Final Reflection

Project 16

Hope everyone enjoys this!

Final PLN

My PLN has definitely transformed from since I first made it. After working with Symbaloo and learning how to make tiles for just about anything I wanted, I started personalizing my PLN to better my needs for this class. I have now added tiles for teachers I like to follow, such as Kathy Cassidy. I really enjoy reading her blog post, and the tile I have made for her makes it very convenient. Although I have multiply tiles relating to EDM310 I also have added more entertainment as well, such as youtube and Pandora radio. Last but not least of course I have the social networking section and have finally gave in to using twitter. Once again like I have said before I think Symbaloo is an amazing tool to work with and will continue to use it!

C4K Summary

8
food chain!
"I am a student of Dr. Strange's EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. From the looks of the pictures everyone is working very hard on their food chains! I love how the students have the benefit of using laptops in the classroom to find out information on different species and what they eat. It also looks like everyone is working together, which is also a great way for the students to find out useful information on their projects. Good job everyone and keep up the fantastic work!"

9
It’s Remembrance day tomorrow. I think that it’s really important to remember the Soldiers that have past away, but not just them, remember the veterans, remember the soldiers that are fighting or have already fought in Afghanistan. If no one helped or stood up to Hitler then the whole world would be living-hell. If there were no soldiers, this land wouldn’t be free or safe. Tomorrow I’m going to pay my respects to any solders Veterans and rookies because they had enough guts to go overseas and fight for our country. I try to imagine what the world would be like if there wasn’t war, But then that wouldn’t be life, life isn’t that peaceful.

"Hi Jamie,
I am a student in Dr. Starnge’s EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. Your blog post is amazing and quite impressive! I can tell this is very important to you and it’s a great that you are sharing so others can also know it is Remembrance day. I also am very thankful of the soldiers that fight to keep our country free. The pictures you have added to your post are great, it gives people a visual image of what our soldiers are going through. I really enjoyed your post, thanks for sharing and keep up the good work!"

10
"Hi,
My name is Courtney Bellais and I am a student of Dr. Strange’s EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. I am taking this class so in the future when I am a teacher I can use a blogging with my students like your teacher is doing. Your picture is very creative and I love the little aliens. Great job, and keep up the good work!"

11
My two horses names are Naddie and Miracle. Naddie has a lot of history. Miracle dosen’t have much. Miracle when she was a foal. She lived with a different family. (I don’t know who.) They didn’t take good care of her. People thought she was going to die because of her health. She did so they named her Miracle. They took her away from the family, and she moved on to a different family. Now for Naddie’s story. She came from Germany in her mothers stomach. She got seperated from her mom when she was old enough to be sold. She went on to a horse trainer. She was trained very well by her owner. Then she was sold again to another owner. Down the road the two horses were sold once more to a family. But, they were sold to the same family one at a time. So they lived their lives together. Then the couple got to old to take care of them, so they sold them to my family. We played with them and road them. But as we got older the kids hung out with friends and barely spent time with them. So we sold them to Camp Foster in IA. ( I forgot the town Camp Foster is in.) Now they’re good at their new home and doing very well. Thank you for reading this post. The End

"Hi Amy,
I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed your story about your horses. When I was younger my family also had two horses, their names were Buba and Shadow, but we too had to give them to another family where they would be more useful. I’m sure your horses are very happy at the camp they were given to. Thank you so much for sharing and keep up the good work on your blog!"

Project 15

C4T #4 summary

For my comments for teachers I was assigned to John Burke and he teaches ninth grade physics for a private school in Atlanta. From the looks of John’s blog post I would have thought he was a college professor and taught much older students. In the first blog post I commented on called “A major breakthrough on the road to perfection,” he starts off by mentioning a student in his class that is struggling with perfection and then he comes up with an assignment for the situation. He sends an email explaining there is a special offer for the first three students that get back with him, and they will be taught how to solder and make a minipov toy. Of course his perfection student was one of the first to reply with interest in doing the project. John then explains how the project went great, he showed the three students in one day how to do an assignment that would usually be dragged out to at least a week. The students were very into learning and also showed they were enthused. In the end of his post he states “Yep, these are the days that I love my job.”

My comment to this post was “I liked this post and think it is a great idea to get students involved with something they can learn outside of the classroom. I am definitely far from the perfectionist, but I do like learning new and interesting things. On the road to being a future educator I can only hope that I will have students interested and thrilled to learn new things such as yours were this day.”

In John Burke’s second blog post I commented on called “No stress exam package,” he asks the question why do students stress out and get so bummed about exam week. John compares exam week to BCS championship and says Cam Newton probably isn’t sitting around complaining about getting Auburn ready for the SEC Championship next weekend. In this post he is pretty much saying why do students prepare themselves for things such as sporting events with dedication and no complaining, but yet when it comes to exams they get all worked up. In conclusion he comes up with and awesome exam prep package. Exam Prep Guide

My comment to this post was “I have to admit I too am not a huge fan of exam week and only look forward to the break of the holidays after. I think your exam package is pretty great, and I’m definitely going to put it to use. I’d have to say number two is my favorite! There are so many times where I sit for hours at a time trying to study and I get burnt out or frustrated, so I like the interval idea with study and breaks. Another favorite of mine is the sleeping more of course, but I also get caught up with the college life and stay out late more than I should. Like I mentioned I am going to put your package to use and prepare myself the right way for my exams. Thank you so much for sharing it’s greatly appreciated!”

Additional Assingment 5

Well for starters it is obvious that Tom Johnson uses pencils for a lot of his metaphors in his blog post. This time around when I read “Don’t Let Them Take Pencils Home,” I replaced the word pencil with computer and it helped me understand this post more clearly. It is sad to read how important test scores are to Gertrude versus what and how the children are actually learning and taking from the classroom. I like how Tom came up with positive solutions for every negative thing Gertrude was trying to point out. Too many teachers have the wrong focus in the classroom and instead of worrying about test scores the main focus should simply be the knowledge and experience the students are gaining from their educators.

