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.