

The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler
I think Wendy Drexler's movie was very good and I loved the little stick figure she used. I think networking is great for our students. I network through Facebook and now branching out to other networking sites. I think networking is a great way for student's to connect with other students, especially for specific assignments.
I know several students in high school that network. They use networking to do everything from classwork, group projects, making new friends or simply keeping in touch with their family and friends.  Most of this is done on their own and I think if more teachers would incorporate it in their classroom their learning experience would improve dramatically. 
It does take a lot of time to find all the sites and set everything up. The movie made everything so simple but in reality it is quite time consuming to find sites, videos, groups, etc. to follow. I would love to hear from other teachers that are currently networking in their classrooms so I can possibly learn of ways to save time and learn the best way to network for my students.
A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment
I loved the way this 7th grader had her PLE laid out. Ms. Drexler did a great job teaching her. She seems very organized and in touch with everything that is going on in her class. I think teaching our students to have a PLE is a great idea. I think students would become more productive, more engaged, and be more organized. Having all of the apps on one page is great. A simple click and the student can do anything.

The Machine is (Changing) Us by M. Welsch
I thought the Personal Democracy Forum by Dr. Wesch was very interesting. I have not personally used Youtube a lot. I normally watch home videos that people have posted. For me, it was a great way to entertain myself when nothing good is on tv. Since I have started this class I have been playing more and researching more on Youtube. Wow, people post anything. Dr. Wesch makes several great comments about how people post things and communicate because people can choose to be anonymous or they can choose to be heard. Media does impact our conversations. I loved the hand messages that was shown in the video. The "machine" is changing us and I hope it provides a positive movement just like the free hugs and the hand messages. I love the "coming together" of society.