Blog Assignment 13

ALEX
ALEX stands for Alabama learning exchange, and it is a great website for educators to explore and receive helpful information they can use in the classroom. There are several resources that teachers can use from all subjects and for all age groups from k-12. ALEX provides anything ranging from lesson plans, to web links for teachers, administrators, and students. Alex also provides great information through pod cast, which can be very useful in the classroom. In my opinion ALEX can be the most resourceful for new teachers that are looking to make lesson plans or to add to one already made. It is also very simple to use, a teacher can get ideas for a lesson plan by selecting grade and subject. Before this assignment I have never looked at a learning exchange website, but I see how they can come in handy and be very helpful. When I become a teacher I will most definitely put ALEX or other learning exchange websites to use!

ACCESS
ACCESS is a distance learning website that provides equal learning opportunities for the whole state of Alabama and is available for all of the public schools. I think this is a good website so the students can be aware of what is happening not only in their school but also in the schools around them. This website also provides information about what classes and what opportunities are available to them.

Progress Report on Final Project

For my final project I am in a group with Lola Salano and Ellie Irish-Jones, and we have decided to make a music video about EDM310. The song is going to be a rap about how EDM310 started of us and how it has turned around towards the end. We will be singing our rap to the beat of “I Love College,” by Asher Roth. I would describe more in detail, but I’d rather it be a surprise!

Blog Assignment 12

For my blog assignment watch the video by Kim Smith called “The Twitter Experiment.” After watching this video write a paragraph on your opinion on twitter and if you think it can be a useful educational tool in the classroom.



At first I was not a big fan of twitter and to be honest I still don’t know how to fully use it, but I am willing to try to learn how and make it more resourceful for educational purposes. I don’t think twitter is a bad idea for the classroom, and Kim Smith makes a good point in showing that it helps students express things they want to say but don’t get the chance to in a class full of ninety people. Twitter is also convenient for students who don’t always have access to a computer because they can tweet using their phone. After watching the video and playing around on twitter a little myself I do think it can be helpful in the classroom, especially if the students are interested in tweeting and can help their fellow classmates learn through them.

Results from project 6

Have you ever really thought about the food you are consuming in your daily diet? We as college students have a reputation of having a very poor diet that may catch up with us in the future, but are we really not eating as healthy as we should? This is a short survey to determine if college students eat as healthy as they should. Every now and then you should stop and ask yourself, are you eating to live or living to eat?

Project 14

Blog Assignment 11

Little Kids… Big potential

For starters Kathy Cassidy is an amazing teacher! I recently had to comment on her blog for my comments for teachers assignment and it literally blows my mind how her students learn in her classroom. These are first grade students that are learning through internet tools such as blogging, skype, twitter, wiki, and by making there own videos to share, FRIST GRADERS! Another great thing about Kathy is that she is trying to spread the word across to other teachers on how technology can and obviously is very useful in the classroom. Her videos really inspire me to become a teacher as great as she is.

Skype Interview

Watching the skype video was very interesting and there was a lot of great questions asked. It was pretty shocking to see that Ms. Cassidy started working with technology for her classroom ten years ago and that she did with only the help of a technology coordinator. I also find it amazing that she was pretty much a self motivator, no one forced technology into her classroom she chose to imply it herself. I love when she states that “ Technology is not going away it is here to stay!” If only all teachers would realize how true this is and the technology is only going to continue to advance. In my opinion every teacher and future educator should look into what Kathy Cassidy’s has to share, and maybe then everyone can realize how important of a role technology can play in a child’s education.

C4T Summary #3

In Kathy Cassidy’s first blog post that I commented on she explains the benefits of letting children make videos in the classroom!

“Hi Kathy,
I am a student in Dr. Strange’s EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. In his class we are
learning lots of great ways to enhance the use of technology in the classroom. I think making videos is an excellent way to get the students not only interested in learning, but also excited about it. I enjoyed watching the video your students have made and thanks for sharing!”

In this blog post by Kathy Cassidy, she shares her story about going to Denver Colorado and showing this presentation!

“Hi Kathy,
I am a student in Dr. Strange’s EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. It’s really inspiring to know that you are spreading the benefits of technology being used in the classroom and how children are reacting to it. It’s quite amazing to see these children are using the same tools to learn as we are in my EDM310 class, such as twitter, skype, and having a their own blog. It’s shocking that I am just now learning how to put these things to great use and in your presentation elementary children are using them daily in the classroom. I loved seeing in your video that the children are actually using laptops and recording themselves with a flip camera to make their own videos for learning. Hopefully soon enough all teachers will using some sort of technology to enhance learning in their classrooms! Thank you so much for sharing!”

C4K Summary 3-7

3
In this post I commented on a young boy’s picture he drew on the computer using paint. It was a picture of a guy working construction and he was using a excavator.
“Hi Henry,
I am a student of EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. From the looks of your drawling I can tell you spent a lot of time towards detailing, and it looks great! I think your drawling also shows a lot of creativity, which brings the picture to life. Keep up the fantastic work!”

4
This term in Novel Study we can chose which book we want to read and then we study it during the term. We could chose out of these books : Chelonia Green, Lucy the Good, Spilled Water, Mahtab’s Story and A rose for the Anzac boy’s. I chose Mahtab’s story. It was a really good book . It was about a girl and her family who live in Afganistain and then they come to Australia on a VERY looooooooooooong Journey.I would recomend this book because it is really interesting .

“Hi Charlotte,
I am in Dr. Strange’s EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. Sounds like you really enjoyed the book you choose, and the book seems quite interesting as well. One day I may have to check into the book and read what the journey is like for myself. I enjoyed looking at your blog, it’s great!”

5
It was May 10,1775 when us colonists are heading to fort Ticonderoga.Were going under the leader Ethan Allen.On our way there we met up with Benedict Arnold who wanted to take lead but us green mountain boys wouldn’t have it,we will only go under the leadership of Ethan Allen.So Benedict Arnold tagged along as second in command.When we got there everyone was sleeping and it was so easy to take over we ran in and all the British troops surrendered because they were not prepared to fight back.

