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