“Hi Zeke,
I am a student in Dr Strange’s EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. In his class we also have to keep a blog and post about the things we have learned for the assignments he gives to us. I enjoyed reading your post! Ethan Allen sounds like he was a great leader, especially after his group insisted that he stayed in leadership. He also did a good strategy by attacking the British when they were asleep. Keep up the good work zeke!”

6
*My trip to south dakota*
2 summers ago I went to South Dakota it was very fun. Me and my family drove up through Iowa and Nebraska and stopped in the badlands. It was weird because we were driving next to farm fields and all of a sudden we were in what looked like a desert. There were red and yellow layered canyons that looked 100 feet deep.
After that we went to the Mitchelville corn palace which is an arena decorated with ears of corn. Next we went to see Mt. Rushmore I got to walk up close to it and look up at the presidents faces. The next day i went to Custer state park there was a huge forest and a wildlife reserve that we could drive our car through. We saw donkeys deer And bison. we were driving through it and we came upon a huge pack of bison there were at least 150 of them and they were walking around our car making noises. they were huge and i was a little scared because they were walking closely around our car.
Next we drove a long way to Deadwood South Dakota and stayed in a big cabin. While we were there we toured a gold mine, went fishing and i even got to taste some buffalo to me it did not taste too good but it was okay. We also toured a few buildings and toured a graveyard. One weird thing about deadwood is that the population is only 3,000 but there are 23 casinos! Next we drove all the way back to Iowa.

“Hi Cole,
I am a student in Dr Strange’s EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. In my class we also have a blog assignment that we to blog about every week. I enjoyed reading about your trip! Sounds like you got to see some very interesting things, especially Mt. Rushmore. I remember taking road trips when I was younger and I’ll never forget the memories they gave me. Keep up the great work on your blog, and don’t forget to double check your punctuation!”

7
This weekend is our last game of football and my coach wants to show sussex Gold we can beat them again. We already won against Sussex Gold, but they said we got lucky and they should have won. My team was the first team to win against them in 2 years. They would have been undefeated if we didn’t win. So we will crush them on Saturday.

“Hi Jermey,
I am a student of Dr. Strange's EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. I hope your win was a success!”

Additional Project #3

I think the main point Sir Ken Robinson is trying to make is that the school systems we put kids through in today’s society needs to be changed. We have been using the same system of learning that was created over a hundred years ago, and Mr. Robinson relates it to being in a factory since in schools they use bells and place children together in the same age group. I pretty much agree with everything he had to say and that there needs to be a change. I like how he points out teachers preach to students that there is only one answer and not to cheat, when instead children should be interacting with other students to find out numerous answers for one problem. I can relate to what he is saying because when I was in high school I sat quietly in my desk listening to my teacher or copying notes vs. getting the experience of using the internet and working in groups to come up with an answer. Considering the world around us is revolving around the use of technology as we speak our students need to be prepared for what they will be faced with when they enter college. The main issue that needs to be addressed is how students interact in the classroom with each other and how technology can really improve a students learning experience. The presentation as a whole was very nice. I liked this video of him better because instead of him walking back and forth on a stage there was actual images to watch about the facts being stated. I would want to be the narrator mainly because I don’t mind speaking in front of a lot of people and I’m not a very great artist.

Project 13

Blog Assignment 10

An Open Letter to Educators
Dan Brown’s video is so great! After progressing this far in EDM310 I can say I do not find this video shocking at all, instead I wish more people would realize how true it is. I too sit in class listing to lecture and lecture about facts that I have to remember for only for an exam and then most of the information is forgotten. I don’t know if I would go as far as dropping out of school, but I do agree that some of the classes I have paid for in college are ridiculous and I hate the fact that I am basically paying for useless information only to gain a credit.

Hopefully in the future more and more people will realize that the school systems need to change their ways of teaching. I know enhancing technology in classrooms is in progress, but in my opinion the process isn’t moving fast enough. The most important thing that we should all take from college is the knowledge we gain from the class room, not a piece of paper that just states you have a degree. Yes, having a degree may show that you worked hard for something in your life and you may end up getting a good job with it, but I’d rather leave college knowing I have fulfilled my expectations and have gotten what I paid for.

It all comes down to people realizing that there needs to be a change and people have to step up and do something about it. Taking EDM310 class has changed the way I think about learning using technology. I think this class should not only be required for an education major, but for every college student so they can realize how important it is that reaching a higher education is the important goal here not just getting by in classes “memorizing facts!”

Two questions that can change your life- Daniel Pink
What is my sentence? Well this was actually pretty hard for me to come up with, which is silly considering it’s just one sentence. Lately a lot of things have been changing in my life, and I’m not talking about little everyday changes I’m talking about dramatic changes. With everything going on around me I have realized one important thing. You must love yourself in order to obtain full happiness. So that is my sentence and I will be working on loving myself and realizing what I deserve.

Was I better today than yesterday? This was a great question, simple but still great. It is something that everyone should ask themselves and realize in order to better your life don’t dwell on the past. I like to live by the saying “if you make a mistake fix it and learn from the experience.” I am trying to better myself and I will live my life day by day and make the best out of it.

Skype Interveiw

Blog Assignment 9

"What I’ve Learned This Year,” is a very inspiring blog post by Mr. McClung. In his post he explains his experiences from his first year of teaching, and also gives some great advise on how to handle certain situations as a new teacher. Mr. McClung points out seven great facts that all teachers should be aware of.

He starts out with “How to Read the Crowd” and explains that a teacher’s main focus shouldn’t be on how they are giving a lesson, they should be more concerned about how the students are reacting and receiving the lesson being taught. “Be Flexible” this was my favorite considering Mr. McClung says there is no perfect lesson, so don’t beat yourself up over it if something goes wrong. I also like how he says to do everything with a smile on your face, this is important because if kids see that your frustrated about something they most likely are going to take advantage of that. “Communicate,” communicating with people is something that is very important not only in the classroom, but also outside the classroom as well. McClung explains in this tip that communication is key to getting along with your fellow teachers. “Be Responsible,” this is pretty much a quality everyone should have in the working field, especially being a teacher. He says in this tip that teachers sometimes expect too much out of their students and don’t get discouraged when they don’t reach your goals. I like how he states that the students are not perfect and neither are we, that is something all teachers should take into consideration. “Don’t Be Afraid of Technology,” I’d say this is the most important tip of them all! McClung states that technology is our friend, and is essential in today’s society, which is very true. “Listen to Your Students,” Mr. McClung was inspired by a student simply stating “I know my teacher cares about me as a person when he listens to what I say.” He believes that we should build a good teacher student bond, and I agree that’s important in the classroom. The students are more likely to respect that teacher if they show that they actually care. Last but not least, “Never Stop Learning” he explains that it is important to continue learning not only for the students but for yourself!

After reading this post it helped me realize how challenging teaching can be first starting out. I can only hope that when I become a teacher I can absorb all of the things Mr. McClung did within his first year. This is a great post that I think all teachers should read, especially the ones new to the field.

Project #11 Short Video

Blog Assignment 8

This is How We Dream Parts 1 and 2
After watching part one and two of Richard Miller’s “This is How We Dream” presentation it brings to my attention how much an effect technology will, and not to mention should, have on the future of school systems. These videos are more based on the improvement that technology can bring for writing, but the use of technology can bring an improvement on any subjects with the right guidance. Richard points out the benefit’s the web can bring to learning, and he states that the only restrictions on learning are the ones we put on ourselves, which is very true. We need educators who are willing to learn how to teach using tools from the internet and put them to use in the classroom.
In part one of Richard’s presentations he introduces the idea of multimedia and explains the pros of posting ideas and lessons on the web vs. writing them in text, which can take maybe two years to be published and released. He also explains that another advantage of using information from the internet is that it only takes seconds to find and you have endless amounts of information being shared, instead of going to a library and looking at book after book for what you are searching for. I agree that using multimedia can improve a students work in the classroom, and even though I am not yet prepared to use it I am willing to learn how.
In part two of the presentations Richard starts off by giving examples of material that is posted on the web and changes before our eyes. It still amazes me how rapid technology changes every minute in our lives. Richards main goal is to get students to compose not only using Word Processor, but to compose by using multimedia and digital composing. In the near future I’m sure there will be such a program that compares to Richard’s ideas, and hopefully my future students will get the privilege of using it in the classroom.

The Chipper Series/EDM310 for Dummies
These videos were very well put together. My favorite was the “EDM310 for Dummies,” mostly because I liked how dramatic it was in the beginning. I think I can speak for several people in the class when I say that’s exactly how EDM310 class makes you feel at first until you can get the hang of things. The thing that stuck out the most to me in “The Chipper Series” was procrastination! I am the queen of procrastinating, but this class has helped me manage my time dedicated to class work quite well. I mean I may turn in some work at the very last minute, but I’m trying my best to as least get it in on time. I think the moral of both these videos is to show that you can succeed in this class as long as you stick with it and do your work. For my own video I would like to do something along the lines of time management for the class.

Critiques of Smartboards
I can’t say I agree with these two articles, although in Bill Ferriter’s article he made a good point by stating that without time and training, smartboards quickly become nothing more than really expensive overhead projectors, which I do agree with. In my opinion smart boards in the classroom can be very beneficial if the teacher has proper training with the smartboard and knows how to use it. The smartboard acts as a large projector screen of a computer and we all know by now the internet had numerous tools that can improve learning in the classroom. I found this article http://tiger.towson.edu/users/sunger2/smart_boards_in_the_classroom.htm, and it not only explains the importance of a students education, but also explains how smartboards can positively influence the learning experience in the classroom.

Project #9b Timetoast- Ten Most Recent Presidents of The United States

Additonal Assignment #2

1. What do you think? If learners are motivated, can they teach themselves? Yes, I think anyone that is willing to learn has the ability to do so. The video pretty much proves this fact as well.
2. If those motivated learners are kids, can they teach themselves? I think kids can teach themselves up to a certain extent. In the end of the video scientist Sugata Mitra went to a school in Turin Italy and visited a classroom full of kids who couldn’t speak English. Surprisingly the students answered all of Sugata’s questions, but if he wasn’t in front of the classroom addressing these questions most likely the students would have never planned to research such things. What I’m getting at is yes, students can teach themselves, but in my opinion they still need guidance.
3. What conditions are necessary for kids to teach themselves? For anyone to teach him or herself? Well for starters kids definitely need the right tools to teach themselves, such as the computers Sugata placed in the walls. I think a computer is a very important tool for the future education of children.
4. What role do computers and internet access play in the process? Computers with internet access play a huge role in education. Computers can give the children endless amounts of knowledge they are willing to learn.
5. What role does motivation, a desire to learn? Motivation also plays a big role in learning. Without someone to motivate the children there may be no desire to learn at all. As for older people trying to teach themselves something they must motivate themselves to learn, which may be more difficult.
6. What roles do a problem, a question or multiple problems or questions play in the process? Well without questions there are no answers. As I said before, if it wasn’t for Sugata writing questions on the board for the students to research then they would have probably never been interested to look up the subject themselves.
7. How do you motivate someone to learn? Encourage the students to find the right answer and reward them with positive gratitude.
8. How are you motivated to learn? I am motivated to learn so I can get my degree and start my life with a good career.
9. Can anyone who is not motivated to learn learn? I think they can learn, but it will be a difficult process for them and whoever is trying to teach them.
10. Do you teach yourself? When? Why? I do teach myself, especially in this class! I have gained a lot from this class thus far, so maybe teaching yourself isn’t so bad, but I still have Dr. Strange guiding me through most things.
11. What role does a teacher (either answer generally or use a specific example) play in your learning? As a child in elementary school the roles of my teachers were to teach me the important basics and fundamentals of life. Then vs. now is a whole different story, there is no one holding my hang along the way saying okay if you do good in class you get to pick out of the treasure chest at the end of the week. Now as a college student I must motivate myself to do my work and continue to go to school, my teachers could careless if I didn’t show up for a test. I’d say my teachers in college are here to guide me to freedom(my diploma). They give me the information I need to learn and if I choose to learn it or not that is up to me.
12. What is the most important idea, question or emotional response you take away with you as a result of watching this video? It was nice to see how the children responded to Sugata Mitra videos. I think the most important fact to take from this is that any child has the ability to learn if they are given the right tools to work with. Even these children from poor countries, that the teachers are not willing to go, were excited about learning!
13. What other questions or issues are raised by this video that should be considered and discussed by aspiring teachers? I think something amazing that was brought up in the video was “SOLE” which is self organized learning environments. It showed a room with a large screen and a computer, the room was big enough for a group of people. These classrooms could come in very great use around the world for countries that are less fortunate to have great teachers. With SOLE they could have class with teachers around the world and it would be if the teacher was actually there with the children.

My PLN

For starters Symbaloo is amazing! I’m not a very well organized person, but with symbaloo it does all the organizing for me, which I love. I have just started customizing my PLN, but so far it contains lots of things that can be useful for this class and any other school work I need help on considering it has a tile for every subject. I love having the blogger tile, instruction manual tile, and goggle docs tile, because it will make my experience in EDM310 class a little bit easier and much easier to keep everything in order. I have also added a few tiles for my own interests including skype and facebook. As I continue to progress in this class I will add to my PLN and plan on using it even after EDM310. I think this is a great tool for students in every classroom and will most definitely be using it in the future as a teacher!

Blog Assignment 7

This was a very inspiring speech by Randy Pausch! This man is absolutely amazing, he is a great example of being a genuinely good person and putting others first. He was also very successful throughout his life and inspired many people with his words, which is a huge success in it‘s own. One of the greatest qualities Randy shows throughout the speech is how determined he is about achieving his goals.
Randy starts his speech out by talking about his childhood dreams, a list ranging from defining gravity and winning stuffed animals, to being an imaginer in Disney World. The most impressive thing that he does in my opinion is reaching every single one of his dreams as a child. One of the only childhood dreams that I can remember was to become a country music singer, and I am far from reaching that dream! Dr. Pausch shows true dedication to reaching goals, and every teacher should do so to where the kids in the classroom can be pushed to their full potential. In the video I like the story Dr. Paush tells explaining how he gives his students a project to do in two weeks, and when the two weeks is over he is so blown away by the students work, that he doesn’t know what do give them next. Randy then calls a friend to ask what he should do about his situation and he is told to say “This is good, but I know you all can do better,” and he is amazed by what his students come up with by the time the building virtual worlds class is over. I’m sure Dr. Pausch inspired his students in the classroom as well as he inspired all the people that has had the privilege to hear his speeches.
There are some many awesome things mentioned through out the speech including the “brick walls” quote, indicating that brick walls are only put up to see how badly we really want something. Randy was also a co founder in the computer program called “Alice” it was a novel way to teaching computer programming and suppose to be a fun way for students to learn how to make their own computer programs. Dr. Pausch say’s “It would be great to see millions of kids having fun while learning something hard.” This quote alone indicates that he was not only dedicated to his life goals, he was also dedicated to his students. I think all teachers should take the time to watch this speech, so they too can be inspired by Randy’s hard work.
Dr. Pausch was also a big family man. He mentioned more than once in the speech about how amazing his parents were to him and how he had a great childhood. During the speech he also brings his wife up upon the stage and gets over 500 people to sing happy birthday to her, which was a touching moment for the both of them. In the end he states that the speech was not for the people in the room or for anyone else in that matter, it was for his children. After watching this speech anyone could be able to tell that this man was not only hard working, but was also kind hearted and very optimistic. Dr. Randy Pausch sadly passes away after being diagnosed with cancer, but he will surly be remembered forever through the inspiring words of wisdom he has left behind.

Project #9a Timetoast- Some people that mean the most to me!

Summary C4T #2

I was assigned to Kim Cofino, and her blog is called “Always Learning.” In Kim’s first post I commented on, Titled “Finding Inspiration” she explains how a guess speaker named Jane Goodall came to their school to tells stories about her life. Jane is a woman inspired by animals and has traveled the world to study them. In Kim’s post she states “Not only is she a natural storyteller, keeping the students captivated at the very end of the day in our stiflingly hot gym, but in every theme she discussed, there was a wonderfully simple and inspiring message.” Kim also mentions in the post that she likes to tell her student to choose a career field they love, because that will lead them to success. In my comment to Ms. Cofino I put “ I really enjoyed this post and I loved the fact that you inspire your students to study what they enjoy. When I first started college I picked a degree based on salary, not what I loved. Finally my parents got it through my head that money is not important, doing what you love is what is going to make you happy in life and now I’m pursuing my degree in education. I also like the fact that you want your students to take a risk in order to gain more learning opportunities.”

In her second post I commented on titled “Beginning with Blogging” she explains how she gets to start teaching her sixth grade class technology. Throughout her post she explains that she is excited to start this process of learning with them, but also doesn’t want to start out too fast, she states “It’s also important that I make the class approachable for the parents, teachers and students – starting too far out of the realm of understanding could bring some unwanted backlash early in the year.” She also goes through the stages she will have to experience with the students for their blogging to be a success. In my comment to Ms. Cofino I said, “I am excited for you to start teaching your kids how to use technology in the classroom! In my EDM310 class we are learning and preparing ourselves to do the same thing as future teachers. I like how you stated you want to start out slow so there is no early backlash. Starting out in EDM310 was quit over whelming, but now that I have the hang out if it’s very beneficial. I hope the best for you and your students!”

Blog Assignment 6

The Networked Student
In the this video it explains the future of networked students in detail and how Connectivism can be used efficiently in schools. I liked the short clip because it was simple yet very educational and to the point. I agree that bringing networking into schools will be huge educational tool for the students in the long run, and also a great new learning experience for the them. Now if someone where to show me this video a few months ago I may have thought they were a little crazy for wanting to try this, but after staring my educational journey in EDM 310 class I have become more and more for technology in the school systems!
I believe when I become a teacher I will most definitely want to teach networking to my students and use a blog system in my classroom, but I also want to be in the classroom giving my students the guidance they need because I still think teacher and student connection is important. My reasoning for wanting to use Connectivism in schools is
because the internet has endless opportunities for students to seek the knowledge that one teacher alone cannot give them. It is stated in the video that a networked student can have access to the best professors in the world, which is amazing if you ask me. I think anything that can strengthen a students learning process can be nothing but positive for them in school.
I am thrilled to know that Ms. Wendy Drexler will be trying this with her middle school students this fall,. I’m sure it will be a challenge at first, but also a great experience for them! In the video it is mentioned that the students will attend school for three days and the other two days being online, I wonder if she will be using this method. Considering students will do whatever it takes to cut the amount of days they have to go to school I think the three days in class and two days online will work, but only if the students are responsible which could be a problem with students at a young age. Overall it is clear that my opinion on students using a networking system will be great, but we can only see wait and see what the outcome will be in time.

A 7th Grader’s Personal Learning Enviornment
I think this student’s PLE is a very great learning tool! Although in the video it shows the student doing all her work on the computer and her loving it, I would still like to have the teacher and student connection in the classroom. I understand that this may be how teachers educated in the future, but what if not every student is as enthused about blogging, networking, and sitting at a computer for long periods of time such as the girl in the video. I must say it will probably take a very responsible and driven seventh grader to be able to keep up a PLE as shown in this video. The students in EDM 310 pay large amounts of money to take this class and keep up their own PLN, and yet still seem to struggle with having the discipline to turn in their work on time. Could you imagine a whole school of teenagers having to do the same thing! Now granted if this system of teaching through networking is going to work out for everyone in the future or not, I still think it is a great way to further a students horizons in the education world.

The Machine is Changing Us
This video was great on helping me realize the changes made in certain generations. I can admit that I am defiantly a part of the “MTV generation,” mainly because of my short attention span. Through out the video Dr. Wesch points out several facts about how technology is not only changing in the world around us, but also changing the way people act in response to technology. One of the quotes I really liked in the video was “ We shape our tools, and after our tools shape us,” which is very true. An example Dr. Wesch explains in the video is youtube and how it can be used as a really good tool for learning, but people also use it for a variety of things ranging from homemade videos of children, to people sharing their personal feelings to the world. When I was younger and I had a problem with something I vented it to my friends or family, in today’s time it seems like a large population of kids are posting youtube videos about their personal lives. I could never imagine making a video about my life problems and posting it online for the world to see, and I don’t know the answer to why people would. I grew up in the 90’s and so many things have changed since then. In the future when I become a teacher I will use technology in the classroom for the students benefit and I will also realize the students came from a different generation, so I can understand where they are coming from.

Summary C4K 1&2

The first blog I commented on was a student’s named Adriannav. She wrote a very good manifesto promising to do many things to improve her experience in the classroom. My comment to Adriannav was that I though all of her promises are great steps to better her education in the classroom, especially the one stating “I promise to show I want to learn.” It is important that we, as students, show dedication to learning and cherish the knowledge we gain from the classroom.
Since Adriannav didn’t get to write her About Me yet I commented on another student’s blog named Colby. His About Me was quite interesting. Some of his hobbies included science labs, fishing, camping, and of course video games. His strengths in school are reading and his weakness is math. Colby’s parents have very high hopes for him and wish for him to become a doctor, but he wishes to succeed in life and to become an actor one day. I commented to Colby telling him I too enjoy fishing and my dad is a charter boat captain, so I get to go quite often. After reading a statement in his About Me saying he has no big goals in life, I said to him it is very interesting that he wants to enter the entertainment field and I’d say that’s a huge goal in itself. The last thing I mentioned to him was that majority of parents hope their kids will grow up and become a doctor of some sort, but my advise to Colby was to do what makes him happy because that is what will lead him to success!

Podcast- Are Smartboards useful or wasteful in the classroom?

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

Blog assignment 5

Eagle Nest Radio & Class Blog
After watching the Shark-tastic interview, created by Mrs. Edmison’s third grade class, it helped me understand how simple, yet great a podcast can be. As you can tell in the podcast the students are quite intrigued with the facts the shark diver informs them with, and I loved how you could hear the excitement in the kids voices as they learned about sharks. The podcast is definitely a great strategy to use as a teacher. I think this is an excellent tool to use in the classroom to keep the kids interested and entertained while learning.

The benefits of podcasting in the classroom
This is definitely a helpful video for people who are interested in podcasting! Joe Dale, the creator of this video, points out some very great facts on how podcasting can help in the classroom. One of my favorite things that he pointed out was, if a student is sick and misses school they don’t have to miss out on class, instead they can simply listen to the lecture in a podcast the teacher has created. After watching this video I agree that podcasting can be very effective and beneficial for both the students and teachers in a classroom.

100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn and Study Better
This is a great website page that can help people get interested in podcasting. Not only does it give out links on how to set up a podcast and learn how to use it, but it also gives links to some very good podcasts out there that can be beneficial to learning. After looking over this article I realized there are numerous learning tools and podcasts available, such as listening to tutorials on how to speak another language, which is quite impressive.

To be honest before this assignment I never even knew what a podcast was. After researching these articles I have became quite interested in the whole podcasting idea. I agree that podcasting can be very beneficial in the classroom, especially if the teacher gives work outside of the classroom or if a student misses class. I really enjoyed the experience of learning how to do my own podcast. Learning how to cut and piece together my groups voices all to make a perfect flowing podcast speech in the end was very exciting. In the future when I have my own students I will surly keep in mind this experience of making a podcast and how great of an educational tool it can be.

Blog Assignment 4

Don’t Teach Your Kid’s This Stuff Please?
I really enjoyed Mr. McLeod’s post and couldn‘t agree with him more. I think it was a clever way of putting out there that children should not be sheltered from technology, which is the truth. Technology in a child’s life can be more beneficial rather than being harmful, and the parents will have to realize that if they want their child to be open to the opportunities of learning in the future. Mr. McLeod is an Associate Professor in the Educational Administration program at Iowa State University and he also is the Director of the UCEA. He is very pro technology in the classrooms and is also widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading academic experts on K-12 school technology leadership issues.

The iSchool Initiative
This video is quite shocking! It is hard to believe everything a student will need to know in a classroom can all be consumed onto one little ipod. Travis, the student that came up with this solution, is in no doubt brilliant. The idea of students having every information tool they need within a touch of a screen is amazing, but at the same time makes me wonder if the students will actually be learning efficiently from the “ischool.” If all the knowledge a student can ask for is one touch away, then how is the student actually learning when the information is just simply given to them?
Another topic in the video that was brought to my attention is how the ischool will be saving students money. One of my questions is will the school be supplying the ipods or will the students have to purchase them themselves, and also what happens if a student breaks their ipod or has technical difficulties? I read in a comment below the video that school are already starting to use this idea of the ischool around the nation. I hope to soon see the outcome of this mind blowing solution of fixing school systems.

The Lost Generation
This video is definitely an eye opener. When first watching The Lost Generation, I thought how depressing! It is sad to see all the negative things taking place in our lives today that can lead to even worse scenarios in the future. Once the narrator flipped the words around it makes you realize there is hope. In my opinion this video should be passed along to everyone so they can see that we are the only ones capable of making changes for the better of our future, instead of allowing things continue to spoil. Overall I liked the technique used in the video and thought it was very clever.

Eric Whitaker’s Virtual Chior
For starters the voices of the choir in this video are phenomenal. This is wonderful piece of art created by Eric Whitaker using technology, which is simply amazing. It had to take a lot of patience and talent to put this together, and they all did it through a computer screen. This is a great example of how technology can change the way people do things and be connected through the world as one.

Summary C4T #1

In Joe Bower’s first post that I commented on, titled “Disengaged Kids are Inconvenient,” he explains why is it a student can be very eager and willing to learn with a certain teacher compared to the same student can be inattentive with another teacher. He states that it is easy for the teacher to just blame the student for their inconvenient behavior, but there has to be an excuse to why the student isn’t consistent with their attitudes towards learning. I commented on his post saying I agree and that I think it is simply easier for the teacher to blame the student rather than admitting their teaching style may not benefit that child. All students learn differently and if the teacher is not using different strategies to help their students learn, then they could be the problem not the student.

In the second post I commented on, titled “Instant Chat in the Classroom,” he tells a story about an incident that happened in his own classroom. He explains that he is trying a virtual chat with his students and tells them to upload a picture of themselves, and of course the students first response is “how do you do that?” He then tells them they basically have to figure it out amongst themselves, because he wasn’t going to help them. As he sits back and observes the students, one student finally posts exactly what he wanted. The student posted a comment asking for help on how to post a picture and in return another student helps her. I commented on his post saying I like the idea of using a virtual chat in the classroom. It seems like more and more kids in today’s society spend their spear time on facebook and if a classroom chat could give them the same effect as social networking, then I’m sure they would be fully interested.

Additional Assignment #1

A. What are the educational implications of searches such as Google Squared provides? -For one of my searches I searched “Mississippi colleges” and with using Google Squared I got the description, location, enrollment number, and telephone number right away for each college, vs. a bunch of random websites to click on and search through.
B. What are the educational implications of searches such as WolframAlpha provides? -For this search I searched “lady gaga” and all that came up was her name, date of birth, and place of birth, vs. when I searched her in Google 322,000,000 results came up.
C. Did you know about Google Squared before this assignment? No
D. Did you know about Wolfram Alpha before this assignment? No
E. Reread your comments about Did You Know. Have my comments altered your thinking about anything you saw, heard, read, or reported for the Did You Know assignment? If not, say so. If so, describe how in as much detail as necessary.
-No, when first watching the video I was already aware of the fact that China and India’s population were much larger than the United States.
F. What did you learn from this exercise about how you react to and deal with "statistics"?
- I first learned that there are more efficient ways of searching things online vs. always using Google. I also learned to not jump to conclusions simply because a fact is stated, research the facts to learn further information.

Food for thought- I find it shocking a six year old can instantly know how to work an Ipad when many adults claim they can’t even turn a computer on.

Google Presentation

Blog Assignment 3

A Vision of Student Today
This video states several facts that many college students can relate to. Although we can relate to these facts it makes me wonder who is to blame, the students or the teacher? It states in the video that students spend numerous hours doing things on the web, talking on the phone, listening to music, etc., but why is it that they choose to spend there time this way instead of studying and trying to learn; is it because the teachers work is simply boring or are the students just lazy? To be quite blunt I’m not sure what the point of this video is, it states random facts about how students spend their time but never really got to a point of why the video was made in the first place.

If I were to add to the video I would include some facts from the teachers point of view vs. just facts from a student survey. Now granted I can relate to how ridiculous the coast of books and school is for me, but I also knew what I was getting into from the start. Another thing that stood out to me is how many hours a day someone can spend on face book, I do not know why it is that so many people have been sucked into this social network but I can admit I too am a victim. Maybe if someone can come up with a way of teaching through a social networking class that was entertaining like facebook that would be the solution.
 
It’s Not About the Technology

After reading It’s Not About the Technology by Kelly Hines, I strongly agree with the points she has stated in her post. Out of the list of four things she mentions in order to impact the students effectively my favorite is number one, teachers must be learners. In order for students to learn, the teacher is the one responsible to be able to teach accurately and being able to use different methods of teaching so that every child in the class is gaining from the lesson. A teacher should not rely on the learning experience from the classroom to come from technology alone.

Ms. Hines also mentions in her post that a teacher may have the tools to use technology in the classroom such as computers or a whiteboard, but if the teacher isn’t willing to learn how to use it then the tools are useless. I think all teachers should be up to date with the latest technology, but that doesn’t mean they have to use it as there only teaching method in the classroom.



Is It Okay to be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
I can honestly say I agree with Mr. Karl Fisch one hundred percent. He is not trying to preach technology is the future, or that technology has to be used in the classrooms in order for students to learn, he is simply just trying to get the point across that teachers shouldn’t be aloud to be technologically-illiterate, and why should they be? In his post he states “All educators must achieve a basic level of technological capability” which is true, and if a teacher can’t achieve this then they should at least try to learn how.

This post also has brought to my attention the fact that in order for us to graduate and become future educators we must pass the micro computer class, but if they were to take a teacher who graduated fifty years ago with the same degree we are striving for and tell them they must now pass this class as well, I can grantee if the teacher was technologically illiterate they wouldn’t be able to do so. I think in all fairness every teacher should be able to use technology at least to a certain extent.



Social Media Count
It’s quite mind blowing seeing the speed of the tools of technology increase by the second. Teachers should be aware of the rapid growth rate of technology around them and if the students have the knowledge of using the technology I think the teachers should as well. Technology can definitely be useful for teachers in the classroom. In the future when I become a teacher I know technology will be the prime choice of educating in the classroom.

Project 2 wordle

Blog Assignment 2

Did You Know?


As I watched this video I was amazed by the facts presented behind technology in today’s life. It is a true eye opener to see how rapid the technology in our lives is growing. I think that it is important to stay up-to-date with technology considering it’s exponential growth rate in the world today. When he states the fact telling us that “We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t exist yet” and “In order to solve problems we don’t even know yet,” that is what amazes me because as difficult as it is to think that, it is true. It is shocking to believe that in the future everyone in the world will be connected via internet, when in the past generations people lived without even knowing how to turn on a computer.

Another interesting fact that was stated in the video is it’s predicted that by 2049 a $1,000 computer will exceed the computational capabilities of the entire human species, I could not imagine there will actually be a computer capable of doing so. This video is full of interesting facts and knowledge about the world, that people in today’s life don’t even realize yet. I know technology is steadily increasing through out the world, what I didn’t know was how it will effect everyone’s life in one way or another very soon. It seems that at the rapid rate of internet usage one day we will all be connected as one.



Mr. Winkle Wakes

This movie was pretty interesting considering when Mr. Winkle wakes up the only thing remaining the same after a hundred years is the school systems. I feel that many elders in today’s society can relate to Mr. Winkle. Everything shown in the video are things that are happening in today’s life and I honestly think it is sad that after a hundred years teachers are still using the same techniques of teaching in the classroom.

In the video Mr. Winkle mentions that in the back of the classroom there is a dusty laptop that seems to rarely be used. The world around us is using computers for almost anything and everything, so why would there be a classroom consisting of only one laptop in the first place? I think there should be computers available for every student in a classroom, and instead of the regular daily lecture the student can learn not only from the teacher but how to be technically literate as well. If I were to fall asleep today and wake up in a hundreds years I would hope to find that the schools are not the same!



The Importance of creativity

At first I was not sure if I was going to like this video, but towards the end it caught my attention. Ken Robinson made some very interesting points throughout the video, my favorite one being when he was explaining the story about the dancer he mentions instead of the doctor diagnosing her with ADD, which in today’s case the doctor most likely would, he simply tells the girl’s mother nothing is wrong and the girl just needs to dance. Many children are now diagnosed with ADD or ADHD for whatever the reason being either the child is too loud, too hyper, or can’t pay attention. In my opinion yes, some children may actually have the disease, but in most all cases aren’t children supposed to be loud, playful, and full of energy? I believe Mr. Robinson has a great point in explaining how school systems only focus on the basics vs. teaching children how to express themselves in their own way.

It is also mentioned in the video that we are preparing students for a life that even we don’t know what is going to be like in the future, so why limit children in a classroom. I was never very talented in arts, but I was very good at a sport called inline speed skating. In 2006 when I was sixteen years old I made the USA inline speed skating team and felt so honored considering only the top eight girls in the country made it. I got to travel to South Korea that year and ended up getting fourth place in the world for my race. Racing was an experience of a lifetime, I got to travel, meet new people, and I was doing something I loved and was actually great at. I eventually quit skating because everyone stressed the fact that school is more important, and skating would bring me no where since it was not a college sport, isn’t in the Olympics, and it would be hard to make a career out of it. To this very day I regret quitting, but I’m also in my third year of college and trying to get my degree. Hopefully in the future I will be able to convince myself that I have made the right choice. We as young adults are taught that school is considered to be the most important thing in our life and in order to have a good future we must have a college education, but just like Ken Robinson mentioned in the video what if Picasso was pushed away from art to study math!



Harness your students’ digital smarts

This is a video all teachers and educators of the future should watch. During the video Vicki Davis explains why it is important for students to use technology in the classroom. Vicki makes a statement saying when students have only paper and pencil in the classroom then only certain types of children will succeed, and I strongly agree with her. I think it is important that students are more hands on with computers and learn more independently, because therefore a teacher can be sure the student is learning and being hands on.

Using computers in the classroom also makes it more interesting for the students vs. the students sitting in a desk and listening to a lecture. There are multiple ways a teacher can educate their students, but Vicki Davis has come up with a very good strategy shown in the video to keep her students on top of their game. This video makes me wonder how I’ll teach my students once I become a teacher.

Assignment 1

My name is Courtney Bellais and I was born and raised in a small town called Ocean Springs. I am twenty years old and have lived in Ocean Springs my whole life. Once I graduated high school, I went straight to a junior college called MGCCC where I completed my first two years. I decided to attend University of South Alabama after I had many friends that enjoyed going to the school, and since it’s not too far from home I figured it would be a good choice. For my first semester I will be commuting, but in January I wish to be a full time student and live on campus.


When I was in high school I played volleyball, soccer, and ran track/cross-country, so I would consider myself athletic and very interested in sports. I loved the high school I went to and my teachers are the ones who inspired me to go into the education field, so I have decided to teach health education. I am also your typical girl, I love to shop, go out with my friends, and enjoy a nice day at the beach. I still live at home with my wonderful family including my mom, step-dad, brother, and three dogs. Most of my time is spent either working at hooters, at my best friend Tess’s house, or working out in the gym. My main goal in life is to just be successful, which who’s isn’t, but I don’t look at success as being loaded with money. I mainly want to get my degree, live a healthy life, and someday have a beautiful family.